These days, there’s a concerted effort to increase the minimum wage in various cities and states across the nation to purportedly lift people out of poverty. While proponents would have you believe this is a panacea for millions of Americans living in poverty, it is not. To help people break the cycle of poverty, we must approach the issue differently. That’s why I took the opportunity as a member of the Job Creators Network (JCN) to write an op-ed that was published in The Hill under the headline, More work, less welfare, in which I share my belief that in order to reduce poverty, our nation must create opportunities for the economically disadvantaged. I specifically discuss how expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) can do more for low-wage workers who want to break the cycle of poverty than existing welfare benefits like food stamps.
As I point out, some programs have the unintended consequence of discouraging work rather than encouraging independence, self-reliance and pride. I give an example of how some of our employees are now turning down promotions and reducing work hours to keep their government benefits. In doing so, they ultimately deprive themselves of the ability to achieve economic prosperity.
I discussed the topic further on Fox & Friends with co-host Steve Doocy who kicked off the segment by talking about our edgy marketing and the All-Natural Burger commercial. After we talked about the success of our ads, we discussed the large number of people on food stamps which has nearly doubled since 2008, to almost 75 million, and how the EITC has already lifted millions out of poverty, making expansion a logical next step. As Americans, we must not give up on those who are stuck in an economic hellhole; we must help them dig their way out in a real and lasting manner.
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