There is no such thing as a free lunch.
I am sure you have all heard this, but it’s never been more true than now.
Under House Bill 594, proposed in the Louisiana House of Representatives by Rep. Jay Morris, R-Monroe, “able-bodied” childless adults who receive food stamps will be required to work.
This proposal is far from unreasonable. The food stamp program was created to help those in need until they can get back on their feet. It wasn’t meant to be taken advantage of.
Passing this bill will give adults the incentive to find a job or obtain the proper skills that will help them provide for their families. Nothing should be given freely to some, while forcing others to pay through taxation.
“We’re a hard working state, and I think we need to continue to incentivize work,” said Morris in an interview with Elizabeth Crisp from the Advocate. “Not getting up in the morning and doing something constructive is bad for the brain and bad for society.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Louisiana has one of the top 10 highest unemployment in the United States, with 5.9 percent unemployment. This rating is unacceptable. Why are we allowing the state to rank so low when we have the opportunity to encourage more able-bodied adults to work?
The proposal doesn’t take away food stamps from “able-bodied” individuals as long as they consent to work for the food they’ve been given, like every other
American.
For the last 19 years, Louisiana has applied for a waiver from the federal government so childless adults didn’t have to work the required 20 hours per week or be enrolled in a job-training program to receive the food aid. The bill would require legislative action for any future attempts to get the waiver.
Even Gov. Edwards appears to be changing his position on the work requirements through an executive order. According to Edwards’ chief lawyer, the governor intends to ensure Louisianians experiencing the changes have job training and placement services available to them. Edwards’ executive order might render the proposed bill unnecessary, but Morris wants to continue with his proposal until he knows for sure.
When people work for the things they receive, they gain confidence in their ability to care for themselves. Our state takes pride in the hard working nature of Louisianians, so let’s continue this tradition by bringing more people into the workforce.
Charlie Bonacquisti is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Dallas, Texas.