Hitting the target
Sir: Barry Legg's belief (Letters, 23 Octo- ber) that the so-called targeting of welfare benefits will reduce a burgeoning beneficia- ry class is wrong. Targeting of welfare bene- fits increases welfare dependency by encouraging a generation already lacking in pride and self-discipline to reduce their cir- cumstances to the point where they fall into the prescribed target area — a fact proven by the attempted targeting of health care in New Zealand.
Every western democracy suffers from a surfeit of welfarism, and the only solution to this chronic problem involves the dis- mantling of their respective welfare sys- tems. His advocacy of the use of a smart card to curb welfare fraud is the first step down the slippery slope to totalitarianism and puts the preservation of a welfare state, economically and morally indefensible, ahead of the civil rights that form the foundation of a healthy democracy.
Garth Hamilton
Becks, R.D.2 Omakau, Central Otago, New Zealand
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