On one side: protecting the poor from themselves is patronising and an excuse for many of the C20th's most appalling acts.
On the other: people need to be protected from their better connected, better informed and better resourced 'rich' compatriots.
I'm no political philosopher but John Rawls set out the first principles - what are we even trying to do?
The First Principle of Justice
"each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others.”
The Second Principle of Justice
Social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that:
(a) they are to be of the greatest benefit to the least-advantaged members of society...
(b) offices and positions must be open to everyone under conditions of fair equality of opportunity
