27: Responsibilities vs Burdens - The Monday Experience | Homelessness | Taking Action | Helping Others | Laziness

This week on the Monday Experience, Brian starts a discussion that is larger than any single policy change. While the provoking circumstance was related to homelessness, there is a pervasive entitlement idealism with an approach to policy making in this country that needs a makeover. As much as we should feel responsible for our fellow men, we should also feel responsible for the culture we're passing on to each generation.

Donations vs Government Funding

A lot of research effort goes into understanding the typical American's approach to charitable giving and the close coupling to tax breaks or perception of taxation (or lack thereof) of the money being given. Most people would respond to direct questioning about why they donate with affirmations around trying to make a difference or to feel good about doing good, but when there's talk around changing how that money given to charity is taxed there are some significant shifts in idealism. Tax breaks around charitable giving drastically increase the percentage of taxpayers who will give.

America is one of the most generous nations in the world. We are greedy and arrogant and sometimes the generosity is tinged with a bit of self-righteousness (i.e. tax breaks, making ourselves feel good), but it doesn't change the fact that charitable givings in the United States is somewhere in the $260 billion range, which increases in single digits each year. Interestingly, however, many studies show that when the government gives a large amount of money to a charitable organization, private donations decrease significantly. There's even a name for it, it's called "crowding out"; the perception of the people is that the government "has it well in hand" and that private donations are not necessary.

The government staying out of funding all together for private charities is not a great solution either. Charities are highly localized, supported significantly more by their immediate community than communities at a distance. It's not always, the case, of course, but it is more the rule than the exception. Thus, if a charity is based out of a small town with limited resources, that charity tends to struggle more than a charity in a wealthy community. Funding from the government helps these charities survive when it might otherwise fail.

Responsibilities vs Burdens

Brian talks a lot about responsibility in this episode and coming alongside those in need in order to help resolve a more fundamental problem instead of creating policies which enable a sort of non-responsibility. While none of us would disagree that everyone should have a place to sleep or should have access to the care they need, the basic core problem seems to be this idealism that we, as human beings, are entitled to these things. And as a direct result of this mentality, policies are created to purport that entitlement, removing the responsibility from those who should be helping to support those in need and those who are in need.

But as the government intervenes and creates policies instead of trying to bolster community support for struggling cities or towns, the interest in providing support by members of that community decrease. Bitterness and resentment crop up toward those who are protected by the policy and the divide increases.

So what are we trying to say? What's our big solution? It's not as simple as refusing to support policies, such as the one Brian brings up in today's episode. It requires a response from each and every one of us. We are not entitled to luxury. We're not entitled to making more than we earned. But in this life we've been given, this one shot at being a human, we do have a responsibility to be decent to our neighbors, to support our communities and care about what goes on. When we back off and leave it up to the government, we're left with a bunch of can-do and can't-do laws that make little, practical sense.

Making laws and policies does nothing to change the hearts of the people it affects (whether the affect is good or bad). If you didn't read my blog post from Friday (or didn't listen to the podcast), you'll have missed my rant about how attitude is the outward expression of the inner mindset. Policy is like forcing an attitude, regardless of mindset... and until those two concepts become more intertwined, we won't ever truly see the change we hope for.