Some good news to report (yes, I know, that is rare from me).
Today a young lady came up to me after class and told me that she is four months pregnant, lives with her parents and was preparing to sign up for WIC (taxpayer-financed food subsidies). She told me that her dad said, "I did not raise my kids to live off of the government."
She also told me that after hearing more about Bastiat, James Madison, the meaning of The General Welfare Clause and so forth, that she has decided not to sign up for WIC.
In her words, "I have money, there is no reason for me to sign up."
Hope is a good thing....
I agree if she has her own money she should use it, instead of using WIC. If she does not have money it would certainly benefit her child to get adequate nutrition through WIC. I remember a time when I had to get milk on credit to feed my oldest son when we left the military and had no work. A parent will do anything for a child.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big difference between getting milk on credit, which is a voluntary agreement between two parties and using the government to take someone's money away for milk!
ReplyDeleteBack then there was no WIC (that I know of) and if our milkman had not extended credit to us and WIC had been available, this mother would have gotten food for her child, regardless of who paid for it. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances, we do what we have to do when it comes to our children's health and well being.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago I found myself in a severe economic crisis that caused me to sell my house, my cars, most of my possessions and move into a 560 sq. foot cottage. At one point I was so broke that I was riding a bike 26 miles roundtrip to work - leaving at 4am every day with an iron and my clothes in a backpack. When I got to work I would shower in the mens gym, iron my clothes on the sink and go teach. I had three kids while all of this was going on.
ReplyDeleteI took every extra project I was offered to make money. At one point I had 7 classes and six other jobs I was working on. My wife can recall countless nights when I slept in my office on the floor because I was working until 3 am or so.
My point? Back when your child needed milk you and your husband could have and perhaps should have done anything for work to make money. At no time did your decision to have a child mean that the taxpayers owed you WIC. So turning to WIC in an emergency is no excuse when an emergency just means you have to work harder.