Give a man a fish...

There is a saying that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day. You teach a man to fish you feed him for a life time. How much better would government be if this principle were applied to the different social programs? Don't get me wrong, I think social programs are necessary. Nobody knows when they might need medicare, medicaid, or welfare. I just hope people don't consider that as their first or only option.

After Hurricane Katrina I met with some people who had spent some time helping people clean up and leave their damaged homes. One story that I heard was of a man that wouldn't leave his home and when they asked him why, he said that he was waiting for his welfare check to come in the mail. That is someone who was waiting for his fish.

The welfare program should be more than a hand out. There must be a requirement that someone who goes on welfare should learn how to fish. If someone can't find another job in their field, then they should train for a job in another field. I know that will take time, but it is better for everyone involved to improve their education. Hopefully the end game is that the person has improved self confidence and life skills. And on the other hand I hope it stops the reliance on welfare.