The American welfare system is not leaving men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry. It restricts recipients from the very activities and values that would make them free to pursue industry and improvement. It takes away the responsibility of men to provide for their family and be the father his kids need.

The sad truth is that the result of these welfare programs has been disastrous to inner city communities. What originally was passed as programs to temporarily assist families going through tough times has instead created systemic poverty that is passed down to each generation. Instead of helping people, which supposedly was the intention; these programs discourage work, discourage marriage, reward immoral behavior and create fatherlessness which has created a culture of criminality and addiction that dominates the inner city communities.

As humans we were created to work. There is a bitterness of soul that comes from not being a productive worker, because honest work brings personal satisfaction and self-confidence. Out of this atmosphere of bitterness an angry inner city culture has taken hold that doesn’t respect life, belittles education, honest work and personal responsibility. The very things that would elevate their lives and families they scorn, feeling instead entitled to take as much as they can from the government (aka taxpayers).

What is most troubling about this state of affairs is that, most of our leaders, instead of acknowledging that the welfare system has not worked are actually doubling down in their desire to bring even more people into this ungodly system. Apparently it isn’t the success or failure of their policies that matter but the initial “intentions” behind the policies. So if the “intentions” were good then the outcome doesn’t matter. The crisis of fatherlessness is mentioned only in passing from elected officials and even inner city pastors seem reluctant to address fatherlessness as a major root cause of inner city ills.

Those politicians promising more benefits to citizens in order to buy their votes are intentionally enslaving people for their own personal interest. The hidden message is that some people lack potential so it is best to keep them down.

We talk a lot about human trafficking (slavery) because it is rampant around the world whether sex trade or slave labor. Unfortunately, many do not realize that being sucked into the welfare system is giving away their freedom to determine their own future in exchange for permanent underclass status. That is slavery. And it comes from a lack of belief in universal human potential. God says we all have potential.
The current crisis on our borders and the Central American invasion by children and youths has elevated the United States to a leading nation in human trafficking. Deep down we all know this “surge” was an orchestrated and coordinated event which makes us guilty as a nation of human trafficking. Make no mistake these young illegals will be trafficked and those who aren’t will be enslaved to the government. So much for seeking a better life…

Since unity was the key to establishing the union of the United States we should do all we can to expose the futility and destructiveness of promoting victim groups. We can do this through reasoned arguments and not being afraid of being called “racist, haters, radicals, homophobes, etc.” which we are called when we differ with these socialist/Marxist policies. We need to be seeking positive solutions that will create sustainable prosperity, elevate the poor and bridge the values gap created by the welfare system.

Thomas Paine wisely said that “it is not in numbers that we gather our strength – but in unity.”

For me, it seems obvious that government is not capable of caring for people because it does not have the means or proper motivation to do so in an effective way. Therefore, the real solutions will come from the private sector, primarily religious organizations whose motivation is from a position of love and a true desire to see people elevated for success. From our earliest beginnings as a nation it has always been the lesser institutions (not lesser in importance but in size and distance) of the family, the church, faith based charities, private enterprise and the local governments that took responsibility for caring for people in their localities. The population as a whole never looked to the federal government to solve their problems until recent modern history.

Ultimately it is God who has the solutions and it is up to us to tap into His answers, following the principles laid out in the Bible that have a proven track record of working to improve and unify society. After all, in His own words, “love never fails.”

Next Week: A Personal Story

Dinner Table Discussion Question: What can you, as a family, do to promote unity in your community? What would Jesus do?