Ted Nugent Says Being Poor Is A Choice, Cut Welfare Programs

Ted Nugent is probably as conservative politically that you can get.  In a recent Washing Times Column, he wrote that poor choices from parents is what creates childhood poverty, and we need to quit rewarding bad choices with social welfare programs.

At first when I read this column I was shocked, appalled. He says being poor is a choice.

Being poor is largely a choice, a daily, if not hourly, decision. If you decide to drop out of school, fail to learn a skill, have no work ethic or get divorced, a life of poverty is often the consequence. The children of parents who choose a life of poverty quite often pay a horrible price, and so does all of America.

I agree with the bad decisions of dropping out of school, no work ethic, etc.  But how about this Ted - have you seen how expensive college is?  Sorry, not everyone can be a rock musician and make boatloads of cash.  Sometimes divorce is unavoidable.  Nobody is perfect, and everybody makes mistakes.  So a lot of people that are poor just have plain bad luck.  What about the ridiculous price of health care?  Say you've got a job, work hard, but get sick.  It doesn't take very long at all to wipe out all of your savings.   Being poor sometimes is a result of bad choices, I'll give you that.  But there are many cases where people can't get ahead.

Fifth, if you can’t afford to have kids, quit having them and expecting the taxpayers to pay for them. Men and women with no visible means of support other than the taxpayer dime shouldn’t be having children. That may sound ugly and controlling, but it’s much uglier to expect the taxpayer to pay for mindless baby-making machines, which guarantees the cycle of poverty.

I do agree with Ted in several spots in his article.  Something that has always bothered me is when people who can't afford to have kids consciously make the decision (or not take the proper precautions) to have more kids.  If you're going to have your own kids, be able to support them.  I don't suggest cutting all welfare programs or assistance.  There's got to be a better less abused plan used.