I am reminded of a quote by Austrian Chancellor Stocker: “We want to be a country where performance, hard work and commitment are valued and respected. We want to be a country where we support each other but do not exploit each other
A simple formulation, but one that leads to two sets of consequences and two different policy agendas
Defence against the lazy people who have made a life out of drawing benefits and often even laugh in the faces of the workers. We hear a lot about this and it arouses justified indignation.
A defence against those who take a large part of the wealth they create and do not work themselves. They take the money through capital gains, rents, etc.
Each of these groups cultivates their own version of morality, that their actions are right, that the exploiters are the ones on the other side, and that the stupid workers do not understand that the payments to them are deserved and justified. Personally, I belong to neither side, so I can safely say that I see no moral difference between a gypsy abusing the welfare system and a stock market investor. Other people may feel differently.
But we can safely say which is the bigger problem. The statistics give a clear answer. It’s a little different in every country in the West, but the total amount of money paid out through various annuities is about twice the sum of all social benefits, including pensions.