Randy Hekman on Welfare & Poverty

Organized religion & NPOs should meet human needs

What do we do with all the services that our federal government will stop providing when government shrinks by some 40 percent [to pay off our $14 trillion debt]? There are two possible answers for this question:

do nothing; or
provide these services in another, non-governmental way.

The first option, doing nothing, is totally unacceptable to me, and would very likely lead to chaos in our streets. But how can we possibly provide these sorts of services in another way? History provides the answer. Over 100 years ago in America, non-profits and churches did meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in the U.S. The great benefit of people helping others is that it works! The goal must be to get the person to the point of self-reliance rather than perpetual dependency. Growth is always painful, but it's good pain. We need organized groups of religious & secular non-profits in every community in the US to meet human needs. Source: Campaign website, www.randyhekman2012.com, "What I Believe" , Jul 17, 2011

Tithe 10% of each citizen's income to charity

In 2009, The Heritage foundation did a study in which it looked at the 71 means-tested federal welfare programs. Adding up all the dollars being spent in these 71 programs, the study group came to an astounding conclusion: the total money spent on these programs is enough to raise every man, woman and child in America up above the poverty level four separate times! The money is in our nation. We just need to get it in the right hands.

How do we get this money in the right hands? One obvious way is to encourage every wage earner in the US to actually tithe 10% of their gross income to the charity or charities of their choice. Hopefully, as people begin to understand the situation, access-type programs meeting human need will be rich beneficiaries of people's generosity. If our national GDP is $14 trillion, tithing could result in over a trillion dollars itself of charitable giving. That would meet a lot of need! But let's not stop with writing checks, let's donate our time as well.

Source: Campaign website, www.randyhekman2012.com, "What I Believe" , Jul 17, 2011

Click here for definitions & background information on Welfare & Poverty. Click here for a profile of Randy Hekman. Click here for SenateMatch answers by Randy Hekman. Agree? Disagree? Voice your opinions on Welfare & Poverty in The Forum. Click here for a summary of Randy Hekman's positions on all issues. Click here for issue positions of other MI politicians.
*Other candidates on Welfare & Poverty:*		*Randy Hekman on other issues:*
*MI Gubernatorial:* Rick Snyder *MI Senatorial:* Carl Levin Debbie Stabenow MI politicians *Retiring as of Jan. 2013:* AZ:Kyl(R) CT:Lieberman(D) HI:Akaka(D) ND:Conrad(D) NE:Nelson(D) NM:Bingaman(D) TX:Hutchison(R) VA:Webb(D) WI:Kohl(D)	*Senate elections Nov. 2012:* AZ:Flake(R) vs.Hackbarth(R) CA:Feinstein(D) vs.Emken(R) vs.Taitz(R) CT:Bysiewicz(R) vs.Murphy(R) vs.Shays(R) DE:Carper(D) vs.O`Donnell(R) FL:Nelson(D) vs.LeMieux(R) vs.Connie Mack(R) HI:Hirono(D) vs.Case(D) IN:Lugar(R) vs.Mourdock(R) vs.Donnelly(D) MA:Brown(R) vs.E.Warren(D) MD:Cardin(D) vs.Wargotz(R) vs.Capps(R) ME:Snowe(D) vs.D`Amboise(R) MI:Stabenow(D) vs.Hekman(R) vs.Konetchy(R) vs.Hoekstra(R) MN:Klobuchar(D) vs.Arwood(R) vs.Hernandez(R) vs.Severson(R) MO:McCaskill(D) vs.Akin(R) vs.Steelman(R) MS:Wicker(D) MT:Tester(D) vs.Rehberg(R) ND:Heitkamp(D) vs.Berg(R)	NE:~~Nelson~~(D) vs.~~Kerrey~~(D) vs.Flynn(R) vs.Stenberg(R) vs.Bruning(R) NJ:Menendez(D) vs.Diakos(R) vs.~~Booker~~(D) NM:~~Bingaman~~(D) vs.Balderas(D) vs.Sanchez(R) vs.Wilson(R) vs.Martin Heinrich(D) NV:Heller(R) vs.Berkley(D) NY:Gillibrand(D) vs.Noren(D) vs.Maragos(R) OH:Brown(D) vs.Pryce(R) vs.Mandel(R) vs.~~Coughlin~~(R) PA:Casey(D) vs.Scaringi(R) RI:Whitehouse(D) vs.Hinckley(R) TN:Corker(R) TX:Cruz(R) vs.Leppert(R) vs.~~Jones~~(R) UT:Hatch(R) vs.Ashdown(D) vs.~~Chaffetz~~(R) VA:Kaine(D) vs.Allen(R) vs.Radtke(R) vs.~~Donner~~(R) VT:Sanders(I) WA:Cantwell(D) vs.Baumgartner(R) WI:Schiess(R) vs.Neumann(R) vs.Thompson(R) vs.Kagen(D) vs.Baldwin(D) vs.Schiess(R) WV:Manchin(D) vs.Raese(R) WY:Barrasso(R)	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Jobs Principles Social Security Tax Reform Technology War/Peace Welfare Other Senators Senate Votes (analysis) Bill Sponsorships Affiliations Policy Reports Group Ratings
Contact info: Campaign website: www.randyhekman2012.com Email: office@randhyhekman2012.com Fax: 616.456.9292 Mailing Address: 678 Front AVE NW Suite 177, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 Phone: 616.456.9200 Press Inquiries: timb@randyhekman2012.com

Page last updated: Feb 23, 2012