“Repeal that law, and you will soon see a change in their manners. Six days shalt thou labor, though one of the old commandments long treated as out of date, will again be looked upon as a respectable precept; industry will increase, and with it plenty among the lower people; their circumstances will mend, and more will be done for their happiness by inuring them to provide for themselves, than could be done by dividing all your estates among them.” - Benjamin Franklin
Welfare is a touchy subject. When it is discussed among our society harsh words are often used. People become offended and words like “selfish” and “hate” are thrown at those who oppose the concept- “socialist”, “lazy”, and “leech” are the words that are thrown back. I don’t believe that this subject should be treated this way- dealing with our nations poor is something that affects each and every one of us in some way. They are our neighbors and fellow citizens. I don’t wish to hurt these people.. I only wish to give them back the liberties that our forefathers once granted them.
“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” - Thomas Jefferson
It was not the intentions of the founding fathers to create a government in which its purpose is to take care of the people. The purpose of the government is to enable the people of the nation to live in safety and happiness. Welfare is, in fact, taking the money from one set of people and giving it to another. Is this always necessarily a bad thing? No. Should our money be used for public education, public transportation, and people who actually need assistance? Yes! But our current welfare system just hands the money to people who are not deserving of this assistance- they often have the wrong motives in receiving your money. The current system propagates greedy, selfish people into misusing the assistance that our government so willingly provides.. these kinds of people are stealing the money from the disabled who truly need assistance from the government. Do I think our money should be used to provide for those who are able to provide for themselves? Of course not.
“A good job is more than just a paycheck. A good job fosters independence and discipline, and contributes to the health of the community. A good job is a means to provide for the health and welfare of your family, to own a home, and save for retirement.” James H. Dougless
What is the purpose of life? Many would agree that it is to create and sustain a good life for yourself and your loved ones. I don’t believe it is unreasonable to say that a person cannot truly be happy without being self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is what enables a person to have pride and self-respect. It’s what keeps people motivated to continue “moving up” in the world. It’s what creates achievement. A good job is truly more than a paycheck. It is the mark of success- that you have fulfilled your duty to your country, community, family, and yourself. Welfare recipients have no motivation to help themselves or their families. They are scraping by with what the government has provided for them- when in reality they could be living a much happier and more fulfilled life. They could put their kids through college, own their own home, and live long, happy lives that they can be proud of.
“When government accepts responsibility for people, then people no longer take responsibility for themselves.” – George Pataki
Honestly, wouldn’t the world be a better place if we could all depend on ourselves? If we all made enough money to keep our families fed, housed, and happy? I believe welfare is nothing but a societal sin. Many Americans on welfare could, in fact, take care of themselves. No, I’m not trying to say that all welfare recipients are couch potatoes who use their welfare to pay for cable and do absolutely nothing all day.. I’m saying that with some WORK, these people could get back on their own two feet.. which is the point of welfare, isn’t it? The government provides for you only until you can provide for yourself.
And lets face it, those who are on welfare as children are more than likely to be on welfare as an adult. Generations of people are learning to be dependent on our government. I personally, do not want to see America commit suicide. The welfare system has created a whole society that simply believes they can’t do for themselves. They are no longer being responsible, independent, or respectful to the opportunities they have been given as Americans.
“A society that puts equality ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom.” – Milton Freidman
Our founding fathers initially created our government with a limited federal government. They were much more keen on the rights of the people rather than how the government could provide for them. The more the national government is involved in our lives, the less we are at liberty to do as we wish. America has boasted its title as “land of the free” for 200 years, but as our government becomes larger our rights become fewer. Our goal should be for all Americans to live out the “American Dream” and have no dependency on the government whatsoever. It is the right of every American to express their independence from the government- because the government should truly be run for the people, not to support the people.
President Obama plans to begin spending even more money on welfare during his four-year term. Not only do I believe this is a mistake, I believe it is promoting dependency on the government, as well as destroying the right of Americans to be independent and self-sufficient. Instead of spending more money to support the poor we should use the money to get the poor Americans back on track to supporting themselves. Lets look into how we can use this money to promote independence in current welfare recipients.. Lets help the poor help themselves. Doesn’t every American deserve the right to live out the American Dream?
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