I'm currently vacationing in Hawaii, staying in a five-star resort. Yes, one may say that I'm a rich mainlander fat-cat living it up. That's clearly the view of many Hawiians who live in grinding poverty. Why? They live in "paradise".
Poverty has a cure but it can't be found in psychologically devastating social programs that promote victimhood and encourage generation after generation of the poor to think of themselves as helpless and unable to advance because of the oppression of the "rich"; or because of racism or sexism etc. etc. Hawiians have been wards of the State for many years and it has worked against those people.
Anyone who spends any time watching the popular series, Dog, the Bounty Hunter, is treated to scenes of the Hawaii that most tourists never see. Duane "Dog" Chapman and his band of bounty hunters scour Hawiian ghettos in search of criminals on the run from the law. The truth is that more of Hawaii fits into this category when it comes to Native Hawiians, than people are comfortable talking about.
Developing more and more "compassionate" and condescending social programs that artificially encourage "self-esteem" or promote helplessness and dependence is not the solution to poverty in Hawaii and elsewhere. The American "war on poverty" has been has been a quagmire and a waste of national treasure in both human lives and money. These government programs continue to truly victimize each new generation of the poor; especially native Hawiians who compensate for this ongoing humiliation through the "glorification of their devalued status".
The war on poverty maintains: "material deprivation causes poverty" and refuses to look at the societal consequences of devaluing marriage and family; demonizing the wealthy and the entire work ethic; and glorifying dysfunction and victimhood, is doomed to fail generation after generation. Look at the deplorable behavior and caustic rhetoric directed against notable and successful black thinkers, for example; especially those who disagree with the political left. What you will see and hear is that, instead of 'curing' poverty, we have created an entire subculture that devalues education; and extols attitude, violence, and hypersexualized misogyny. Anyone who sucessfully escapes the pit of poverty and the left's propaganda and begins to think for themselves outside the leftist/progressive box automatically become gender or race "traitors". Hawaii is the State that created and formed Barack Hussein Obama, a utopian socialist, whose heroes growing up were the people whose policies oppressed native Hawiians by making them wards of the state.
There is a solution that the political left refuses to consider. Policies on the Islands need to encourage personal responsibility that gives people a tangible stake in their own lives. Massive hand-outs only serve to suborn achievement and destroy the human spirit.
9 comments:
Incredibly interesting perspective LL, they way you put this I would have to agree with you but the question is how do we stop the handouts and programs now that they are in place and people have become accustomed to them?
(Can you write my papers for me? I can't pay you but can offer you a lifetime supply of fresh home-made perogies and cabbage rolls. And if by chance I ever win tickets such as the ones I have for the game tonight you can come with me.) ;-)
Darlin, I'll help you with any of your papers. E-mail me with the topic. You don't need to feed me or entertain me.
Programs have to be minimized slowly. As with a narcotics addict or an alcoholic, sudden cut-offs in aid would be catastrophic. Additionally, a rational safety net needs to remain in place for those who can not survive without it.
We as Western nations have dismissed the requirement of the dignity of work for those receiving hand-outs. If you told welfare recipients in the US that they would be required to pick up trash by the highways, clean windows on schools, etc. in order to receive aid, they'd have heart attacks. Some people are so screwed up that they can't do anything - but most can.
For example, Unemployment Insurance. UI is for people who are supposed to be actively looking for work. Today in the US they don't have to look for work at all. It's welfare. And THAT is the sort of thing that happens to well intentioned programs like UI.
Darlin, in America one of our former presidents instituted a "work-fare" program. This was designed to train welfare recipients in work that was marketable, and get them off the dole. It worked great and our economy boomed.
I often wonder what type of a social worker I'm going to be, I believe in a hand up not a hand out. I believe that anybody who is receiving "benefits" should have to actively be looking for work or participating in society through some means and not spending the governments dollars in casinos, bars nor liquor stores. I think that those who are in active addiction should have to seek help, not be enabled with government funds. The dollars spent on supporting addicts could be put into rehab facilities, now that's one heck of a way to help these lost souls. The bottom line, yes some people need help, not all who are in the system though. I say stiffer penalties for those who are found abusing the system, now it's a slap on the wrist and a repayment amount of I believe $10 per month. Put people work, create jobs and give people back their dignity.
Those who are incapable of working, eg. the sickly or the handicapped, the "deserving poor", have them involved in community in some shape or form. There's always something which needs doing.
