“Don’t feed the people. It only encourages them.”

That’s basically what South Carolina Lt. Governor Andre Bauer said. Bauer’s running for governor. He does not think it is a good idea to give handouts to people without demanding something in return. In principle, that sounds great. Practically, there are problems — at least the way Bauer proposes it.

Let me not put words in his mouth. This is what Bauer said.

“My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that. And so what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to curtail that type of behavior. They don’t know any better.”

Bauer is not just talking about stray animals here.

He is concerned about “babies having babies.” But isn’t everybody?

Bauer elaborates, “Somebody’s got to talk about [it]. Politicians don’t want to talk about it anymore because it’s politically incorrect.”

“People in society have certain responsibilities; just like if you don’t pay your taxes, there are certain repercussions.”

That is well said, but Bauer drops off the edge when he proposes how this should be done.

Bauer thinks that if parents do not pass drug tests or attend PTA meetings, then public assistance should be taken away. Specifically, their kids should not get free lunches.

Bauer is right on about pointing out a problem – bad parents. But really, if a parent fails a drug test, should a child be made to go hungry as part of government policy?

Take a driver’s license away, force drug rehab attendance or make the parent pick up litter. Leave a child without lunch on a school day? I think not. A child with a parent like this has enough problems. Now Bauer wants to place the sins of the parent on the child. Bauer does not explain why he thinks that a neglectful or drug-addicted parent is going to care if a child goes hungry.

Bauer followed up later on his comments regarding his grandmother. He said that he was not suggesting that people “were animals or anything else.”

No, he is not suggesting people are animals, just that their behavior mimics animals.

The same guidance applies to politicians who make crazy suggestions.

“Don’t vote for them. It only encourages the nonsense.”