Just Say NO!

Just say NO to medicaid, WIC, CHIP, food stamps, etc. Many of my friends (university students or wives of uni students) are on medicaid (mainly to pay to have babies). As a general rule, I believe it is wrong for any university student to be accepting governmental aid.

Today on Bob Lonsberry's show he addressed this issue in terms of LDS people (as a whole) moving more politically left. He didn't say this was good or bad, but his observation. One indication of this that he mentioned was that 30 years ago it would have been inconceivable for any student to accept government aid and would have been directly against Church counsel. I'd like to share some words from President Benson's speech titled A Vision and Hope for the Youth of Zion in April of 1977 to Brigham Young University students.

"Recently a letter came to my office, accompanied by an article from your Daily Universe, on the matter of BYU students taking food stamps. The query of the letter was: 'What is the attitude of the Church on taking food stamps?' The Church's view on this is well known. We stand for independence, thrift, and abolition of the dole. This was emphasized in the Saturday morning welfare meeting of general conference. 'The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership' (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1936, p.3)

When you accept food stamps, you accept an unearned handout that other working people are paying for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers' money to pay his heat, electricity, or rent. There is no difference in principle between them. You did not come to this University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society, to save society and to help to save this nation, the Lord's base of operations in these latter days, to ameliorate man's social conditions. You are not here to a parasite or freeloader. The price you pay for something for nothing may be more than you can afford. Do not rationalize your acceptance of government gratuities by saying, 'I am a contributing taxpayer too.' By doing this you contribute to the problem which is leading this nation to financial insolvency." I will end President Benson's remarks there, but he goes on and it is quite insightful and inspiring. His counsel to those that do not have the finaces to complete their education is "to drop out a semester and go to work and save. You'll be a better man or woman for so doing. You will have preserved your self-respect and initiative."

My concern is that those around me, many of my dear friends, do not realize the negative effect their accepting governmental aid has on them and others. Firstly, it is creating dependence on the government. Secondly, premiums for insurance increase, deductibles increase, and it is already very hard for anyone to afford insurance because the clientel base is smaller (because so many are using medicaid). As students, we are in a position to request increased loan amounts at low interest rates. We should choose to take out a loan or extra loan money instead of accepting medicaid, food stamps, and the like. There is also the option of taking out a "personal loan" from a bank.

There is a time and place to accept government assistance. Save our tax dollars to assist those in dire need...$100,000 in medical bills for a low income family, those low income or unemployed that don't have food for their table, widows or widowers that cannot work because of health conditions.

We must be individually accountable for ourselves and our families. I plead with you to consider a loan. Put your expenses on your own tab, not someone else's.