The price of gas has passed over the price of soda and milk! Who ever dreamed this would be a reality? What kind of land of naivety have we been living in? I know that we have trees in my neighborhood only because people have historically been able to afford electricity and natural gas. In many countries there are no trees because they’ve had to burn them for fuel. People are beginning to call in to Hope Outreach for personal things like soap, shampoo and toothpaste because they’ve had to put gas in their cars. Makes me think about what Obama is wanting to do for Welfare fathers and pay them for doing what they’re supposed to do in the first place…TAKE CARE OF THEIR CHILDREN & FAMILY. Well, I’m always opposed to “hand-out” welfare, because of how human nature responds to such gestures. It rewards them for being poor and destitute. A welfare mother that keeps having children has learned to work the system. The sad thing is that the system responds as expected and keeps rewarding them. Not all welfare mothers are comfortable with the bondage of being on welfare. Regulated to a fixed income, jumping through hoops for food stamp purchases, and living in government subsidized housing, will pretty much humble the independent human spirit after a while. However, those who never intended to work and are always out to get what they can get from anybody, this is the “gravy train”.
At Hope Outreach, we provide items and services for those who are willing to work for it. Everybody can work. Whether they’re sitting down sorting, or packaging or helping with the product loads from donations. Our Senators need to adopt this same principle and integrate it into the Welfare system. You don’t work, you don’t get paid or food. There are too many nonprofit services that are helping other people throughout every community that could use some additional help. These are great places where welfare “volunteers” could be serving the community. In some instances, their kids could participate. There’s nothing wrong about trading out for childcare services, either. It could be worked out so that the millions of welfare recipients are contributing to the very society that’s supporting them. Multiply that effort by millions and it will effect our economy. There has to be and very, very soon. I can see the welfare offices in the near future distributing “fuel cards” or “transportation cards”.
Oklahoma is working on their own welfare reform and is trying to encourage recipients to go back to work. In order to do that our communities must have programs developed to provide that process of empowerment. There also must be employment that can match the support the government is providing. Otherwise, people will be forced to settle receiving their monthly checks without hope of a way out. Giving them something for nothing will only perpetuate the cycle of welfare. Since either is so, we must provide training to help people overcome their situations. That means academically, special instruction and on-the-job training programs need to be in place for those working through transition.
No successful employer puts their workers to work with providing the appropriate tools and training. Our social welfare programs should be gearing up their clients likewise. Write your Senators about welfare form which you and I will be paying more for because of the recent trends in economy. Empower these people to buy their own gas.
The Red Dirt Chronicle 