Earlier this month, Top Right News reported the story of Detroit’s James Robertson, who walked 21 miles every day to get to and from work. The 56-year-old factory worker makes $10.55 per hour making plastic parts in a factory. He walked the commute because his car had broken down 10 years earlier and he did not have enough money to replace it, and additionally, there was no bus which covered his route.
After reading Robertson’s inspirational story, Evan Leedy created a crowdfunding page to assist in raising enough money for Robertson to buy a car. By the next day, the site had raised nearly $43,000, on the way to a final total of $350,000. However, it turned out that Robertson would not need the money for a car after all, as a Woodhaven, Michigan Chevrolet dealer offered Robertson a free 2014 Chevrolet Cruz or Sonic after sales manager Darwin Filey discovered the story.
Less than a month later, the story has turned much darker for Robertson. With his story becoming so popular and well-known, neighbors began to ask for money, with some even threatening violence. The area around Robertson’s home became so contentious that Detroit Police had to be summoned to patrol the area. Robertson has since been moved to a secret location.
There is a distinct irony in this once uplifting, but now rather depressing story. Robertson proudly walked miles to work at a low-paying job for 10 years without any expectation of a hand-out. He chose the much more difficult route in today’s society, for no other reason than that he found more pride in working for the little money he had than in resting on his laurels and relying on others.
However, now that Robertson has received a well-deserved break for his years of hard-work, those who have not put in anywhere near the same level of effort are now coming to collect off of the good fortune that he has rightfully earned. This can easily be attributed to the entitlement mentality that has developed in the US for nearly a century.
This is certainly not to blame those who are less fortunate and have been taken advantage of in the current “public assistance” system. While it is easy to point the blame at these troubled individuals, they, just like Mr. Robertson, are the true victims.
The welfare state teaches that hard work is equivalent to punishment, a tale told through the enactment of policies like minimum wage and child labor laws. The government, in both of those instances, claims to step in because workers, even if they have agreed to contract with an employer, are being unknowingly being “taken advantage of.” Meanwhile, labor unions rejoice as they are protected from having to compete with new workers.
Another way in which government teaches against work is through so-called “poverty relief” programs. It has been noted that welfare programs assist less as workers take on more hours, thereby penalizing aspiring laborers for desiring to hone their skills. The message being sent by government here is clear: work is not to be a rewarding experience; it is a necessary evil.
It is easy to understand how these same programs may make us cold and callous toward those with whom we may otherwise empathize. Whereas prior to these programs, churches, charities and localities were left to take care of their neighbors, now, that responsibility is left in the hands of faceless bureaucrats in lands far away.
This now-tragic story about Robertson reflects a larger theme that we as libertarians must do our best to change. Government policies almost always set the tone for how a citizenry views what is important and meaningful. By granting to Americans the liberty to improve themselves on their own accord, we can liberate and give back power to those who are currently victims.
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