Yes, voters simultaneously want benefits and low taxes. And this is how you do it, give the benefit subject to numerous qualifying conditions, and make it a loan, so cash flow is not affected today and hence tax impact is low.
See defined benefit pensions, higher education loans, military benefits, 401k/employer health plan tax benefits. All of these things could have middlemen removed, but they remain to obfuscate costs and who is getting how much of the benefit.
Maybe every 25 years or so the legislature and president should all be given final terms all at once, meaning they can’t serve in similar roles again.
This would give an opportunity for hard decisions to be made, but it’d also discourage anyone new from running in the years up to it. It’d be interesting to see what would happen.
See defined benefit pensions, higher education loans, military benefits, 401k/employer health plan tax benefits. All of these things could have middlemen removed, but they remain to obfuscate costs and who is getting how much of the benefit.