What Money Can't Buy

The question of whether society should not only give a portion of their taxes to help the poor but also give of their personal time is an important question. In my opinion, it will not be until people are willing to give or their personal time and demonstrate genuine concern for those in a needier situation of life, that the benefits of tax money will make a greater impact. This is demonstrated in the fact that most people who are on welfare stay on welfare. It would almost seem as if poverty is a hereditary trait passed down from generation to generation. Though this is of course not always the case, I believe it is for many who never experience the influence of others intervening in their life to motivate them to pursue a different kind of life.

My husband and I often spend most Sabbath afternoons with a family of four kids from Benton Harbor, Destiny, David, Nay-Nay and Jay-ay. They live in an old dilapidated house with several moms, a grandma, upwards of eight children, and a constant stream of visitors so that the door always remains open, day or night.

Each of their minds are like sponges, readily imitating the attitudes and behaviors of those around them. They are each starved for a good role model in their lives who can grant them meaningful time and attention. Therefore it is critical for them to be taken out of their environment every once in a while to realize that they have a greater potential for their lives other than becoming a teenage mom or a gang member. Such realizations can only occur with the vested interest and time of those intervening in their lives, not by tax dollars alone.