Assistance Programs

I realize now is not the time to change assistance programs but we do have to change things in the long run if we are to reduce the cost of the programs. I believe a moral judgment on unborn babies should be between God and a woman as supported by Roe vs. Wade and abortions should not be a 6^th commandment issue but that of costs in order to comply with the Constitution’s First Amendment that maintains a separation between church and state. I believe we are hypocrites if we do not want abortions and do not support programs that promote the prevention of child abuse, domestic violence, drug babies, murder and other crimes that increase the need for foster families, adoptions and incarcerations. The thought of a religious belief causing children to suffer at the hands of so many depresses me and I wonder why the people that oppose abortion also seem to not want increased taxes to continue the programs that are necessary for said population and if they have adopted or fostered a child. I did hear that Michele Bachmann has fostered many children but wonder if she got paid for it or did it out of the goodness of her heart. I’ve said enough about unborn babies so now I’ll talk about born unwanted children that are abandoned (aborted) by a parent and end up on welfare and those abandoned by both their parents and end up in foster or adoption programs.

We say family is important but families are not responsible for babies born out of wedlock (on April 12, 2012 it’s found that 1 in 4 babies are now born to unwed couples living together). States have child support laws to find deadbeat parents but the cost of enforcing said laws isn’t fully covered by the parent. Welfare recipients that have not earned the funds by performing civic duty jobs are taking taxpayer money (may violate commandments #8 and/or #10). On October 25, 2011 a federal judge blocked Florida’s law requiring Welfare recipients to take drug tests; I don’t understand this as employed people may be required to take drug tests in order to keep receiving their money. We talk about teaching a person to fish so he/she will eat for a lifetime but we give Welfare money and teach people nothing. We have to remember that some people are needy because of the bad choices they make and just because you assist them it doesn’t mean that they will become responsible. I believe there is a saying that you can only help those that help themselves. With this said, I believe welfare should be restricted to surviving families that incurred a loss through law enforcement, military or other circumstances beyond their control, e.g., a fatal accident, natural disaster, oil spill, mine explosion or job loss. I do not think that those that made bad choices should reap such benefits.

Many states are giving debit cards to welfare and unemployment recipients and there is no restriction on the cards’ use. In 2011 we were told that California’s welfare debit cards were being used at strip clubs and to gamble; I’m sure they’re not the only state that has use contrary to the card’s intent.  I don’t know about you but I’m tired of hearing stories about people who won’t take jobs because it will eliminate their welfare money. And, I’m tired of those that don’t know who the father of the baby is so he doesn’t have to pay child support. Back in the 1980s I had an employee who got Welfare every time he missed a day of work. As there was no incentive for him to work, I had to fire him and he, although able to work, got back on Welfare full time. I wondered why he would do this as our job paid more and I later found out he was dealing illegal drugs on the side.

The government pays welfare for children born out of wedlock which violates the sins of lust, sloth and envy (exception: births by artificial insemination and surrogates as they normally are taken care of by their parents). To me, this insinuates that the government is the ‘John’ as it’s paying for prostitution-like sex. Welfare (for those born out of wedlock) and adultery (violations of the 7^th commandment) are legal while prostitution is not (I don’t believe gigolos and mistresses get harassed as much as prostitutes). But all of these situations seem to me to be in the same business; they receive money, apartments, food and clothing. I think we should legalize prostitution to be consistent and hope it decreases human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and rape. It’s obvious to me that the government would get more tax dollars if prostitution operated as a legitimate business and we’d probably be able to reduce health care costs as well as redirect the cost of law enforcement to other areas that need it. By the way, the first contract between intended parents and a surrogate was made in 1976, today 1,400 babies are born using surrogates for an average cost of $100,000 each, and some states still make it a felony to use a surrogate.

Bottom line, I believe that if you want to reduce the cost of unwanted babies then the punishments are not harsh enough for the crimes leading up to the cause of the entitlement programs. And, instead of haphazard regulation of the commandments, we should be weighing the price of an abortion against the long term cost of raising born unwanted children via any of the so-called entitlement programs.