Free Money

I know some people who feel that the government should never give anyone anything. While not everyone would agree with this, probably greater than half the population in America has a strong feeling that the number of "handouts" should be dramatically reduced. Many would go as far to say that those taking money from the government are actually sinning. A fair enough assertion if you believe taking advantage of money is bad.

On the other hand, I know a great deal of these people watch a show called Extreme Couponing. Many who don't watch the show at least like the concept and might even be someone who says, "This is a wise thing to do." This coupon craziness involves attempting to get hundreds of dollars worth of items from a store for literal pennies on the dollar.

Why is this a problem? Well, those who get things from the store for essentially free are increasing the cost for the rest of us who are footing the bill. Well, one might ask, aren't they just being smart by taking that which is going to be given out and using it for their own advantage? Maybe, but that is the same argument for those who take advantage of government offers like food stamps, free rent, or college grants. So, those who deal with many coupons is that they have to do the research and clip the coupons themselves and pay attention to sales. Well, try to get money from the government and you'll learn that the exact same skills are required.

I guess I just get frustrated by these people who take advantage of one system and then complain about those who take advantage of another. Consider any argument you like against government programs and the same is true of those who thrive on getting a truckload of coupons. Consider any justification for coupons and the same justification can be used for jumping on these government programs.

The best argument for the separation of these is that the government should not give out money, while the stores can choose to if they are so desirous. While that may be the case, it is difficult to make an argument that if it is beneficial to the stores to do so, it is not beneficial to the government. The reality is that before you start throwing stones by telling people what they shouldn't do, you need to make sure that you aren't doing the same thing.