America needs a new plan – one that offers a helping hand ‘up out of poverty,’ rather than the perpetuating the current system that “severely punish work effort,” promote continual dependence on government, and stifle the human spirit.

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Welfare Benefits and the ‘Disincentive Desert’ – WSJ

How Americans become ensnared in the system.

WSJ Letters – Dec. 11, 2023 – Excerpts:

Phil Gramm and John Early’s “Another Wrong Way to Measure Poverty” (op-ed, Dec. 6) is notable for revealing how poverty rates are artificially inflated by the Census Bureau by excluding most social-welfare benefits. When all the benefits are counted, the authors contend, “the percentage of Americans living in poverty falls to only 2.5%.”

…. While Americans may be more comfortable than census numbers suggest, the authors miss the poverty of opportunity that occurs once people become ensnared in the social-welfare system.

Consider a 2022 study by economist Ed Dolan. He gives the case of a hypothetical Boston family with one adult, two young children and an income of $22,000, which is at that group’s official poverty level. The family qualifies for around $66,000 in social-welfare benefits, which certainly brings it out of poverty.

But here’s the rub: Even if the family’s income doubles to $44,000, the social-welfare benefits collectively roll back $1.03 for every marginal dollar earned over this range, leaving the family worse off in total wages and benefits. Our research calls this phenomenon a “disincentive desert,” (as opposed to the much-studied “benefits cliff”), since this is equivalent to an extremely high and persistent tax on work effort, ranging from 90% to 110%, across long spans of income.

As a result, many low-income Americans are left comfortably numb in a social-welfare state that severely punishes work effort and stifles the imagination for what life might be. I contend that rather than focusing on living standards at a point in time, we should see that life without hope of economic progress is the ultimate definition of poverty. Policies that address this issue are the key to reviving downward trends in labor-force participation. –Prof. Craig J. Richardson, Winston-Salem State University

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The Leviticus 25 Plan is a dynamic economic initiative providing direct liquidity benefits for American families, while at the same time scaling back the role of government in managing and controlling the affairs of citizens.  It is a comprehensive plan with long-term economic and social benefits for citizens and government.

The inspiration for this plan is based upon Biblical principles set forth in the Book of Leviticus, principles tendering direct economic liberties to the people.

The Leviticus 25 Plan – An Economic Acceleration Plan for America

$90,000 per U.S. citizen – Leviticus 25 Plan 2023 (11262 downloads)