Recently, I observed college students walking through a section of my city that is nearly all Section 8 housing – subsidized by the federal government. They were picking up trash on the street and cleaning around the front of the once well-maintained single-family row homes that had been converted into apartments.

In several instances, I observed Section 8 renters sitting on the front porches and/or steps with a cigarette and beverage of choice in hand, watching the students do what they, themselves, should have had enough pride to do.

I questioned a few of the students about why the people of those neighborhoods were not helping them. Not surprisingly, one bright young student from the $50,000 a year university saw no reason why they should – he felt that it was the least they, as college students, could do. However, two of the small number I spoke with that day shared my sentiments.

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As I watched, I was reminded of a short but heated debate between a friend and myself. My friend, who is a landlord, is, not surprisingly, pro Section 8 housing, while I am not, at least as such. I believe as a last resort one should be permitted access to said program. My friend believes it should be available to literally anyone. I believe we should promote home-ownership because it is my verified opinion that people who own property tend to take better care of it. At the very least, they have a vested stake in the community, juxtaposed to those who have the government provide for them.

In today's marketplace, even some of the dead people who voted for the late John Kennedy can get mortgages. I pointed out that there are mortgage plans for people with bad credit/no credit and with or without a down payment. But the coup de grace was when I said I did not want Section 8 in my neighborhood. That was all my landlord friend could handle – his outburst rivaled Mt. Vesuvius.

I was immediately cast as one who had forgotten where I came from (as if he knew). He argued that, because of the station I now enjoyed, I thought of myself as too good to live around people less fortunate than I. That's true on a certain level, but not for the reasons he offered. While my life before my 10th birthday may have arguably been "cushy," following my mother's nervous breakdown that same year, my life was anything but. Yet, without fear of contradiction, I can say those teen years were among the best in my life. We were poor by today's definitions; however, our family and those surrounding us had two very important advantages those on Section 8 do not.

The first was: everyone in my mother's family owned property and owned their homes. The other was: no one told us we were poor. Everyone was treated alike. There was no special provision to help smooth over poor decisions and irresponsibility. (I could also add that two-parent households were the norm – but that is a topic for another day.)

I grew up watching men take care of their families and their homes. I grew up hearing them talk about property taxes and other ownership-related issues. My dreams were always about what I could achieve based on my ability and willingness to work. In my mind, success or failure lay with me.

Section 8 does not inspire ownership, even though there are Section 8 home-ownership programs. There is a stigma of "unequal," "poor" and "take care of me" associated with the program. As evidenced in my earlier account, it doesn't even inspire those living in same to take care of the yards and streets around them. They simply wait for someone to do it for them.

I realize I am painting with a broad brushstroke, so to speak, but not broad enough to be categorically wrong. I was also appalled because I saw not one, zip, nada, black or Hispanic student involved in the cleanup effort. I saw white, Asian and Indian students only.

I contend that Section 8 and other government-subsidized programs do not help people – they hinder them. Section 8 may put a roof over a family's head, but in the overwhelming majority of instances, a roof without incentive is the highway to becoming wards of the government.

It is a tragic indictment that, in a climate of free schools, scholarships, 5 percent unemployment and lending programs tailored for any buyer, so many working-age people would rather be government wards and political pawns than self-sufficient.

As for my friend's comments about me – as mentioned, there were no silver spoons in my mouth. But I was equipped with a model for success based on how I was raised. My response to him was/is: "Why would anyone work to succeed so they could live in an economically depressed neighborhood? Wouldn't one measure of self-sufficiency be working to get out of same?

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