One Nation

by Ben Carson M. D.

  The Value of the Minimum-Wage Job

  As I mentioned earlier, it is quite possible to obtain more money from the welfare system than one would get from a minimum-wage job. It is hard to criticize someone who takes advantage of such a situation. The problem with this line of thinking is that it relegates the value of job experience to a lowly position on the totem pole.

  I have had many jobs on the way to becoming a physician, all of which provided some knowledge and skill sets that were useful, no matter how low-skilled and low-paid they were. My first jobs were as a lab assistant both in high school and at Wayne State University in Detroit, where I learned concepts such as sterility and how to set up laboratory experiments. During the summer between high school and college, I obtained a job as a payroll office clerk at the Ford Motors world headquarters, where I learned about many office machines and how to operate them. Next I had a job as a bank teller, where I learned accuracy and efficiency as well some things about dealing with bank robbers. A job as a mailroom clerk taught me various ways of efficient filing and delivery, and a job as an encyclopedia salesman taught me much about presentation. One of my best experiences was as a supervisor for highway cleanup crews. I learned how to motivate individuals who were not interested in working and I learned the importance of teamwork in the generation of an efficient workforce.

  My experience as an assembly line worker in an automobile factory taught me the importance of concentration, and my job as a student aid to the Yale University campus police gave me an opportunity to learn a great deal about security for a large organization. With that job there were also a lot of perks, like being able to get into concerts free of charge. And I derived great benefit from my job as an X-ray technician between my first and second years in medical school. Learning how to operate that equipment led to a subsequent new technique for visualizing a difficult part of the skull that facilitated a complex neurosurgical procedure. Later in life as an attending neurosurgeon, occasions would arise when X-rays had to be taken in the operating room and all the X-ray technicians were tied up elsewhere. I was able to save a great deal of time by being able to operate the equipment myself, which typically amazed the operating room staff.

  I also had a job as a crane operator in a steel factory that helped me realize that I was gifted with great eye-hand coordination, a fact that later affected my career choice. Finally, a job as a school bus driver taught me to be extremely cautious around small schoolchildren.

  On the surface it might appear that many of these jobs had nothing to do with a successful career as a neurosurgeon, but closer analysis should lead one to the understanding that no knowledge is wasted knowledge. It can be used in virtually any career, and opens many doors of opportunity.

  I don’t wish to sound cold, but sitting around collecting welfare checks is unlikely to bolster one’s résumé and expose one to job opportunities. When you make yourself valuable by acquiring knowledge and many skills, you make yourself more employable. Even if no one wants to hire you, you can create your own job. Being able to cut a lawn, weed a lawn, or garden, cook, clean, paint, wash cars, pick fruits and vegetables, and so on may not make you a millionaire, but certainly can pay the bills and put food on the table if you are not extravagant.

  Sometimes one has to be humble enough to start at the bottom with a minimum-wage job even if you have a college degree. Once you get your foot in the door, you can prove your worth and rapidly move up the ladder. If you never get in the door, it is unlikely that you will rise to the top.

  I have no doubt that there are millions of extremely talented and intelligent people who have dropped out of the labor force and are living on the dole. They are not counted as unemployed, which makes the government happy, because it can claim that the jobless numbers are improving. These people are doing no one, including themselves, a favor by depriving the labor force of their potential contributions. If you know such individuals, please share this chapter with them and encourage them to go out and make the American dream come true in their lives—that is one way of being your brother’s keeper.

  Rolling Back Welfare

  One logical and compassionate solution to the problem of growing welfare rolls is to set a date several years away for the elimination of welfare payments for able-bodied individuals who could work and support themselves. This would give them time to prepare for the job market and it would also make people much more careful in their family planning. Some liberals would say that is mean and heartless, but some conservatives would say that continuing to sustain people in a dependent position with meager welfare payments is what is really cruel, because it frequently removes the incentive to engage in self-improvement activities.

  People (Not Government) Helping People

  When it comes to empowering those who have been rendered complacent by an overly generous system that cultivates their votes rather than their talents, churches and other charitable organizations can play an important role. Loving and caring relationships with those in need of jobs and self-esteem can bring hope and encouragement to the downtrodden, especially when combined with examples of success, the provision of opportunities, and training to achieve that success. It’s all about people helping people, which is why such organizations exist in the first place and why they have tax-exempt status.

  The Reformed Church of Bronxville, New York, has a mentorship program called “Coming Home,” which aids formerly incarcerated individuals in their adjustment and acclimation into society. Dawn Ravella, the director of mission and outreach at the church said,

  The idea is to absorb them into a supportive community to help with the re-entry process, deal with the trauma and to help them get back on their feet. . . . It’s so powerful what’s happening here. We at the church thought we were starting this to help other people, and it’s been transformational for us.

