Mike Ball joins poverty task force
Posted by BrianThe Decatur Daily has a great little bio on my state representative, Mike Ball. I knew Ball spent time in foster homes as a child, but reading his life story is inspiring. He went from being a “street urchin” to a Marine, law enforcement officer, and finally a state legislator, which really isn’t that far removed from being a street urchin now that I think about it :).
The impetus for the bio piece was his inclusion on an Alabama poverty task force. I can’t think of a person with a better life experience to sit on such a commission. It sure beats having a bunch of bleeding heart liberals who confuse helping people out of poverty with continuing dependency on government assistance.
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October 10th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Thanks for the kind words, Brian. I do need to point out one error in the story. My mother was not dead, but in a mental hospital at the time my sister and I went to live my Dad.
I think you have a pretty good idea why I’m participating. I am glad they included Victor Gaston and I in the process. I’m looking for ways to encourage opportunity, rather than enabling the cycle of dependency.
October 10th, 2007 at 11:59 am
Opportunity is a wonderful thing. If you make it easy for people to pull themselves out of difficult situations then many people will. The process will help them develop the confidence and skills to successfully engage future challenges. Those who choose not to take advantage of the benevolence of others have only themselves to blame.
If I had to develop a formula for escaping poverty - and I am by no means the most qualified to do so - I would focus on education as well as structure and stability. The benefit of an education goes without saying, although I think introducing market based reforms would improve the quality for all. Structure and stability are much more troublesome for the government to provide because the threshold separating charity and dependence is quickly crossed.
If I had the means I would (and I’ve discussed this with my wife) set up a second chance life program. Take single mothers, for example, who struggle to make ends meet and can’t seem to crest the mountain of burdens before them. Provide them with free or subsidized housing and quality child care. Give them a job they are not qualified for, but have the capacity to learn. Send them to class if necessary. Give them all of the pieces necessary to succeed and minimize all of the excuses and burdens - but only for a finite period of time. If they choose to make the most of it, great. If not, I’ll expend my time and money on someone else that might be willing to put forth effort.
That may sound like a Hillary Clinton style big government program, but that is exactly how I would choose to give if I had the money. I just don’t agree at all with it being taken from me under threat of force and given out by the government.
October 11th, 2007 at 4:55 am
Even of avenues out of poverty are built, how do you motivate people to travel those roads rather than to continue to live off of taxpayer funded government assistance?
October 13th, 2007 at 4:42 am
Correction: make my typo read “Even if…”