Those who abuse the system and are found out about, let them sleep in the homeless shelters on mats. I'm going to have to stay away from anything to do with financial if at all possible. I'd want to have it enforced that urine samples be provided randomly for those who are even remotely suspected of drinking or using drugs. If the man/woman who works in the oilfield and pays an immense amount of tax dollars (to help the govt. support those who are in the system) can be tested at any given time, why can't those who receive supports also be tested?
There is much to be said regarding this topic, I am very opinionated about it and have to learn how to leave my opinions at the door and do the best job I can. I still want to try to help people learn how to help themselves in all aspects of their lives... that's about all I can do in my new chosen career. Crazy... maybe but we're all a tad bit crazy to some degree or another, normal is just another setting on the washing machine!
Opus, that sounds like one heck of a fine idea. So why did it end? Did someone need the poor peoples votes?
Oh, that did post. It said on this end that my post was to long to process. That's my little rant of the day... the end.
Darlin, the system's first goal is to keep the system going (in the US). To the politicians, the government trough is there to buy votes -- that's it. Oh, if this person or that one is helped in the process of buying votes, they don't mind. That's the big picture.
On a person-to-person basis the social welfare system is all too often an enabler. There MUST be time limits on people who receive aid to encourage them to get off aid.
Many years ago I used to go to the Methadone Clinic and arrest the people in the parking lot who were high, waiting for their loved one to come back with the government dope in his/her system. The doctors would be FURIOUS. Once I also arrested a doctor for taking a (pathetically weak) swing at me. IN EACH case, the people I arrested had warrants for their arrest for crimes they had committed, stolen property in their possession in their cars, guns, etc. The welfare system was not interested in these people being held accountable. They felt it was their job to push government drugs.
ACCOUNTABILITY and teaching PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY is the only way to get people clean and independent. Almost everyone can do SOME work, even if it's painting a fence, watering trees next to the highway, mowing grass, washing this or that, etc. That is NOT required in the US. We just send money. And it's about 80% wasted.
Holy smokes, that pretty alarming numbers! It makes me wonder how high our numbers are here. And damn rights most people can work, do something, anything just get off their conditioned lazy asses and get out to do SOMETHING. (I don't mean to stereotype anybody and am only speaking generally, which in essence is a way of sterotyping I suppose, so if anyone reads this who is in the welfare system I will apologize now.)
Where I work part time as a cook it's darn near impossible to find a good cook who is trustworthy and reliable, yes the pay sucks but it's an honest dollar. I don't do it for the money, I do the work for a friend, to give her a break once in a while. In life what goes around comes around. This lady gave me a chance back when I needed a hand UP and today she is one of my best friends. I know personally what can be done, been there and done that now it's coming up time to write that book.
I feel that you are to be commended in arresting those waiting outside of the meth clinic, I LOVE that you were able to also arrest the Doctor, but what did he get? A slap on the hands? Yes I agree that sudden cut offs would be catastrophic but if we continue to dole out dollars and drugs this is also catastrophic. We, (government), are in essence enabling addicts to kill themselves painfully and slowly.
Our EI, formerly UI, insurance is the same way here. It used to be that the govt. could check at any given time if people were indeed actually actively looking for work, if they weren't then they got cut off of benefits. I think that the entire system is overburdened and the govt. has a hiring freeze on, short staffing doesn't help matters any. People just slide right through the system without a care in the world, who is going to check on them? Checks and balances are left behind.
The whole system needs a major overhaul, revamp it so that people are encouraged to pick up that trash, cook in that kitchen or even volunteer in any area of society. Something, anything, just get people moving once again. Light that fire under their ass and allow them to experience what pride is all about, dignity and self worth vs. keeping them tucked away from society where nobody wants or needs these individuals. Talk about low self worth!
Has the government forgotten that people are human beings not numbers and paperwork and a tax burden or has the government ever realized this? Without a golden checkbook will we as members of society ever be heard? I say we as in the middle class of society, I know that I should only speak for myself but as I said, I'm generalizing.
I hope that you're enjoying your holiday, how's the reading coming along?
I'm reading Our Kind of Traitor by John LeCarre right now on the balcony, overlooking the Pacific, computer on the table. It's 8am (here) and in a few minutes, I'll jump in the shower and then we're going to take a train ride along the West Shore of Oahu.
Sweet! And here it's just after noon, 12:13pm to be exact. I'm still sitting here in my housecoat working on papers, two computers going, books strewn all over the place and it's cold out there. We had our first bit of snow last night, it's darn chilly and I don't want to do anything but crawl back into my nice warm bed but the paper is due tomorrow and I have a dinner tonight with my children.
Want me to take a photo of how green I am right now?
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