  This program has been duplicated in at least eight other churches in New York City.

  And as far as helping the downtrodden, since 2005, 600,000 volunteers have worked 1.4 million man-hours under the auspices of Samaritan’s Purse led by Franklin Graham, helping 24,000 families in 140 disasters across the nation. Also, their “Operation Heal Our Patriots” program liberates double-amputee veterans, enabling them to live more normal lives.

  Some people are not religious and do not believe that religion is helpful, but hopefully such people are desirous of helping their fellow citizens achieve success in their lives. There is absolutely no reason why they cannot cooperate with churches and community organizations in a synergistic fashion to once again achieve a growing and vital economy that offers people a hand up rather than a handout.

  I am particularly fond of churches because they are supposed to show kindness toward others, and if they do not, they can be embarrassed when that is pointed out to them, resulting in renewed efforts to help others. Other types of organizations, especially government agencies, are frequently staffed by people who only see it as a job, know they have job security, and therefore treat people without respect or compassion. If I had the authority to do so, I would plant random observers around governmental employees who could record their pattern of behavior and dismiss without recourse those people who manifested consistently unacceptable behavior. I believe that would quickly alter the nonchalant attitudes of government employees. I also believe that these employees would feel better about their jobs and themselves with the application of kindness and compassion to their daily chores.

  What About Those Who Won’t Take Responsibility?

  I can’t leave this topic without talking about those individuals in our society who are completely and utterly irresponsible. Who is responsible for taking care of those who have no intention of taking care of themselves? If they are not devoid of mental faculties, it is safe to assume that their behavior pattern is learned and that it can be unlearned by allowing them to experience the consequences of their choices. This is one of the ways that children are taught to be responsible and I believe it
is a technique that will also work for adults who act like children.

  Those who are horrified at such a suggestion should feel perfectly free to take these individuals under their wings and care for their needs. I believe in grace and am grateful for the undeserved mercy that I have received, especially mercy that forced me to better myself. However, to thrust this responsibility of caring for them on everyone else is unfair and encourages others to adopt similar irresponsible lifestyles.

  We should be dedicated to providing for all of our citizens life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That means giving them the opportunity to pursue any course of action they choose for the purpose of bringing fulfillment to their lives, assuming it is legal. In no reasonable way can our responsibility as a society be interpreted as providing for the needs of all citizens, especially if they are ones who by choice make no attempt to provide for themselves. Again, this applies only to individuals who are fully capable of taking care of themselves.

  True Compassion—A Rare Thing

  Unfortunately, both Republican and Democratic politicians will have objections to the proposals I have made. I have heard some conservatives say all of us should have enough sense to adequately prepare for our retirement and if we fail to do so, we should have to suffer the consequences. Although there may be some merit to this sentiment, it does not show compassion. We are all human beings with shortcomings, therefore whenever we are capable of helping someone in need, we should do so even if his own mistakes produced the need, because this is what we would want them to do if the situation were reversed. I have heard some liberals say we have an obligation to fully take care of everyone regardless of lifestyle and poor choices. This lack of tough love encourages more irresponsible behavior and a progressively larger number of people to care for until all resources are exhausted. This seems compassionate, but instead is cruel like anything else that fosters dependency.

  In short, yes, we are our brothers’ keepers, but we have to be smart in the way that we keep them, and the compassion we show must be in consideration of the long term, with a defined purpose of providing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

  Action Steps

  Check on an elderly relative or friend this week.

  Go out of your way to help a stranger this week.

  Commit a percentage of your time for volunteer work at a local charity this month.

  Find out what your church or religious organization is doing for your community.

  WITHOUT A VISION

  When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is happy.

  PROVERBS 29:18

  When I was in middle school I was friends with a nice young man named Charlie, who served as a punching bag for many of the other students, including the class bully, Randy. One day when the teacher was not in the room, Randy beat Charlie and began strangling him. Many of the other students gasped in horror and thought that they were going to witness a murder. Fortunately, Randy came to his senses and desisted from his attack. Charlie was visibly shaken but continued with his nonconfrontational demeanor until one day one of the smaller boys attacked him and he decided to fight back. Not only did he win the fight but he completely dominated the contest, leaving the other boy in a state of total humiliation that was well deserved. That day marked a turning point in Charlie’s life and he became a completely different person. His confidence grew and people stopped picking on him. He also became a much better student and went on to become very successful in high school.

