Her Children’s Keeper

In late October, those taking part in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAPs, better known as food stamps, began to panic as the government shutdown threatened their payments. One woman stated on Tik Tok, “It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to take care of my kids. It is the taxpayer’s job to pay for my kids to eat and for my kids to be taken care of.” Taxpayers, she wants us to believe, are her children’s keeper.

She went on to say, “I have seven different baby daddies and none of ‘em no good for me.”  This woman has made a series of poor decisions and refuses to take responsibility for her own actions.

Some will claim that her children are innocent victims of her irresponsibility. This may be true, but taxpayers are no less innocent. Taxpayers must not only bear the financial responsibility that she refuses to accept, but many must deprive their children as a result. Taxpayers must sacrifice their own needs and desires for the benefit of others.

While many find this woman’s attitude disgusting, few are challenging the moral premise that underlies it. Indeed, Trump declared he has a duty to “ensure Americans don’t go hungry.” To fulfill that duty, he must force taxpayers to foot the bill. He believes he must sacrifice the responsible for the benefit of the irresponsible.

Trump and this welfare queen embrace altruism, which holds that we have a moral duty to place the interests and desires of others before our own. She believes she should be the recipient of others’ sacrifices, and he believe he should be her enforcer.

As long as Americans embrace the notion that they are their brothers’ keeper, they must accept the fact that they are also her children’s keeper.