Then you understand my position exactly as well as I do :) As far as welfare goes, I think that earmarking monies is not a very good idea. I don't need to tell you of all people that if the government says that they will pay up to $800/mo for rent for low income people, then $800 is going to be the price, no matter how squalid the conditions. Cash solves that problem. I'm more of the mind that I support human dignity, and I think part of the social contract is that we treat each other with humanity. Practically speaking, direct payments to vendors on behalf of poor people seems to cause harm in a lot of ways. As your other post points out, it's often difficult to disentangle costs and benefits.I still don't know if you support or oppose California's PFL program; most of your comments seem to be vaguely positive.