If we reward non-production, we get freeloaders

Families which reward children for bad behavior or nonproduction raise young adults who are not trained to support themselves. Governments which reward non-production end up with freeloaders clogging ever-increasing welfare rolls.

We have all gone through tough times, some of us more than once, but we are encouraged to bring ourselves through our travails when we are rewarded for our efforts. If we are rewarded for not trying, then there is little reason ever to improve ourselves. We are encouraged to become freeloaders

What if we lost our job or house in a catastrophe? We would hope that friends and neighbors and the government would give us a helping hand until we got back on our feet financially.

We see that time and time again in rural communities where neighbors and the local churches pitch in and everyone comes together until the crisis is over. People find room in their homes for those who have lost theirs and life goes on.

Most people want to earn their way in the world and they take every opportunity to keep their exchange in with those who are supporting them. Those who choose to be freeloaders are actually criminals who want something for nothing.

But people can actually be coaxed into becoming criminal. If a situation is created where  rent money and food is provided for those who do nothing to help themselves, there is no reason for them to work for a living.

Here are three situations which illustrate how this can happen:

It has been three years since Hurricane Katrina hit and there are
people who are still living in hotels and receiving 3 free meals a day
courtesy of FEMA while hard working people all across the country are
scraping by with food stamps.   These professional "Katrina victims" have
enjoyed a free ride on your tax dollars for three years and it appears that they have little incentive
to look for work as long as the money keeps on rolling in. It looks like this cozy state of affairs will not end until March 2009.

That is a lot of tax money spent on freeloaders.

It is not only major disasters that can create a population of "something for nothing" freeloaders. When I lived in Redondo Beach, California, a well-meaning sect which
had a temple located in a residential area set up daily meals for the
homeless in the area. The food was tasty and news spread far and wide.
After a very short period of time, these free meals had drawn homeless
people from Los Angeles and beyond. Neighbors of the temple were going
frantic with the crowds of new homeless people who settled in the area.

Something for nothing is a powerful incentive to kick back and enjoy
the handout. It encourages freeloaders and does nothing to improve life
overall.

We may have a president soon who has already promised to spread the
money around from those who are earning it and giving it to those who
are earning less. One of his most enthusiastic followers sees this as a
solution to her problems and her joy has been captured on YouTube.

"I never thought this day would ever happen. I won’t have to worry
about putting gas in my car. I won’t have to worry about paying my
mortgage… If I help [Obama], he’s gonna help me."

As far as I know Obama has not promised what she thinks he has. If this
is part of his economic package, it will create some interesting
problems for the economy.

Spreading the wealth around can be done by increasing the standard of living through increased efficiency and production. A rising tide floats all boats. Spreading the wealth around by taking from those who are producing wealth and giving it to those who are not producing penalizes those who are  keeping society going. Historically, this has never been a successful long term activity.

Far better is the practice of supporting entrepreneurs. They have generated most of the new wealth in the last decade and they have been resisted by Democrats and Republicans alike.