The Bush proposal to spend zillions to supposedly improve marriages is being sold mostly in the name of "saving" the marriages of low-income Americans. It's a classic case, in other words, of Mises's theory of interventionism: The welfare state has wrecked millions of marriages by eliminating the guilt from abandoning one's own children, and high taxes and inflation have created unbearable financial pressures that have destroyed many other marriages. Therefore, the natural response is even more interventionism. Here's a syllogism that describes the Bush policy:
- Premise #1: The welfare state and the tax burden imposed to finance it has destroyed millions of marriages.
- Premise #2: Nearly everyone knows this.
- Conclusion: Therefore, we need a bigger welfare state in the form of taxpayer-subsidized marriage counseling. (from LRC)
