Jobs

One of several reasons why I voted for Bill Clinton was when he said, welfare should be a helping hand and not a way of life. I knew the safety net was needed for the 16 year old single mom but when she had a baby when she was 16 because her mother had her when she was 16 and the grandmother had the mother when she was 16, I realized that the helping hand had become a way of life. Once again good intentions led to unexpected consequences and in this case harmful consequences. One of the most exciting days in life is when you are out on your own and you get your first real job pay check. Living on public assistance takes that thrill away from you and deprives you of the feeling of self respect and dignity that earning your own way provides. Who are the winners in this game of generational welfare. The winners are the politicians who go to bed at night believing they are helping the poor and downtrodden but they also know that this gets votes so they then have the power to hand out more benefits. The losers are the recipients of this largess as they have offered up their dependence on government for their independence. They do not understand that the best welfare program is a good job. The main emphasis should be on jobs not on handouts.