Looking for the Prettier Sow

Penn State's Population Research Institute has published a story which indicates that people are all too willing to move to another state based entirely on the eligibility rules for welfare.

Gordon De Jong, a professor of sociology and demography, stated:

"There wasn't a whole lot of change in the welfare-benefit levels, but there were a lot of changes in eligibility rules and what people must do, in terms of behavioral requirements and responsibilities, to qualify or to continue to receive benefits . . ."[and]

"We found that these latter two dimensions, eligibility rules and behavioral responsibilities and requirements, make a difference -- that people are willing to move from states that are highly stringent or became more stringent to states that are lenient or became more lenient . . . ."

This should not be a great surprise to anyone. People will show up to get something for nothing. And, this movement affects different states differently. Some states have stringent requirements and people have a motivation to go to less stringent states. The researchers found that:

". . . California, Connecticut, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Vermont and Washington as the states with welfare policies most attractive to outsiders. Arizona, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas were the states where welfare recipients were most likely to leave.

It's well known that sometimes one has to move for the sake of a better job. I guess sometimes a move is made for better welfare. OK, let's see. What state has a prettier sow?

Unfortunately, the states with a prettier sow also have citizens with emptier wallets. Read the whole story.