Welfare recipients need to volunteer

To the Editor:

In the April 21st edition of the Democrat there was a letter entitled "Frustrated with the system" by Faith Gittings. While I can find it in my heart to sympathize with her on some level I also think she needs to be shaken a little to realize it isn't all about her. I might make mention to the obvious flaws in the system that she eluded [sic] to in that there are benefits awaiting any woman who wants to run out and get pregnant without a support system other than welfare and out of wedlock, I think to most people that glitch in the system speaks to itself. There is a growing class that are getting frustrated with that side of the system too.

What I am really addressing is that Faith should put on the shoes of those who are volunteering to be there for her needs. Many of those who work in welfare circles do so for either very little reward or for free. Donating time and effort to make those products and services available so the lives of those who need those services can be a little better. My wife volunteers at the hospital two days a week and one day a month at a soup kitchen because she wants to help people. For someone to show up one minute before closing time and expect full service from people who have busy lives just like Faith says she has is at the very least unreasonable and at most inexcusable.

If I were to show up at a commercial establishment one minute before closing time, perhaps not all but most are going to tell me to come back tomorrow, why? Because they are closed. They have lives too, they have things that are just as important to do as I have to do. What I am seeing from Faith is a sense of entitlement that has risen up to rot out the core of the welfare movement. I the welfare recipient am entitled to be doted on by those who obviously are worth less than I am because their time is worth nothing, they don't get paid to wait on me, and I am being paid to go and get them to work for free. When someone who has a life says come back tomorrow Faith bristles up like the queen of England instead of realizing that she doesn't have a right to impose on those who out of the goodness of their heart have given freely their time to help her, but have set limits to how much they are willing to be used.

It is my opinion that welfare would be a better system if those receiving it had to do volunteer work to get it.

Tom Hurd

South Paris