Old Techniques Good for Today
By James Whitford published in the Joplin Globe Sept 13, 2015
Last month, the Foundation for Government Accountability published a paper titled “SNAP To It: Restoring Work Requirements Will Help Solve the Food Stamp Crisis.” Crisis? Some might argue. But take a look at the numbers. There’s been greater than a 20 fold increase in food stamp use among able bodied adults since 2000. Nationally, this program now accounts for nearly a tenth of all welfare expenditure. In the last 10 years, Missouri doubled in food stamp spending from 720 million to 1.4 billion annually. Our Jasper County portion of that is more than 2 million dollars every month. Although these numbers seem at critical levels, some might still argue that they don’t represent a crisis.
A greater crisis stems from a lack of personal involvement. Eligibility for welfare is determined without real personal knowledge of individual circumstances. In the late 1800’s, much of America realized the detriment of indiscriminate aid and in response, Charitable Organization Societies became popular. Charity leaders organized themselves to do more than eliminate duplicate distribution; they promoted a more rigorous investigation to determine those who were deserving of relief. Work tests were commonly used to make this distinction.
Is it unreasonable to require work of those in need? Remember that work is integral to human flourishing. I remember when a man who was missing 6 of his fingers came in our mission needing food. I asked him to help fold papers and stuff envelopes. He was a great help and we got to know each other as he worked for his food basket that day. It would have been easy to consider this man disabled, simply give him a food box and feel sorry for him as he left. Rather than first recognizing dysfunction, impairment and inability in the poor, we should look first for existing talent and ability instead. Providing opportunities for people to earn what they need is part of that healthy expectation and esteems the poor as participants and producers rather than passive recipients. A flourishing life is one that produces. This year alone, we’ve witnessed more than 6000 episodes of just that; people exercising their talent and ability in exchange for basics from meals and clothing to furniture and appliances. This has given our staff and team of volunteers countless opportunities to partner with and become personally involved with the poor in our community, to thank them for a job well done and to encourage them upward.
I’d like to think there’s more of that to come. Our Missouri legislature recently reformed welfare. Beginning January 1, 2016 work requirements will be reinstated for able-bodied childless adults who receive food stamps. For years, work requirements have been waived, a primary reason we’ve seen such a dramatic rise in food stamp enrollment. Soon, the choice for many will be a work activity or lose the benefit. If the Foundation for Government Accountability research is correct, rather than work, more than 30,000 will instead drop off the food stamp roles in Missouri within the first year. That so many will choose to opt out should cause us to question how they were determined eligible for relief in the first place. Shouldn’t the role of determining who’s really in need be left to those who are willing to become personally involved?
