What is welfare state? Why did it come into existence? As we know, in a capitalist society nothing happens that does not serve the needs of capital. The whole point of the welfare state was to make it easier for capital and labor to get together. Capital was in need of fairly healthy, clean, literate, socialized, nice-looking, stable labor that would show up for work in a reliable way. The welfare state arose to make sure capital had unfettered access to such labor.
So what happens when capital no longer needs fairly healthy, neat, stable labor that will show up every day? Of course, the welfare state dies. And what happens with the formerly neat, clean, regularly showing up labor? It begins to filter towards the bottom of society where the perennially excluded by the job market reside.
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