Blog | Entrepreneurship

How to Keep People Poor

Food Stamps Do Not Lead to Financial Freedom

This was e-mailed to me last week…

“Isn’t It Ironic?

The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever. Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to “Please Do Not Feed the Animals” because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.”

What is wrong with this picture?

Last year, 45 million Americans – 14 percent of the population – received food stamps. (By the way, the government renamed the food stamp program to SNAP – Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – what’s with that?). That is an increase of 17 million, or 60%, since 2008.

The question to ask is, is the food stamp program providing short-term relief to families in need, or is it breeding a population dependent on the government to take care of them?

Just like a woman who marries for money – she’s decided that she can’t take care of herself so she latches on to, and becomes dependent upon, some rich guy for her meal ticket.

Or the drug addict who can’t kick her habit. Once a person is addicted to the welfare system it’s difficult to pull yourself off. Who says money is not addicting?

In the movie Million Dollar Baby with Hillary Swank and Clint Eastwood, there is a scene where Hillary Swank, a woman boxer, buys her mother who is living in poverty a new house. All her mother says is, “What are you thinking? If the government finds out I have this new house they’ll take away my food stamps!”

If that isn’t addiction, then what is?

The greater damage to a person who accepts welfare is what it does to her psyche, her mindset. In order to keep accepting food stamps, you have to justify and admit to yourself that you are a poor person who cannot take care of herself. And that’s a lie in my opinion. The welfare system keeps people poor and dependent. It strips them of their own, personal responsibility.

To make matters worse, as part of the stimulus package, Obama increased the amount of time people can stay on food stamps. If there’s no incentive to get off the program, then most people won’t.

Financial Freedom is about Independence.

As I see it, we are breeding a nation of dependent people, not independent and responsible people. What ever happened to “Give a man a fish feeds him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime”? We need real financial education in this country (and the world) to turn this economy around, not more government welfare.

What are you doing to improve your financial education and be an independent, rich woman?

Click here, for more information on our financial education resources.