While in England in 1766, Franklin wrote an editorial on this attempt of the government to “help” the poor, entitled On the Price of Corn, and Management of the Poor. In it, Franklin articulated a principle he held throughout his life with respect to poverty and work: “I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor is not making them easy in poverty but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”
As a result of Great Britain’s welfare programs of the time, Franklin made clear the result in the people they tried to help: “Under all these obligations, are our poor modest, humble, and thankful; and do they use their best endeavors to maintain themselves, and lighten our shoulders of this burden? On the contrary, I affirm that there is no country in the world in which the poor are more idle, dissolute, drunken, and insolent. The day you passed that act, you took away from before their eyes the greatest of all inducements to industry, frugality, and sobriety, by giving them a dependence on somewhat else than a careful accumulation during youth and health, for support in age or sickness. In short, you offered a premium for the encouragement of idleness, and you should not now wonder that it has had its effect in the increase of poverty.”
Franklin and our founding fathers wanted nothing of England’s welfare state and high taxes. They wanted people free to earn their own way and capitalize on their God given skills and drive to pursue and earn their own happiness and success.
It’s clear that America under Democratic leadership is intent on redefining what “free” means. To a Democrat, giving “free” benefits is what true “caring” is all about. Let the suckers earn a living so we can tax them and give their hard-earned money to every freeloader we can subsidize. Want proof?
Even though rejected by the Supreme Court, Biden has promised that college students, who willing took on contractual loans to attend college, are owed $468 billion in college debt relief to be funded by the American taxpayer. He’s working already to cancel student debt for some.
The Keep LA Housed Coalition wants Democratic Mayor Karen Bass to cancel rent debts or extend protections for tenants who cannot meet the city’s Aug. 1 deadline. It’s time for them to pay the rent they owe. Landlords who were “left powerless” against nonpaying tenants who took advantage of a free ride during the pandemic now want the rent these tenants owe.
New York City, once proud to be called a “sanctuary city,” has given out flyers communicating “There is no guarantee we will be able to provide shelter and services to new arrivals.” Mayor Adams has finally admitted, “There is no room in New York. New York cannot take more. We can’t.” No more “free” sanctuary!
Many cities and states are considering or already giving “free” reparations to blacks at a local level. On a federal level, some measures have been proposed including one by Rep. Cori Bush’s, D-MO, that would provide $14 trillion in compensation for government policies that she has deemed as racist and contributed to the wealth gap between Black and White Americans.
Illegal immigrants, staging a protest in Chicago, demanded free housing, paid job training and easy access to amenities like food, water, and “safe” neighborhoods. One sign at the demonstration explained it well, “You Promised Us Safe Living Conditions, But Our Rights Have Been Violated.”
Liberals in Illinois passed a law ending the requirement that those charged with a crime must post bail in order to be released from jail while they await trial. Unless a judge intervenes to hold them, even a violent perp could be assigned a court date and then be released without payment! When New York eliminated cash bail, crime skyrocketed.
Instead of calling for protesters who threw rocks, assaulted police officers, burned down buildings, and burned up cars to be incarcerated and forced to pay for damages, the National Lawyers Group has issued a class action suit demanding that the George Floyd protestors in New York be compensated up to $10K per protestor because of police abuse. Only in America can rioters expect to be paid instead of incarcerated.
Democrat Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has asked for residents to volunteer their homes for “free” to host illegal immigrants “for a few days, until longer-term accommodations can be arranged.” Why is this necessary? The nearly 40 hotels and motels Healey has rented out across the state, all funded by tax-payers, are completely full and even overflowing with illegals.
Get the picture: Free rent, free food, free student loans, free job training, free rooms, and freedom from accountability. Why work? Why save? Just elect Democrats willing to pay for your vote. The homeless scenes in urban America sound very much like what Franklin saw in England. When you reward irresponsible behavior, you get more who are willing to be dependent on government’s “free” benefits.
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