Social worker and economist  Jared Bernstein (left), appeared on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” with former Republican Rep. Tom Davis (second from left) and MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow (second from right). Screenshot courtesy of HBO.

Jared Bernstein is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Cheers to social worker and economist Jared Bernstein for saying economists should work as social workers before crafting budgets that would make huge cuts in social safety net programs.

Bernstein made these comments March 15 on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” where he joined former Virginia Republican Rep. Tom Davis and MSNBC host and political commentator Rachel Maddow to discuss the Republican budget plan, the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq War, and other issues.

Critics say a budget proposal from conservative Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) would abolish healthcare reforms and turn Medicare into a voucher program in a decade while cutting billions of dollars worth of taxes for the rich.

Bernstein, who was economic adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, earned his  master’s degree in social work from Hunter College and worked with poor people in New York City before beginning his career in economics.

“Every economist ought to be a social worker for a few years and it’s that kind of lack of contact with the other that leads you to believe that the best way to help poor people is to give rich people really big tax cuts, and it will trickle down…,” he said.

You can watch clips of Bernstein’s appearance on Youtube by going here and here or read the full transcript. Bernstein also wrote this blog entry about his appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher.”