Government based socialism under an efficient and well designed government could dramatically lower poverty levels. However, in a free state, those who do not partake in social benefits should not have to pay for them. If someone wants to live in the woods, never working, providing their needs themselves, they will be recieving no government benifits, and thus should not have to pay anything. If someone wants to use government roads, court systems, and other benefits, they should have to pay for them. If someone wants to recieve assistance in living because of poverty, they should have to ‘pay’ for it as well (not monetarily, obviously, since they have no money). This system will have government controlled programs, but will also leave open a door (often a very wide one) for privately owned programs to be run (for many, but not all, of the programs; for example, handling of roads particularly planning the routes and rules, will be handled only by the government, as the space involved in making road systems is too great, and it would just be very confusing, to have multiple systems). Checks must be instituted to prevent favoring of government programs over private (a big challenge).
I will create several articles based on this idea of buying services from the government.