As of this writing, I have been reading a book about mooching. Mooching? The premise of this author is that many of us in the US and in the UK are moochers. We think we are entitled to get, get, get while others work for our goods. We want something for nothing. The commodity here? Money. Government money. Taxpayer dollars. What inspires us? Grabbing hold of all the freebies that Big Government is all too happy to hand us, courtesy of the taxpayers. Agreed?
We need to be clear on what programs are actually welfare and what are not. In the US, programs such as Food Stamps, Aid for Families of Dependent Children (AFDC), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and Medicaid are means-tested "welfare" programs. That is, they are based on documented need. They are not "entitlements." Other programs are considered "entitlements" and are not welfare and are not based on financial need, but on other criteria. Social Security Disability (SSD)is for those who have documented disabilities that prevent them from being gainfully employed. Social Security is an entitlement for anyone 65 and over. Veteran's Benefits are for those who have served in the military. Survivor's Benefits go to those who have lost spouses or parents. The programs exist for different needs and situations.
But many people, especially those who subscribe to the conservative viewpoint, tend to see most government programs as "welfare" and agree that we are a "nation of moochers." Much of this is because people who subscribe to the conservative viewpoint disagree with their liberal counterparts about what the government's role in meeting needs should be. In reading the book I have been reading, I wonder if the author changed the names of the "welfare recipients" and "moochers" whom he mentioned by name. It is my hope that he did. As a Christian, I know that we are not to be "moochers" or to have the reputation of being such. We are told that, "If a person won't work, he should not eat." Where the rub is is determining if a recipient of benefits cannot work or will not work. In many cases, even when a person looks able-bodied and so should go get a job, he or she may have an invisible disability that makes getting or holding a job very difficult. Can this person be considered a moocher?
What is the opposite of a moocher? It is a giver. Who can give? Many people labor under the notion that we must have a lot of money to give. Many believe that small financial gifts do not count, and that the "big givers" matter more than the "small givers." But in my Bible, Jesus heaps praise on a destitute widow who dropped two mites in the collection basket. She may have not thought her gift was worth much. But Jesus, seeing the sacrifice that was involved in her gift, lavished praise on her.
I have switched from mooching to giving. I do this because, as good as it is to provide both government "safety net" programs and private aid efforts, we must not neglect those in developing countries. In developed countries, especially the US, the poor usually experience what has been called "relative poverty." But most people in developing countries experience what is called "absolute poverty." While we can do very little about the sea of need in those parts of the world, we can make life better for one child and his or her family. Consider sponsoring a child.
The above two photos are courtesy of Compassion International, Inc.
No comments:
Post a Comment