the cancer posing as the cure

there's a story making the rounds of social media about a Republican governor helping ABQ's homeless by offering them work. I'm sure it is the intent of the author to show how government is assisting an otherwise downtrodden segment of the population, and I don't doubt one reason for all the shares is to show how the "heartless" Republican party actually has at least one good egg.

!()

but to me, the key is in this paragraph:

“Genuinely ask why they are in the predicament they are,”
[Employment Services director Kellie] Tillerson said.
“Many have medical conditions, they don’t have the proper
identification — you can’t get a job without one. They don’t
have a Social Security card. Those little things we take
for granted prohibit people from getting a job.
Don’t assume they are lazy.”

translated: we've made it illegal to hire these people, but we, in partnership with the city, are above those laws. so we can slam the free market for failing the homeless and have the Almighty Government swoop in, cape flapping, to save the day.

if it weren't for laws related to tax collection, minimum wage, proper identification, legal status, child labor, certification, insurance, etc., etc., a truly free market would eventually re-emerge. it would take a while, because it has atrophied, but it would happen. and once again, everyone who wanted work would have it.

meanwhile, as Harry Browne said in 2002, "Government is good at one thing: It knows how to break your legs, hand you a crutch, and say, 'See, if it weren't for the government, you wouldn't be able to walk.'"