A Hand Up Is Not a Handout
Randi Weingarten
Americans love the notion that we can all pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. Yet in this time when millions of jobs have vanished in the United States, supports for struggling Americans are crumbling, and education budgets have been squeezed and slashed, we need to focus on another enduring American ideal--strengthening the rungs on the ladder of opportunity.
Rather than helping the millions of individuals and families who have been affected by the economic earthquakes that have reshaped the American economy, many GOP lawmakers are employing an alarming blend of spin and psychology to justify unraveling the social safety net. Their rationale? Extending unemployment benefits would be a "disservice" to jobless individuals, and the food stamp program encourages "dependency" and "discourages people from working." Such logic ignores the millions of people who rely on assistance not because they are shirking work, but because they're unable to find it. The troubling message is that aid for people in poverty or in crisis is a handout, not a hand up.
Let's do a mini-lesson in critical thinking. Here's a glossary of programs that many lawmakers love to hate. Let's examine whether they are a drain on or a benefit to individuals, their families and our communities.
Unemployment insurance: There are currently more out-of-work job seekers than jobs being created, and many new jobs require new skills. Unemployment insurance