Although I’m usually in favor of letting people make their own financial choices (and not being dictated to by the government), I must confess to being uneasy about the Bush plan to give hurricane survivors $2,000 on a debit card. Some of these folks have not handled that much money in their lives.
As people rebuld their homes and lives, I’d like to suggest something radical: Instead of a debit card, give them a hammer. Like a Habitat for Humanity project, let the people who are physically able participate in the construction of their homes. Such an approach might reduce the entitlement mentality that prevails in poor sections of New Orleans (and elsewhere) and increase their sense of dignity. Also, there’s a lot of work to be done, and everyone needs to do his or her part.
Lest you think I’m being a harsh conservative, remember this: FDR used this idea to great effect in the midst of the Great Depression. Remember the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps?
About Stan Guthrie
Stan Guthrie is an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and for the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview. His latest book is God's Story in 66 Verses. He also is author of All that Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us, Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century, and A Concise Guide to Bible Prophecy. He is co-author of The Sacrament of Evangelism. Besides authoring, writing, and editing books, Stan is a literary agent, bringing together good authors, good books, and good publishers.
Stan writes the monthly Priorities colum for BreakPoint.org. He has appeared on National Public Radio's Tell Me More, WGN's Milt Rosenberg program, and many Christian shows, including The Eric Metaxas Show and Moody Radio's New Day Florida. A licensed minister and an inspirational speaker, he served as moderator for the Christian Book Expo panel discussion, Does the God of Christianity Exist, and What Difference Does It Make?