  Charlie’s metamorphosis occurred when he faced significant trials in his life head-on. His ordeal strengthened him, and his victory gave him a different vision for his life. He did not necessarily become a combatant, but he gained enough self-confidence to be able to live his life without fear. Once he had a glimpse of how good life could be out from under a bully’s thumb, he began to take himself seriously. What happened with Charlie undoubtedly gave me the courage to resist a bully later in my life. Without his example, I might not have known it would be possible to stand up for myself, to envision a life free of being bullied.

  Bullying by the British was a major impetus for the resistance movement that resulted in our ultimate independence and the establishment of our Constitution. An even bigger role was played in the establishment of a national vision by the desire for freedom. Our founders saw themselves as free people who could pursue whatever dreams inspired them. However, success is never achieved by people who only dream and do not act. My wife and I have some close friends who are examples of this truth. The husband was an attorney and the wife was an elementary school teacher. She was constantly talking about her dream of becoming a lawyer but she never really pursued that dream. I remember saying to her one day, “Just do it and stop dreaming.” I reminded her that it only takes three years to complete law school and that three years goes by quite rapidly. She has been a successful attorney for many years and has established quite a reputation. Our founders were able to conquer their fears and act on their dreams on the way to establishing a spectacular vision for America. They embedded that vision in the Constitution of the United States of America and intended for that document to be revered and held up as a guidepost for a truly free society.

  Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV) says, “Without a vision the people perish.” If a society doesn’t have a shared understanding of its goals, it cannot move forward. To aimlessly drift along while reacting to events is a recipe for disaster. As Americans, we have the vision of our founders, codified in the Constitution and lived out by citizens who worked together, as a heritage. Unless we recover our lost vision, communicate it simply to the next generation, and seek out visionary leaders, our country will remain in serious trouble.

  The Constitution as Vision

  During the American Revolution, the colonies differed from one another in many ways but had a shared vision of liberation from a dominating British monarch. Each of the states had different mechanisms for achieving economic success and they had different feelings about the institution of slavery, but their overwhelming desire was to be able to pursue their dreams without outside interference. They were wise enough to recognize that their chances of success would be greatly enhanced if they worked together.

  In 1787, the union almost split apart due to what were thought to be irreconcilable differences. It took the wise words of the senior statesman, Benjamin Franklin, to reinstate unity with his recommendation of prayer. He and other leaders were subsequently able to help frame one of the most concise and inspirational national visions ever crafted, namely, the U.S. Constitution.

  The Constitution was written primarily to protect the rights of the people and not the rights of the government to rule the people. It restrains the natural tendencies of government to expand while disregarding the rights of its constituents. Our freedoms are safe as long as we abide by its principles.

  Drifting Away

  Unfortunately, the executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government have become increasingly concerned with their image and their political parties, have drifted away from strict interpretations of the Constitution, and have substituted their own ideologies for the original vision. As a result, our government produces massively complicated taxation schemes, impossibly intricate and uninterpretable health care laws, and other intrusive measures instead of being a watchful guardian of our rights. Instead of providing an environment that allows diligent people to thrive on the basis of their own hard work and entrepreneurship, our government has taken on the role of trying to care for everyone’s needs and redistributing the fruits of everyone’s labors in a way consistent with its own ideology.

  A New Utopian Vision?

  Under this new vision for America, lawmakers are not particularly concerned with the people’s will, since they firmly believe that they know better than the people. Confident in the superiority of their ideas, they cram measures like the Affordable Care Act down the throats of protesting citizens and then have th
e nerve to tell the people that they’ll like it once they understand it. This kind of paternal attitude is changing us from a representative type of governmental structure to a nanny state, where the government tells the constituency what’s good for them and monitors and regulates every aspect of their lives.

  The vision of this new form of government is a society where the basic needs of everyone are provided and no one needs to fret about anything, regardless of whether they choose to work hard and be productive or relax and enjoy life. This is a very attractive vision to those looking for a free ride. It certainly would not have been the kind of vision that hundreds of years ago would have caused many immigrants to cross treacherous seas and leave behind loved ones in order to try to provide a better future for their families.

  The United States is not the first nation to alter its vision to include a more communal society, an alteration which on its surface seems like a noble goal. The problems with these utopian goals is that they never work in practice. For the government to be able to distribute goods to everyone, there must be significant production of goods and services. If producers know that the government is going to redistribute the wealth they accumulate, they have little incentive to increase production to meet the demand—they would be working more for the same amount of income. If the government decides to force the producer to manufacture more goods, a new problem arises: It is very difficult for a centralized government to know exactly how much to produce without the signals of a free market. Thus centralized economies usually end up with a mismatch between supply and demand.