LEANING RIGHT - In the movie ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ the two young up-and-comers are enraptured by Bernie’s Long Island beach spread. One said ‘Now you see, Larry? All of this could be yours if you set your goals and work hard.’ Larry responds, ‘My old man worked hard. All they did was give him more work.’
In his New Deal pitch Franklin Delano Roosevelt said ‘Happiness lies not in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits.’
In his Great Society pitch Lyndon Banes Johnson said ‘Will you join in the battle of the Great Society, to prove that our material progress is only the foundation on which we will build a richer life of mind and spirit.’
President Obama said in his pitch to a plumber that he wants to ‘raise his taxes so that he can spread the wealth around.’
After 80 years of this pitching it is now found by the Senate Budget Committee that ‘Over 100 million People in the US are Now Receiving Some Form of Federal Welfare.’
Food stamps and Medicaid recipients make up a large – and growing – chunk of the more than 100 million. ‘Among the major welfare programs, since 2000 Medicaid has increased from 34 million people to 54 million in 2011 and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or food stamps) from 17 million to 45 million in 2011,’ says the Senate Budget Committee.
Public assistance programs should require that society’s obligation to the poor be matched by the poor’s sense of obligation to society.
Whereas once the welfare debate focused simply on the short-term benefits that result, that debate now shows that long-term harm has been substantial.
Welfare undermines the institution of marriage and therefore actually increases and perpetuates the poverty it is intended to remedy.
Marriage and the marriage contract were once the pillars of strong family life. Most would acknowledge that anything which encourages divorce would tend to exacerbate poverty. That’s precisely what welfare programs have done.
Overlooked in the welfare debate is the need to strengthen the role of churches and private charities. To the extent that government has become the provider of welfare to the poor we have lost the influence of these private groups.
Welfare, rather than the temporary bridge to personal independence and self-reliance, has instead become a trap and a permanent life style for too many people – over 100 million – passed down through generations.
In summary, the 100 million welfare recipients have apparently been listening to Larry moaning and groaning about hard work. The recipients’ pitch to society is ‘pass the beer, make the couch comfy, and pass the TV control.’
In summary, the pitch of the hard working taxpayer to society is apparently ‘We can’t take it anymore. When does November get here?’
(Kay Martin is a writer and a contributor to CityWatch. His years of travel and work included tours in Russia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, Hawaii, Latin America, and the Pacific. His new book “Along for the Ride” will be out and available shortly. He can be contacted at [email protected].) –cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 68
Pub: Aug 24, 2012