South Carolina lieutenant governor Andre Bauer has gotten himself into a bit of hot water over a comment he made last week. Some Democrats have condemned his statement as “immoral” and “reprehensible.” What did he say that was so bad?
“My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that.” [Story]
It’s no wonder that Democrats jumped all over the chance to portray a Republican as being insensitive towards the poor. The Democrats live for this. The only way they can win elections is by convincing the poor that the Democrats care about them and will help them, while the Republicans will not. Regardless of the facts, this argument has helped the Democrats obtain public office for decades.
But there is one thing that should not be lost in discussing the comment from Bauer. Could he have used a better analogy? Probably. But here’s what we ought to remember: The reality behind the metaphor is absolutely true.
Are there people on welfare in genuine need? Sure there are. But are there also people who abuse the system, individuals who choose to remain on welfare instead of working for themselves, children who learn dependency upon government rather than hard work and personal responsibility? Absolutely.
The government should feel no obligation to help those who are unwilling to help themselves. Helping such people is not compassion, but rather it is enabling them to be irresponsible, immature, and lazy. It is not a sustainable practice for a nation. Thomas Jefferson said, “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
The government needs to be more prudent with its handouts. Individuals need to be encouraged to overcome their adversities and take responsibility for themselves, rather than remaining enslaved to government dependency.
-Andy Sochor
