"Now, I'm principled against emancipating, in any case. Keep a negro under the care of a master, and he does well enough, and is respectable; but set them free, and they get lazy, and won't work, and take to drinking, and go all down to be mean, worthless fellows. I've seen it tried, hundreds of times. It's no favor to set them free."
- Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Ch. 29
That quote is lunacy; even the author's contemporaries saw her writing for the irony it held. But why, oh why, do so many of us think we still need someone to take care of us?
I have had a few people comment that they don’t understand my assertion that welfare creates the need for welfare. I want to briefly explain it in the way that makes the most sense to me.
As a mother, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot from watching the other mom’s around me. I have observed the different parenting techniques and been able to ascertain what seems to work and what doesn’t. The thing is that mom’s love to make threats. When you are in a situation where your child needs to obey you and he/she is refusing, it’s very common for a parent to say something like, “If you don’t put these toys away right now, I am going to throw them away.” Well, children like to push their limits. I think we all know the parent who makes the threats, but never follows through. I think we also all know the children that have learned to ignore their parent’s promise of consequence, because it never materializes.
The thing with government programs, is that they go a step further. The natural process of action and consequence says that if you do something stupid, there is a negative reaction. Government programs take away the natural negative consequence of bad decisions. And then, they give a reward for the bad behavior under the guise of “entitlement.” It goes something like this.
Mom: “Sweetheart, if you don’t show up to work, you will get fired and then you won’t have any money.”
Kid, “I overslept because I am so overstressed right now. My boss fired me”
Mom, “Oh, you poor thing, that boss is such a jerk. I will give you a few dollars to help you get through this tough time.”
The consequence disappears, but this mom never ends with that. She follows up with:
“It’s so unfair the situation you’re in. Bosses never like you. They don’t understand you. You have never been taught to be successful because you have never had a boss that appreciates you. It’s not your fault you can’t keep a job.”
Wait a minute! Who tells the kid that he’s incapable, mistreated and held down? How would the outcome be different if the mom had said: “I don’t want to hear an excuse from you. It’s your decision to succeed or fail. When you make good choices, good things happen. When you make bad choices, bad things happen.”
You see, the concept of self-sufficiency is dying. People want to be taken care of. This is why the government taking over charity is so scary. The government, as an entity, operates on a system of rules. If you qualify, you will always be able to receive the government charity. People begin to choose stay unmarried, because that sort of decision is rewarded. Single mom’s are victims who deserve welfare. People choose to work less hours. Harder workers are taxed more heavily. When the God-created system of natural consequences is messed with, and the system begins rewarding stupidity, stupidity will become acceptable and sought after.
I firmly believe in the Christian ideal of taking care of your neighbor. This means that I believe in charity. But there is a difference between a church’s giving and the government’s. The church can uphold the ideal of good choices by adapting to meet individual needs.
Mom: “Look, I’m going to help you because I love you, but if you don’t get another job by next week, you’re going to have to deal with the choices you made. And once you have that job, you will pay me back, so that you understand that you cannot get ahead by being lazy.”
The victim mentality has become so rampant in our society that people are undervaluing themselves and children are being held down by the belief that they are incapable. It was the government that told them that. I want my children to become everything they are capable of. That will never happen, however, as long as I am unwilling to teach them about choice and accountability. Charity out of love is the answer. Political charity is charity to gain power. It will always leave the receiver subservient. It will always create the need for more political charity.
Remember that my ultimate goal is always freedom and empowerment. I am not interested in promoting any agenda. I am not concerned with political parties: I am a registered independent. I have absolutely nothing to do with any organizations. I simply believe that freedom is a God-given gift. I believe that people are inherently good and can make extraordinary things happen. My purpose in writing this blog is to encourage individuals to make decisions that bring liberty and capability. I oppose all forms of slavery, even the politically correct ones.
'We don't own your laws; we don't own your country; we stand here as free, under God's sky, as you are; and, by the great God that made us, we'll fight for our liberty till we die.'" Chapter 17, pg. 194
No comments:
Post a Comment