J.D. Vance and the Father Flanagan Test

Take this quiz.

When you heard about SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits being suspended due to the government shut down, were you:
A. Worried and indignant that so many people would be left without food?
B. Horrified to discover that over 41 million Americans receive this benefit.

When you hear the word ‘orphan,’ or ‘disadvantaged child’ do you think of:
A. The need for the government to increase funding for social services and foster placements?
B. Boys Town founded by Father Flanagan, and similar places which provide hope, skills, and love to children who need them?

It would seem that the Left thinks that we can perfect society through government programs and regulation while the Right believes that humans are both flawed and capable of greatness. In that case, we must find ways to guard ourselves from being harmed by the destructive side of human nature while cultivating those attributes that lead more people to aim high.

The two examples in the above quiz lay out the conundrum. Both reveal why federalism, leaving room for the individual states to act as they deem best, was an important feature of America’s founding. A country that squanders money in the name of compassion or a society that strips the human soul in the name of caring, is not succeeding. At the same time, a country whose citizens close their hearts to those in need is not living up to its promise.

When help is local, provided by neighbors, religious groups, and communities, there inevitably will be occasional scandals and abuse. However, that is not the usual outcome. Most of the time, the aid will be not only financial but also human, giving someone an improved future by offering assistance and affection merged with guidance and expectations.

We once lived next door to a family who housed pregnant teens. Whether the girls chose to keep the babies or put them up for adoption, by living in that home they saw a different vision for their lives. Rather than just being handed cash to buy food they sat around a table eating nutritious meals. Instead of receiving an impersonal voucher, they heard the loving and respectful way a husband and wife spoke to each other. A crisis in their life paved the way for them to aim higher.

Vice-president J.D. Vance failed a leadership test in October, when he excused young GOP affiliated men who made bigoted, racist, and anti-Semitic remarks by saying, “Kids do stupid things.” Those who think that the matter concluded successfully when many of these men resigned or were pushed out of their positions failed a leadership test as well.

Both reactions are wrong. Those young men, whether they are full of hatred or simply immature, need direction just as those pregnant teens did. Excusing them for their behavior reinforces their worst impulses. Discharging or canceling them increases their resentment and conviction that others are ruining their lives. It feeds into the victim mythology that the Left has used to destroy so many.

They need mentorship. A promise of a future where they can be respected and productive if they choose to do the work to be worthy of such. An older Christian man, such as the vice-president had a chance to advise these emotionally adolescent boys in grown-up bodies. Instead, he pandered to them. He did not need to choose rigid hard-heartedness. He did choose the emotional recklessness of a judicial system that says, “tsk, tsk,” when a twelve-year-old mugs an elderly woman instead of seeing a soul in need of help, without which he will be a growing threat to himself and to society.

We need more men and women of strong conviction who inspire others to follow in their path. I hope that the vice president learns from his mistake and becomes one of those leaders. Without that, the false promise that the government can provide all we need will triumph.

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