Has the new NHC plan collapsed?

Originally posted by whodey
Wat maks U so shure?

🙂

Originally posted by whodey
Those that recieve charity may not be very grateful, but I disagree that these are the majority from what I have seen. As far as leeches coming to get free stuff, all you have to do is find an ACORN office to help you out.

So you would disagree with Monster truck's bleak assessment about what's been going on at the Kitchen? Or is there something the Kitchen is doing wrong that most charities know how to avoid?

Originally posted by whodey
But helping in a temporary crisis is part of the charm. The goal should be to help people get on their own two legs if possible. If they know that a free lunch is not garunteed them, which system do you think is most benificial in this regard?

Yes, helping in the temporary crisis is indeed charming -- in part because it allows the giver to feel really good about himself without having to expend a whole lot of effort. 10,000 children are starving somewhere? Let's all take up a collection so that they can all have a really good Christmas dinner. The day after Christmas, all of the givers pat themselves on the back, and all of those children are once again hungry. I guess that Christmas dinner is better than nothing, but it doesn't really accomplish very much over the long term. Temporary help is effective only when the problem is also temporary. Such as when your neighbor's barn burns down and everyone pitches in to help build a new barn. Everyone feels good about it and much has actually been accomplished.

Regarding the chronic poor, I do agree that if you truly want to help them, you've got to go FAR FAR beyond giving out free stuff. You need to get to the very root of why various people are poor. You can provide grants that allow people to go to college or train for a career that will provide them with a good income. You can get drug addicts into long-term rehab. You can give the mentally ill the counseling and medication needed to help them overcome depression or psychosis. However, even after you've taught everyone how to fish, some people will work hard and still struggle to feed and provide healthcare for their families.

Perhaps for these people, it's possible to set up a network of private charities that could provide enough income support to lift them all out of poverty. If such an effort was to succeed, we could then phase out government programs that do these things. So conservatives should be working very hard to get a system of this sort up and running.