July 9, 2014
A few months
ago I was standing in the checkout line at our local grocery store. As I waited, I couldn’t help but notice the
couple in front of me had all the characteristics of meth users. They were probably thirty five, but looked
like they were going on eighty. Their
bodies were emaciated. Deep lines scored
their faces, which were pocked with scabs. Their movements were awkward and
jerky. As the woman put her groceries on
the counter, the young clerk quickly scanned and bagged them. The woman then pulled out a checkbook and
attempted to write a check for the groceries.
I say “attempted” deliberately, because what I witnessed next was
fascinating and heartbreaking.
The
little blonde clerk said, “That will be forty two dollars and thirty eight
cents.” The woman, checkbook open and
pen in hand, began to write, then almost immediately stopped. She looked at the clerk. “What did you say?” The girl repeated the amount due. Once again the woman started to write, then
stopped yet again. “Did you say forty
two dollars?” “Yes, Ma’am. Forty two dollars.” The woman mumbled under her breath and looked
again at the girl. “Forty two
dollars? “Yes.” “Okay.
You said forty two dollars and how much?” “Forty two dollars and thirty eight
cents.” By now the young clerk was
glancing at me helplessly, as if she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. But it still wasn’t over. The clerk continued to repeat the amount
twice more before the check was finally written. The customer clearly had no short term
memory. She had destroyed it with drugs.
As the
couple headed out the door pushing their cart, I shook my head at the now
laughing clerk and said, “I just hope they can find the way to their car.” She responded, “You know, at the high school
we have assemblies periodically where people come in and talk to us about the dangers
of drugs. How they can destroy your
mind. They just need to have that couple
stand up there and tell everyone ‘This is your mind on drugs’!”
This incident caused me to consider a question which I’m sure is on the minds of more and more people as we find ourselves inundated with folks in similar condition to what I just described. The question is: What do I owe someone who has systematically destroyed his/her mind and/or physical health by years of ingesting or shooting up everything from meth to alcohol to oxycodone? Why is it my responsibility to pay their rent and utilities, provide food stamps and medical care, give them a voucher for clothing, and see to it they have a cell phone? They have deliberately partied their way to abysmal dysfunction, and now I’m supposed to smile and pick up the bill? What is fair about that? What is even remotely just? It certainly strikes me as neither.
This incident caused me to consider a question which I’m sure is on the minds of more and more people as we find ourselves inundated with folks in similar condition to what I just described. The question is: What do I owe someone who has systematically destroyed his/her mind and/or physical health by years of ingesting or shooting up everything from meth to alcohol to oxycodone? Why is it my responsibility to pay their rent and utilities, provide food stamps and medical care, give them a voucher for clothing, and see to it they have a cell phone? They have deliberately partied their way to abysmal dysfunction, and now I’m supposed to smile and pick up the bill? What is fair about that? What is even remotely just? It certainly strikes me as neither.
For years
those of us who have played by the rules have been increasingly punished for
it. And I don’t use that word
lightly. We behave ourselves and pay our
bills and our taxes. We tithe to the
Lord and help out friends and family in need.
We scrimp and save and sacrifice and get by. We don’t ask for handouts but try to give a
hand up. Then, the government, in its
largesse with the money they’re taxing from us says, “Oh, by the way, we’re
going to use a significant portion of your taxes to support a whole element of
society that has chosen to live illegally and irresponsibly. They are so mentally and physically disabled
by self-abuse that they can no longer provide for themselves, so we’re going to
provide for them. And since the
confiscatory taxes you’re already paying are insufficient to the task, we’re
also going to borrow trillions of dollars to cover the difference. We may be putting your children and
grandchildren in guaranteed penury so we can pay the bills, but it is all in a
noble cause.”
I’m
sorry. I don’t buy it. Well, I guess I am buying it in the sense of
what’s happening with my tax money, but I don’t buy the argument at all. It is feel good nonsense that is bankrupting
our country morally and financially. I
would argue it is unbiblical and unwise.
Allow me to
cite a Biblical principle…
“Do not
be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but
the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal
6:7,8). “They sow to the wind and reap
the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7). Scripture
clearly teaches that choices have consequences.
