Give a man a fish...

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." -Chinese Proverb

Our country has a record deficit. Threats of cutting benefits to the elderly are on the table.

Times are tough for many people but the working-poor and the middle class are shouldering the majority of the financial burden as well as making the majority of sacrifices that it takes to get through day-to-day. It is time for our federal and local politicians to stop the threats of cutting benefits to our elderly. It is time for our activists in the communities to stop battling the corporations that employ those of us who are employed. It is time for more, non-elderly Americans to be accountable for their own well-being and to suffer consequences from their own actions. A strict time limit should be set for adults who exist off of public aid. Drug screening should be mandated for all adults who accept public aid in any form--subsidized housing, food/EBT cards, welfare checks, etc. Volunteering should be mandated for those living off of public assistance. Birth control should be mandated after having one child that must be supported on public assistance. Men and women who continue to have children they are not supporting should have harsh consequences and/or mandated sterilization. Public assistance is a way of life for many who are perfectly capable of getting a job, who can further their education on student loans (like many of us have done in the past), and who can work two jobs to support children they continue to have even when they can't afford their first. Being a stay-at-home parent should not be an option on the taxpayers bill.

The refugee and immigrant programs should be frozen until our country is back on its feet. There should also be a requirement for those who enter the country to be readily employable with some sort of English speaking ability as well as productive skills to add to our economy. The working class should not have to support ESL class, food and housing, and ongoing healthcare for this population when we are also struggling to put food on the table and pay our own rent and living expenses.

Medicare and social security should not be threatened for our elderly. Americans should all have to work to put into this system and when they are 65+, they should have this entitlement to help into their later years.

Stop the handouts not only for the corporations but also for those who make public assistance a way of life--it should not be an option to live from long term.

Help them plan for a future, give them a time frame to work with, and then let them be accountable for their own well-being.

Too much money is being spent on enabling public assistance as a way of life. Too many children are being brought into this world by men and women who are not prepared to raise and support their own children financially or emotionally.

Stop the madness. This is a growing problem and it's sad to think about what our future looks like if we continue to enable this way of life for this growing population.