Does Anyone Value Work Any Longer?

When I taught high school economics, I always asked this during one of my lessons:  “What would you think if your parents said you could stay in their home as long as you wanted, through your 40s or longer, and your meals would be provided, and no room or board money would ever be due.”  Of course, a few boys usually yelled out, “Awesome.  Sounds great to me.”  But the message was clear.  They immediately knew what was bad about this scenario—they would never grow up and become independent, self-sufficient, enterprising adults.

And so it has been with all legislation coming out of the Democrat-controlled Congress in 2021.  Extra unemployment bonuses not to work.  Child credit payments direct to your bank.  Big boost to food stamps.  Federal workers are still at home.  On the last point, if you are a senior, or any individual, needing Social Security in-person services in most of the country, it’s still just “TS” for you—tough situation.  Nearly two years on in this pandemic, most federal office employees are still lolling at home, keeping their locality pay differentials of course.

Each of the other policies noted has been damaging to the overall economy, and the effects continue to linger.  Bonuses not to work mean people will choose not to work.  True, the extra top-offs ended on Labor Day, but child credit payments continue.  It’s beyond inconceivable, but Democrats are demanding they be extended for yet another year.  

Businesses still cannot fill their open positions, and it seems to matter not what they do to try to bring in employees.  If you lined up 50 employers—small, medium, and large—you’d get a minimum 49 saying hiring is becoming impossible.  In the end, some companies throw in the towel and go out of business.  How are we better off when so many eligible, able-bodied workers are sitting on the sidelines collecting some kind of government assistance?  

What about food stamps, now called SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) payments?  No one argues there are not some people who struggle to buy food.  But there are no time limits on the program.  No one is empowered or incentivized to better themselves, especially when the funds just arrive on a debit card each month.

It’s worth imagining for a moment what would happen if the President could wave a magic wand and literally suspend all welfare-type assistance programs, literally to zero, with perhaps just a one-month warning.  What would happen if folks were warned they would no longer have a crutch?  Civil war in the streets?  Tent cities everywhere as in third world countries?  Or, and this is my guess, there would be a huge uptick in hiring.  Wouldn’t it be great to see throngs of people bombarding a restaurant, a hotel, or a factory when they put up “Help Wanted” or “Now Hiring” signs.

Wouldn’t it be great to celebrate an economic statistic that showed the labor force participation rate exceeded where we were at the start of the pandemic?  And recall, the economy was zooming along very nicely just before Covid hit in February 2020. 

Obviously, the pandemic was the excuse for leftists to get as many Americans hooked on government as possible.  Leftists believe that giving out unearned benefits keeps them in power.  After all, as their thinking goes, neither people nor animals generally bite the hands that feed them.  But did the pandemic make “work” a four-letter word to Democrats?  It sure seems so.

Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia appears to be the lone voice among Democrats who continues to argue that the incentives are all wrong in the massive Build Back Better plan.  He also argues it is too expensive, though it seems likely he will yet cave and vote to pass a smaller bill.  But to date, Manchin has stood with all Republicans demanding that we celebrate and prioritize work and stop needlessly increasing the size of government and borrowing money to send to able-bodied people who could easily take one of the 10 million jobs now open?

Remember, just like the able-bodied son or daughter who continues living at home for the free room and free meals, we are doing a disservice to our fellow Americans by getting them hooked on government rather than hooked on a job.

Jeff Szymanski works in political communications for AMAC, a senior benefits organization with nearly 2.4 million members.  He previously taught high school economics for 15 years.