UPDATE: Speaking of mooching freeloaders who don’t want their money cut off. Check out the recent email received by Michelle Malkin.
I have no problem with people receiving benefits from the various federal programs. In fact, I get a monthly check from Uncle Sam as payment for my 20 years of military service. On top of that, I have a pretty decent medical program.
(For those who think it is FREE though, you are sadly mistaken. While it may be relatively inexpensive, I DO have to pay my family and myself. I have to find a doctor willing to take Tricare and I have a co-pay for each visit. Yes, I could save money by driving to a VA hospital, but…. well, no thanks.)
However, there is an argument that can be made that too much of a good thing is not quite as good as it originally seemed. If you continue to do something for people, how long before they stop even trying to do for themselves?
My liberal friends argue that not enough is done. There are poor people who are still not making it. To them, I ask, how much is enough? Have we not been having this War on Poverty since the 1960’s? What has it accomplished? Have we not poured BILLIONS into the Education system? What do we have to show for it? A lower standard of education that the rest of the world.
And the signs are now appearing that people are, in fact, content to live off of the public provisions. A recent poll shows that of those queried, 23% receive some sort of continued public financing. Now that may not sound like much, but extrapolating the numbers out to a national level, that means some 69 million folks fall into that group.
Of that, SIXTY-THREE (63) percent said that they were not willing to have any of their benefits cut if it meant helping to cut down the deficit including 33% who said NOT WILLING AT ALL. That means roughly 15 million folks would not allow a single penny to be taken back. Yet here we are, buried in a mountain of debt.
In a similar report (sorry I don’t have that link), job makers in the Detroit area actually had people asking them to hold the job open for them for a couple of weeks so that the UNEMPLOYED WORKER could finish his or her last few weeks of unemployment money. (And this, after having the benefits extended for over 99 weeks!!) What the hell??
If you cannot see the forest for the trees, then I don’t know what else to tell you. Ben Franklin had it more than right when he said that the best thing to do for a poor man is to make him uncomfortable in his poverty.
A helping hand up, yes. Continued hand outs, no more.
The revolution is at hand. Will you be a leader or a follower?
Vets On The Watch 
HA HA! Thanks for posting!!
Steve
Common Cents
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
“However, there is an argument that can be made that too much of a good thing is not quite as good as it originally seemed. If you continue to do something for people, how long before they stop even trying to do for themselves?”
You are so right about this. I used to work my butt off to make money so I could have things I wanted and travel to places I wanted to visit.
Then I took a job with a major metropolitan fire dept where due to the schedule we worked I had plenty of free time to make extra money when I wasn’t at the fire house.
After several years on the job I was injured in the line of duty and retired on a disability pension.
Now I have little desire to do anything beyond cashing the state issued check I get every month and live within those means.
Free money robs a person of ambition. I’m living proof of it.
First, your retirement is well deserved & you risked your life to defend our country so don’t feel any guilt. However, when public unions do not risk their lives, paid more than most people & contribute little to their retirment, then I agree with some of what you say.
“…how much is enough?” It never ends when we have 5 generations on welfare & half of Americans are paying taxes for the other half that don’t. It’s way too much.
Might suggest a book out where Americans finally take a stand against govt. tyranny cause it’s about each of us trying to save our country from the government.
http://www.booksbyoliver.com
Great article! Thanks for taking the time to write it.
Sean, speaking of spending, have you seen this:
It’s amazingly funny!
Please share it.
Priceless…and that was only done in 2010. I wonder how many times we’ve heard it since then.
Unfortunately, the truely disabled have to jump through hoops to receive assistance, while the lazy with a bunch of kids get things handed to them.
There are many who desparately need benefits, through no fault of their own. Much of the money doesn’t go to the needy…it lines the pockets of politicians and crooks. Many of the “for profit” nursing homes and the government take the property of seniors in order for their care to be provided, a lot of the time, in sub-standard conditions.
There is a lot of house cleaning left to do and it’s not all on the receivers of benefits.
If the system itself was fixed, many more of the truly deserving people could be helped, without raising a penny in taxes.
Let’s be vocal in saying “clean it up”.