I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue.
Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio.
Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quite, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal.
Now lets see...our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: you child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English: Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
-annonymous
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I am all for the complete elimination of all government subsidies and welfare programs.
9 comments:
Sometimes being an island has its advantages :)
I don't mind paying taxes to help people get back on thier feet. My wife's best friend came from Russia and has learned English and a marketable skill. She makes real good money in the health care industry. She was on aid when she got here but has certainly paid enough income, sales and property taxes to offset what aid she used.
Sadly, this isn't the case nearly often enough.
I have to say I respectfully disagree.
My husband is an immigrant (legal). I am in favor of a guest worker program. I think that would eliminate the need for identity theft. I also think that the guest workers should be required to pay taxes and pay into social security, but they won't be able to recover any of said taxes or social security unless they work to become permanent legal citizens.
I think integration should be required of immigrants. Learn the language, learn the laws (at least the basics) and learn the american culture. I don't think things should be in multiple languages, I think english should be required learning before you ever even gain residency.
As for social services, I think they are important for a society to thrive. I am in favor of universal health care, even though I work for a medical insurance company and would be out of a job. I do think there are many people who take advantage of the systems, both citizens and non citizens. But I think people need help sometimes. My MIL is paralyzed from a horrible car accident. She is on disability because she cannot work. I would hate to see what would happen to people like that without out government help.
I think there should be a limit to the number of children people on social services can have and remain on them. That probably makes me a bastard, but fine.
I was an OOPS baby, but my mom didn't go on to have 3 more. She used food stamps and welfare to help her while she went to school. She worked 2 and 3 jobs to support us. My grandparents who live with us never were able to work jobs with pensions and/or 401ks so without social security they would be in financial trouble.
Also, as an atheist I fear that without social programs more people might turn to churches for help who in turn would require membership from them. I would hate for that to happen.
While I think there needs to be limits, I would hate to see help for people who cannot help themselves at a certain time in their lives not get the help they need.
And if you eliminate all subsidy programs, there goes school lunch for kids who parents can't send them lunch or homeschool them. There goes unemployment for those who find themselves without places of employment (I live in Michigan... factories close, boom, 13,000 people with no paycheck and no other places to look for work), there goes financial aid for college... can your kids go to college without that? Mine can't, and my husband and I both have advanced degrees. I am, however, for eliminating subsidies to businesses and farms that put people out of work, tax breaks for companies that move production out of the country, trillions to wars, nothing to food... I teach sociology... I'm not even gonna go there...
I have to respectfully disagree as well.
And the disagreement stems from the ultimate purpose of government. Many people want the government to take care of them: to provide free schooling, free health care, free shelter, free food.
I submit that it is not the government's job to do any of that. The Constitution states we have the RIGHT to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It does not say: live in America, eat, drink, and be merry with no effort on your part.
If you want a fancy house, earn it. If you want an expensive car, earn it. If you want great health care, earn it.
We, Americans, are currently living in a mixed economy welfare state with a stranglehold on education, development, space exploration, health care, and the latter third of every man’s life. This is not what the Founding Father's intended. source
In a free society, laissez-faire capitalism, one has the right to acquire property and to use it without interference from others. Your life--and property--belong to you not to others.
The proper purpose of government is to protect individuals against the initiation of force. It is not the function of government to initiate any sort of force against its own citizens, nor to extort from its non-force-initiating citizens any action to which they would not have freely consented. This includes tax-based welfare programs. It also includes property taxes for public schools taken from everyone regardless of their parental status or lack-thereof.
I understand the fear that children will starve, elderly would be homeless.
Let me address it from this angle? How long do you work to pay off your taxes each year? I seem to remember hearing at one point that it was several months. MONTHS!!! If that money wasn't ear marked for Uncle Sam, what could you do with it? If your paycheck wasn't docked by such a hefty percentage, how much more willing and able would you be to provide for yourself and your family, let alone help others around you?
Financial compassion is not the exclusive domain of the churches, and should not be a part of American government.
Don't feel bad, Tone, I was an ooops baby as well. My "donor" was a violent drunk with a gambling problem whose family owned the local card club. My mom knew it was time when she found out the donor's girlfriend forged her name on a second for the house. My mom left the Imperial convertible ( a car she loved) and fled with me. We were on welfare for a while and it allowed my mom to find me a much better dad and to live the live we have for the last 40+ years. Without this kind of help, our lives wouldn't have been worth a shit.
Welfare, when it is used as a short term help can be made into a good thing.
But call me crazy, a horde of people who do nothing but live off of welfare and don't even try to get a job is not something I want to pay for.
Also, before the government started going nuts with the programs there were many places to go for help and people were more willing to help. Probably because they weren't getting raped every paycheck to help people against there will.
Welfare is great as a hand-up. I hate to use biblical reference but TEACH THEM TO FISH. Make it a requirement for these people to solve their problems. If the person has no skills, require them to pass a class or a program or whatever to give them skills. If they can't stop having children, teach them to stop. If they spend all their money on lottery tickets and cigs and booze, teach them about money management. If they can't get a job, teach them how. If they want to sit on their asses and get a free hand-out, CUT THEM OFF.
Many good people may find themselves in a situation where they need a little help. Thats fine. There just need to be limits. If the people don't want to try to help themselves why should anyone else or the government want to try?
Hi Hound Doggy and welcome to my blog!
ANY assistance program for the able bodied should be short term. The welfare "lifers" that are perfectly capable of getting a job and don't. Definitely cut off.
I'm still not sure that the government should be the ones handing out the checks though.
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