VP JD Vance’s socialist welfare plan exposed: Conservatives feuding!

Vice President Vance has proposed a new welfare scheme to help out families so that one parent can stay home to raise the kids while the other one works. While it’s a noble goal, it’s dividing conservatives, since the plan is in effect another big government handout.

According to reports , the plan is to take money that has already been set aside by the government, and make available $9,000 to each family that has one parent working more than 35 hours a week, and the other parent staying home with the kids.

The idea is simple: Instead of spending government money on day care services, why not just give that money to families directly? Here was rightwing commentator Benny Johnson praising the idea.

But not all conservatives were so excited about it. Meghan McCain, for instance, assailed the plan as the kind of welfare scheme Republicans typically say they are against. Similarly, conservative radio host Erick Erickson described the plan as “welfare for married people,” and further evidence that the GOP is pivoting toward becoming the socialist lite party, i.e. the “Diet Coke of Socialism.”

Well, you can probably guess my views: I’m with Erick and Meghan, and others, who view this proposal as another misguided welfare scheme.

The fact that the money was already appropriated might make it tempting to say well, if we are spending the money, we might as well spend it this way — sort of life how we support education vouchers that give the money that would be spent on public schools to the families themselves to spend on their ideal education for their kids.

I understand that, but it’s wrong. Paying people to stay home and not work is in fact paying people not to work, and we don’t want that. It is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong to pay people not to work. That is a system that is begging to be taken advantage of.

Here’s my counter proposal: An income tax cut. A massive income tax cut. Let people keep more of what they earn, and use that money to arrange whatever the ideal child care strategy is for them.

Maybe that means mom can quit her job entirely. Maybe she works part time, and grandparents help out. Maybe there’s a full-time sitter. The point is, it’s not really the government’s job to come up with an across-the-board policy that says “here’s what’s best, let’s throw money at it.” Instead, it let people keep more of their own money, and work it out for themselves.

That would be a truly conservative limited government pro-family approach, if Republicans would just dare to dream it into being during the few weeks they have remaining with total control of the government.

Robby Soave is co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising” and a senior editor for Reason Magazine. This column is an edited transcription of his daily commentary.