New Deal or Bad deal?

I would like to discuss why social programs are not the answer to poverty. They are rarely successful in improving poverty, but good liberals continue to support these failing programs. Whether or not they work is secondary to liberals, the main thing is it makes them feel good by giving to the poor. While alleviating their own guilt, they are actually removing the motivation to succeed from the very people that they are trying to help. Programs offered by liberals are not based on spiritual principles and the hard truths of life. Poverty in America is caused by spiritual poverty. There is opportunity in America for those who are sufficiently motivated to work hard for it.

The crux of the problem is the broken family. Today's popular culture does everything that it can to encourage children not being brought up by their mother and father. An average of 25 percent of children today are born out of wedlock, 70 percent in the black community. Encouraging marriage, and stigmatizing single parents or blended families, will do more for reducing poverty and crime than any social program can. But altruists would consider that mean and judgmental. For them it is out of the question, even though there is a direct relationship between poverty, crime, drug abuse and non-intact families. Unfortunately popular culture celebrates and embraces the single mom, divorce, the blended family and homosexual marriage and casual sex. In an effort to raise the self esteem of children growing up in broken homes, we are encouraging more broken homes by removing the stigma. In this case, by not being judgmental, we feel good about ourselves, while we are encouraging behavior that exacerbates the problem.

It's a lot easier, and it feels a lot better, to give money to the poor and offer heart felt sympathy, rather than to tell them the hard truth and show tough love. The truth is, that money is not the answer and hand outs will only exacerbate the problem. The message should be don't to get pregnant until you're married and can support a family. If you get pregnant before they are married, now is the time to get married, stay married and take responsibility. Families must do whatever it takes to stick it out in the marriage and raise their children together honorably and don't look for handouts. Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and take responsibility. The only one who I know that tours the country, going to poor neighborhoods to spread this message, is the black comedian and actor Bill Cosby. Cosby has written a book and makes many speeches in poor black neighborhoods preaching personal responsibility. Click here for one of Bill Cosby's inspiring speeches. He is often criticized by the civil rights activists, and black leaders, and many liberals for being mean, uncaring and unsympathetic. Yet Cosby's principles are undeniably successful when applied.

Civil rights activists are always lobbying for more government money, but the ugly truth is that just perpetuates the problem. By removing the economic dependence that the mother and father share with each other, we are increasing the chances of the family splitting up and leaving the children without a father in their home.. Throwing money at the problem of poverty in America just diminishes the ambition of people to reach down into their souls and rise to the challenge, by pulling themselves up.

Of course it wouldn't make a person with an altruistic philosophy feel very good by lecturing poor children on the virtues of work, responsibility, and family. They don't want to here it, they just to give some money and heart felt sympathy. It is human nature to take the easy way out. But the easy way, is not always the best way. Talk of white racism is also bound to get applause, by giving them a scapegoat for the mess that they find themselves in. But anger only distracts them from the solution of hard work, discipline and personal responsibility. But, by giving them handouts to live on, they are deprived of the motivation of doing what it takes to provide for themselves and their families. Worse than that, they lose their honor. Honor can't be bought or sold, it must be earned.

Tough love and altruism are two philosophies that don't work well together. Honor and nobility trumps self esteem every time. There is no honor in doing what you think is right just to feel good, so you can say, "at least I did something". True happiness and honor comes from living right, and making the tough decisions. Often liberals are misled, manipulated and deceived in their search for sense of value, self worth self esteem, popularity, acceptance and happiness. If you remain true to unwavering spiritual principles, it's harder to be fooled, but it is also harder row to hoe. Spiritual progress is usually found in that harder row, in this man's humble opinion.