Hi Frank, a good way to look at it is if the people receiving benefits were were to walk up to your home and ask for the money directly from you, would you give it to them?
I can just see it now, some 65 year old couple pulling up to an apartment complex in their RV while enroute from Florida to their northern home, asking a mechanics with a wife and 3 kids, (earning maybe 40K a year) to pay for their drugs.
Escuse me sir, could you give me 50 bucks for my blood pressure pills?
Why, can't you afford it?
Oh yes, we can afford it just fine, but we would much rather stay at the Holiday Inn tonight instead of the campground in our RV. The cable T.V. reception is very poor at the campground and I would like to log onto the net in the morning to see how our stock portfolio is doing.
Gee, let me see...have you suffer in that 60K RV for the night, or me spend the money on one of my kids school supplies?
Tough choice....
Sadly, that scenario is more real then many realize. We simply must start means testing these welfare programs for the elderly. Most everyone wants to help the poor and disadvantaged, especially, the elderly poor. But these across the board handouts without regard to wealth are creating a real burden on young families. |
