People often deride those on social programs who are able to work but don’t try to. We all know a few of those, recipients who are not only ungrateful but whose character is poisoned by it. But jobs aren’t made by a willingness to do them; they’re made by customer demand. When we buy cheap from China or Mexico, our money might otherwise put an American to work. But even a minimum wage American-made TV or pair of shoes is too much for many to buy. So supporting our own unemployed greases the wheels of our society and economy.
Whether people deserve help or not, their kids probably do. And we haven’t figured out how to give to kids but not to their parents.
A parallel problem happens when we give a tax deduction for money given to religious organizations who may do a lot of good work, but also may use it for self promotion. Some churches do this a little, a few do it a lot, and some do it all the time. Scientology is an example of tax deductible dollars being used to lobby the government to allow that “church” to keep itself tax-deductible.
I don’t have a good answer for keeping welfare recipients’ or their children’s work ethic in line. And our government doesn’t want the chore of separating good religious work from phoney. Still, I think we need to stop religious tax deductions, or maybe support only a percentage, even if it means throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Maybe that would make things a little more “clear,” to the Scientologists at least.
Doug Grandpre
Lake Stevens
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