A wise parent will use consequences to teach their children responsibility. A child who blows his allowance and doesn’t
have the money to go to the movie with his friends has learned an important
lesson. On the other hand, a child who blows
his allowance and then is handed movie money by Mama hasn’t learned a thing –
except that the consequences of poor choices will be mitigated by others. That is not a healthy lesson. But that is exactly what is happening today. A person can sow to the wind all they wish,
and when the whirlwind inevitably comes the government will be there to pay the
bills and clean up the mess. One of the
strongest incentives to cease misbehavior, facing the consequences of that
misbehavior, has been removed. How can
that possibly be a healthy thing?
As with
beggars on street corners, I struggle with what my response, as a Christian,
should be to their dilemma. On the one
hand, there is no question that their self-abuse has resulted in their
condition being such that they must have help in order to survive. It would be both cruel and inhumane to refuse
to see to it they receive such help. On
the other hand, is it selfish to argue such care should be rendered at minimal
cost to the taxpayer? If I’m going to
have to foot the bill, shouldn’t I have some say in how the money is spent?
I
strongly disagree with how our government is responding to caring for the self-destroyed.
It is catastrophically inefficient and rewards bad behavior. What if our model was changed to one that was
humane, financially responsible, and dare I say, fair?
I would
suggest the following for consideration:
Section
8 (free housing paid for by the government) is a disaster. It is costly and nasty and often
dangerous. Instead, we should construct housing
similar to the military barracks in which we house our soldiers. If it’s good enough for those who risk their
lives to defend this country, it should be good enough for those on the public
dole. As with soldiers living in those
barracks, who are required to keep their beds made and their rooms ready for
inspection at any time, so it would be with those living in the provided
housing. Such a requirement is neither
unreasonable nor unfair.
Food
stamps disappear. Meals would be
provided in a communal dining area. Such
meals would be similar, again, to those fed to our soldiers. If you don’t like it, you don’t eat.
Entertainment
would be provided in a recreational area.
The government doesn’t pay to have cable wired to each room. No boom boxes or stereos. If you want the music loud, plug in your
earphones and turn the volume up as high as you want.
No
personal cell phones. Those are a
boondoggle of the highest order.
Companies make tens of millions off of taxpayers providing free phone
service. There is no way I should have
to pay my cell phone bill and turn around and pay someone else’s if there’s a
more efficient way to see they have phone access. There is. Provide a bank of phones available in the common
area for residents to use.
Conduct
random, mandatory drug testing. If you’re
caught using, you’re out in the snow.
Period. Yes. That’s harsh.
Consequences often are – and need to be.
It’s only if the pain is greater than the pleasure that bad behavior
will be modified. Those being cared for
on the public dime have already physically and/or mentally wrecked
themselves. Why should we, in any sense,
allow or further that damage? We have a
responsibility to see they are cared for, not to, in any way, subsidize or condone
behavior which has made that care necessary.
Medical
care would be provided by doctors and nurses in clinics specifically designated
for the care of those on the public dole.
No incredibly expensive visits to hospital emergency rooms. Once again, a level of care would be offered
similar to what we provide our soldiers and veterans. If that is somehow deemed unloving or harsh,
perhaps it would dictate a re-examination of how we treat our military.
If
their health allows, those who are being provided for in this way should have
mandatory responsibilities. From pushing
a broom to helping in a garden to picking up the trash that litters our
highways, there are tasks that need doing and they could, and should, do
them. Sitting around all day is not
healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, or morally. Giving them basic responsibilities to carry
out is a blessing.
Please
understand I am not advocating punishing these folks. I am very much in favor of providing for
their basic needs. However, gifting them
these needs with no responsibility or effort required on their part is morally
and spiritually wrong.
I
realize I have painted a picture with very broad strokes. However, I am absolutely convicted that our
present mode of dealing with the millions of self-destroyed is bankrupt both morally
and financially. Continuing government
programs which operate in a kind of co-dependent fashion to deal with an
increasing number of people who have destroyed their ability to provide even
basic necessities for themselves is self-defeating. It wastes incredible amounts of money even as
it unwittingly and amorally encourages self-destructive behaviors. It is neither loving nor kind to perpetuate such
a system. If we don’t wisely care for
those who have destroyed themselves, in the end, we will destroy ourselves as
well.
No comments:
Post a Comment