Arelatedtouchstoneofmarketeconomicsistheideathatmostpeoplearebetteratspendingtheirownmoneythansomebodyelseisatspendingitforthem.Sometimesthisisdirectlyelevatedintoanethicalprinciple:theconsumer'srighttomakehisownmistakes.Butusuallyitissimplythatgivingapoorfamilyashoppingcartfilledfromtheshelvesofasupermarketisnotasgoodasgivingthemthemoneyandthecartandlettingthemdotheirownshop-ping.Theideaisthattheywillgetmoreforyourmoneyiftheygettospendit.Agivenamountofyourmoneywilldomoregoodforthefamilyfromthefamily'spointofviewifitisspentthewaytheywantitspent
hadn't considered: I suppose I had considered this, and had heard it before a long time ago, but I do sometimes feel weird about the government simply providing checks when they could provide goods/services. this was a good reminder that people can generally be trusted to make the best decisions for themselves.