I’m a big fan of means-testing the welfare state, but many of my favorite people disagree.  I’ve got a challenge for these hold-outs.  Here goes:

Right now we already means-test a lot of programs, such as Medicaid, food stamps, and housing vouchers.  Question: Should we make the entire population eligible for these programs, regardless of income and wealth?  If not, why not?  If you don’t want to transform existing means-tested programs into universal programs, why don’t you want to transform existing universal programs into means-tested programs?