Understanding the Value of Work
The other day I became ecstatic. There may even have been tears of joy. A government entity, YES, there it is in black and white – the department known as Housing People Living With AIDS (HOPWA) had an AHA moment. With billions of dollars invested in finding a cure for people living with HIV/ AIDS, much progress has been made medically speaking. No cure yet, but people with HIV/AIDS life expectancy has skyrocketed. So much so that this government department realized they can no longer afford to pay rents and mortgages for this population forever. As a result, HOPWA changed their policy and is now touting the benefits of working. Now of course, we all know that government loves to tax income and the W2 employee usually gets hit the hardest, but they also love their social handout programs making the bureaucracy deep and wide. They even put together an amazing video called “Understanding the Value of Work”, the first of a three-part series encouraging people that to live a quality life one should work. For those of you, social sector geeks out there here are many videos about the HOPWA program. https://www.hudexchange.info/trainings/hopwa-institute/
As a taxpayer, who firmly believes that our government is out of control with spending – I am thrilled about this policy change. I prefer a small government, one that doesn’t impose decisions upon an apathetic society.
At the beginning of this year, I joined my first ever Mastermind group spearheaded by a brilliant man who founded a college that teaches liberty, providence, georgics, and public virtue, ideals that the Founding Fathers of our country dreamed about and wanted after leaving a tyrannical empire. Being a part of this small, idealistic group of freedom-loving social entrepreneurs reminded me that we live in an amazing country; truly a land of opportunity. I needed that reminder because sometimes just hands to the plow can get monotonous and facilitate complacency. We don’t need and we really don’t want BIGGER government, do we people? To live a life of quality we must take ownership and live our dreams. HOPWA’s policy change reflects that truth.
So, here is my official, public THANK YOU to the HOPWA department at the Federal level of our government. Congratulations on this empowering policy change that just might save taxpayers money, but again more importantly encourage people to live an empowering, self-actualizing life.