Opinion | A Plan to Get Americans Back to Work

The American dream is rooted in a simple principle: If you’re willing to work hard, anything is possible. What’s troubling is that our leaders have lost sight of this. For our country to thrive, we can’t let their toxic plan of increased handouts and getting something for nothing continue. We need to value showing up and going to work.

I believe in the American dream because I’ve lived it. I grew up poor, lived in public housing, and watched my parents struggle every day to feed our family. My mom didn’t have much to give me and my siblings, so she instilled in us the value of hard work. I believe that any able-bodied, working-age adult who receives government benefits ought to work. That means those who receive benefits paid for with taxpayer dollars would have skin in the game and contribute to our economy.