Welfare Reform

Let us begin with a true story:

Years ago, I was with my mother in a Bend, Oregon supermarket.  Bend, Oregon is in Central Oregon and located not far from one of the most notable ski resorts in the Northwest, Mt. Bachelor.  It was during the height of the season.  My mother an myself we in the supermarket in the early evening as it turned out which meant that there were a plethora of skier in the store.  They were easily identifiable by their ski attire and their lift tickets flying like tags of honor.

In fact, the general consensus amongst the skiers seemed to be that the out-of-date lift tickets entitled them to preference in such things as waiting in line and other such niceties expected of mere mortals.  The fare that they were acquiring were the general fare; beer, wine, chips, etc.  High on the list of protein was the ubiquitous steak.  This trip was not abnormal from any other trip to the store in Bend as I had lived there on and off for a number of years.  What was different was that I generally avoided lines with the skiers.  This day I did not.  Also, another difference.  The ski-attired couple in front of me was purchasing various items, with 6 boneless New York Strip Steaks being the premier items.  What stood out about this purchase?  They paid for them in food stamps.

If  this had been a one-off, I could have dismissed it as such.  I saw it again on more than one occasion over the years.  I made it a point of asking various checkers of my acquaintance about it and it was more common that it should have been.

You would think that I would be calling for getting rid of welfare and food stamps.  Not in the least.  Any more than I am in favor of denying food stamps and welfare for illegal aliens.  Why?

Just like I would rather let a criminal free than incarcerate a innocent person, I would rather give welfare to an undeserving person than to deny food to a starving person.

That does not mean that I am not in favor of good and constructive welfare reform.  I am.  I am also in favor of welfare reform that rewards people to getting off welfare and gives them a disincentive to stay on welfare.  However, at the end of the day I do not want people to be on the streets and I do not want people to be hungry.  Some say that they “deserve” it, that these people have only themselves to blame.  Bullshit!  Maybe they brought it on themselves in some ways but no one deserves to be hungry when we as a society have the means to feed them.  I do not know of any faith, any religion, that teaches that as a tenant.

So, make welfare better but do not throw the baby out with the bathwater.  We do not need the hideous stories like above but we do not need hungry people even more.

Quite frankly, I would rather give steaks to skiers than have a hungry baby on my conscience.  How about you?