THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 23, 1997 TAG: 9701230003
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 29 lines
When will recipients of public assistance realize that this assistance is not a right but a gift financed by taxpayers? I am incensed by the ingratitude expressed by Norfolk public-housing residents (news, Jan. 15) to a ``volunteerism'' proposal requiring that able-bodied, unemployed residents perform 20 hours per year (about 23 minutes per week) of community service.
The responses of the Diggs Town residents were unbelievable: ``It's like we're in jail''; ``Why should I have to go out and do something because they tell me to? It's against my constitutional rights.'' Perhaps their attitude would change if public-housing assistance was eliminated.
My child is required to perform weekly chores (certainly more than 23 minutes per week) as a condition of receiving an allowance. A response from her that the chores were ``against her constitutional rights'' would immediately halt future allowances.
Do we taxpayers foster irresponsibility and ingratitude by constantly providing public-assistance recipients with something for nothing? Shame on the housing authority for saying that there is ``no penalty for noncompliance.'' Twenty-four minutes a week of community service for an able-bodied, unemployed person is certainly not an unreasonable request. It takes most of us taxpayers that long just to drive to work each day!
BARBARA RYAN
Virginia Beach, Jan. 16, 1997