Nick Smith said "And it is sad. We talk about a $5 trillion national debt, but we have spent $5 trillion on the welfare program since they started in 1965, and we have been successful in transferring wealth, but in the process somehow we have taken away the spirit. With a lot of people we have taken away their self-respect by sending them signals that they are often going to be better off not to go to work, not to bust their gut trying to help their community and help other people and pay their fair share of taxes. so they stay on welfare, and we are now in the fourth generation. And we are a humane society. We are a caring society. We want to help people that are down on their luck. But people take advantage of it, and not only stay on it for all of their essential working lives but then we end up with their kids being on and their grandkids being on." @ PoliticalQuotes.com

On the recordJune 4, 1996

And it is sad. We talk about a $5 trillion national debt, but we have spent $5 trillion on the welfare program since they started in 1965, and we have been successful in transferring wealth, but in the process somehow we have taken away the spirit. With a lot of people we have taken away their self-respect by sending them signals that they are often going to be better off not to go to work, not to bust their gut trying to help their community and help other people and pay their fair share of taxes. so they stay on welfare, and we are now in the fourth generation. And we are a humane society. We are a caring society. We want to help people that are down on their luck. But people take advantage of it, and not only stay on it for all of their essential working lives but then we end up with their kids being on and their grandkids being on.

Said by

Nick Smith

Republican · Michigan

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the impact of welfare programs on society and the national debt.

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