First off, let me say that I do care about the issue of poverty in our country. It is a problem that needs to be addressed and the amount of people in poverty in the United States, considering that we are a civilized, Western nation is appalling. However, I think that there are different means of bringing down the poverty numbers besides the way that we are going about it today.
However, the amount of money that we spend yearly on programs that benefit the elderly and the poor is astounding. Some of that money is going toward the people that it should be, and some of it is not. I don't want to get into the elitist debate of "those people" not working for anything in their life and just taking from the government and not spending it well, but that does happen. The cases are few where the individual pulls out an iPhone or the latest smart phone and then pays for their food with the government food stamp card, but again, it does happen.
This country was founded upon the idea that you could change the way your life was going if you wanted to. You could work for what you needed, and if all you ever got was enough to support your family through a roof over your head and food on the table, then you would be content with that. Nowadays, people need television, cell phones, free time, movie tickets, cars, and things that didn't used to be necessities, and now have become just that. We have moved from a society that valued the intangibles to one where material possessions now rule people's lives. Appearance is everything, and some people will literally run themselves into the ground financially if it means keeping up those appearances.
We cannot be content anymore with just the basic needs being met. In some ways, this is a good thing. In business, going above and beyond the call of duty is always encouraged because it can lead to huge breakthroughs and advancements for the company the individual is working for. However, the basic needs being met is something that we need to settle for when it comes to whether or not we should intervene and give someone government aid.
There are some people with extraordinary stories that literally cannot provide for themselves, no matter how hard they try to. Those are the people that would need to be helped. This is a very hard thing to do because if that were to be instituted, we would have to evaluate everyone on a case by case basis and make sure that the case stayed the same and they weren't lying about any of the circumstances that they say they were facing. The system becomes more convoluted and more complex as we move deeper, but the root of the problem lies in the mentality of the public. Not just of the lower 50%, but of the upper 50% as well.
Those who have more than enough need to pitch in. Not in terms of taxes, but in terms of public service and charity. If there were more private organizations providing aid to people who truly need it, then we wouldn't have a huge problem with the amount of money that we're spending each year on the programs that we use to combat poverty. Human nature is selfish, but humans also feel better when they engage in charitable activity. If the CEO of WalMart would come down from the ivory tower once in a while and actually go out and do some community service and give some money to the people that need it on the streets instead of only going to that part of town when there was a good photo opportunity, then this issue of poverty would not be as much of an issue.
To be honest, I think that the privatization of most state-run programs would be a huge step forward. If these programs like the food stamps and welfare programs were run by private organizations, they have a bottom line. They have to make sure that they don't lose money, so they will do whatever they can to prevent fraud in their system. If someone is fraudulently using the money that they are giving to them, then the supply will be cut and legal action will be taken. EFFICIENCY is the name of the game, and government organizations just don't have a general track record of overall efficiency.
Last off, I'll point out something that I saw on Rock Center with Brian Williams this past Thursday night. There are some schools that are taking on a program now that doesn't reward kids for mediocre work. They are only rewarded and praised when they truly work hard and achieve the goals that have been set for them. They are docked points when they act with immaturity and are also docked points when they do poorly. Grades are harsher, and the teachers are not as inclined to say that everybody won and give out gold stars like water. These kids are being brought up differently in an age when it is considered to be too harsh for a kid to go to a sports banquet at the end of a season and not get a trophy just like everybody else. When my Dad was in high school, he got a trophy at the end of the season if he had done something above and beyond to achieve it. These methods of teaching kids that mediocrity will still get you something in life is ruining the foundation of hard work and of perseverance in this country, and curriculums and programs like this one will work to bring that old sentiment back to life.
Tweet me @CBMARTIST if you have any suggestions about what to talk about. I also have a music blog that is at cbmartist.blogspot.com if you want to check that out.
This country was founded upon the idea that you could change the way your life was going if you wanted to. You could work for what you needed, and if all you ever got was enough to support your family through a roof over your head and food on the table, then you would be content with that. Nowadays, people need television, cell phones, free time, movie tickets, cars, and things that didn't used to be necessities, and now have become just that. We have moved from a society that valued the intangibles to one where material possessions now rule people's lives. Appearance is everything, and some people will literally run themselves into the ground financially if it means keeping up those appearances.
We cannot be content anymore with just the basic needs being met. In some ways, this is a good thing. In business, going above and beyond the call of duty is always encouraged because it can lead to huge breakthroughs and advancements for the company the individual is working for. However, the basic needs being met is something that we need to settle for when it comes to whether or not we should intervene and give someone government aid.
There are some people with extraordinary stories that literally cannot provide for themselves, no matter how hard they try to. Those are the people that would need to be helped. This is a very hard thing to do because if that were to be instituted, we would have to evaluate everyone on a case by case basis and make sure that the case stayed the same and they weren't lying about any of the circumstances that they say they were facing. The system becomes more convoluted and more complex as we move deeper, but the root of the problem lies in the mentality of the public. Not just of the lower 50%, but of the upper 50% as well.
Those who have more than enough need to pitch in. Not in terms of taxes, but in terms of public service and charity. If there were more private organizations providing aid to people who truly need it, then we wouldn't have a huge problem with the amount of money that we're spending each year on the programs that we use to combat poverty. Human nature is selfish, but humans also feel better when they engage in charitable activity. If the CEO of WalMart would come down from the ivory tower once in a while and actually go out and do some community service and give some money to the people that need it on the streets instead of only going to that part of town when there was a good photo opportunity, then this issue of poverty would not be as much of an issue.
To be honest, I think that the privatization of most state-run programs would be a huge step forward. If these programs like the food stamps and welfare programs were run by private organizations, they have a bottom line. They have to make sure that they don't lose money, so they will do whatever they can to prevent fraud in their system. If someone is fraudulently using the money that they are giving to them, then the supply will be cut and legal action will be taken. EFFICIENCY is the name of the game, and government organizations just don't have a general track record of overall efficiency.
Last off, I'll point out something that I saw on Rock Center with Brian Williams this past Thursday night. There are some schools that are taking on a program now that doesn't reward kids for mediocre work. They are only rewarded and praised when they truly work hard and achieve the goals that have been set for them. They are docked points when they act with immaturity and are also docked points when they do poorly. Grades are harsher, and the teachers are not as inclined to say that everybody won and give out gold stars like water. These kids are being brought up differently in an age when it is considered to be too harsh for a kid to go to a sports banquet at the end of a season and not get a trophy just like everybody else. When my Dad was in high school, he got a trophy at the end of the season if he had done something above and beyond to achieve it. These methods of teaching kids that mediocrity will still get you something in life is ruining the foundation of hard work and of perseverance in this country, and curriculums and programs like this one will work to bring that old sentiment back to life.
Tweet me @CBMARTIST if you have any suggestions about what to talk about. I also have a music blog that is at cbmartist.blogspot.com if you want to check that out.
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