What a great story (“Rebuilding hope, and a bit of local history,” Oct. 1) about a bunch of Rhode Island private sector people and groups coming together to give troubled young men the chance to learn a trade.
It reminds me of the oft-cited Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime.”
Government giveaway programs don’t instill pride, and they don’t help make recipients independent. This project, called New Hope, teaches potentially well-paying skills to young men who most likely were headed to jail.
Over the past 20 years, government has wasted billions of our tax dollars on antipoverty programs. I say “wasted” because the poverty level has remained about the same, despite all the money thrown at it. We should all support more promising and cost-effective projects like New Hope that offer a hand up to a lifetime of independence rather than a demeaning handout.
Welch Inc., corporate and marketing communications
