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A sense of balance and decency should never be taken for granted in any society. Critical pillars of democratic nations—such as the rule of law, presumption of innocence, and voluntary compliance—depend on perceptions of fairness and a reasonable sense of opportunity across the population as a whole, not just among those who are better off.

As a lifelong conservative, I have never believed that the state should try to legislate equality of outcomes: too much freedom would be threatened and too much expense wasted. But equality of opportunity is a compelling imperative in any democracy. Figuring out how to level the playing field is the essence of politics at its best. Old shibboleths like “the poor are always with us,” or “if you pay someone to do nothing, they will do nothing,” are deeply condescending notions rooted in low expectations about impoverished people. Being complacent about ongoing poverty—when we know how toxic it is to health, education, and life outcomes—is a serious abdication of political and moral responsibility. There is little basis in fact to the notion that a minimum income floor beneath which no one can fall destroys the desire to do better.