Earn It
Earn It
Why I Believe in Responsibility Over Reliance
I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what I believe when it comes to poverty, handouts, government programs, taxes, and the role of men and families in society.
But I know this:
We are not at our best when we are being taken care of.
We are at our best when we are taking responsibility.
Let me tell you about a guy I used to work with, Kevin.
Kevin Deserves Respect
Kevin made more money than me, a decent amount more. But a few years ago, his wife passed away. And everything in his life started falling apart after that.
He lost his house to the bank.
He lost his truck.
His cars stopped working, and he started driving his grown son’s car.
His plates were expired.
He talked about walking home from the bar.
He always had a cigarette in hand.
But he never stopped showing up.
He was never lazy. He was grieving. He was drowning. But he was trying. He still came to work. He still helped when you needed him. And while it was clear his financial situation was a mess, he never acted like the world owed him anything.
I bought him food more times than I can count, milkshakes, fruit, snacks from my lunchbox. But I never resented it. Everyone on our team knew: if you didn’t have money for dinner or forgot your card or were just in a tough spot, you could come to me.
That’s what community is for.
That’s what generosity is for.
And Kevin? He’s still clawing his way out of the hole. Slowly. Messily. Not perfectly. But he’s doing better.
I saw him recently, and he told me he hadn’t smoked a cigarette in two weeks.
That may not sound like much to some people, but I was proud.
Because he’s trying to do the work.
That’s what I respect.
But Some People Don’t Want to Rebuild
That’s the tension I’m sitting with.
Because while people like Kevin are struggling and trying, there are a whole lot of others who are coasting and taking.
We’ve created a culture where it's easier to stay dependent than it is to take responsibility. Where you can get free money, free housing, free phones, free health care, and still post all day on social media about how "unfair" life is.
And I’ll say it clearly:
There are people who are living off of government programs, not because they have to, but because they want to.
Because it’s easier than working.
Because it’s safer than failing.
Because no one is holding them accountable.
And that should not be supported forever.
Government Programs Should Be Lifelines, Not Lifestyles
I believe in safety nets. I believe in food stamps. I believe in Section 8 housing. I believe in disability and WIC and temporary assistance.
But I also believe they should be temporary.
We’ve forgotten that government programs were created to get people through something, not to get people used to something.
They’re supposed to catch you when you fall, not carry you forever.
I know people who’ve been homeless, who’ve lost their jobs, who’ve needed those programs. And I know people who’ve used that support to get back on their feet. That’s what it’s for.
But if you're 30 years old and you’ve never held a job longer than 3 months, refuse to take the “low-paying” ones, and plan to “stay on assistance until something better comes along”, then yes, I think you’re abusing the system.
Because you're not even trying to earn what you have.
And someone else is paying the bill for that.
This Is Bankrupting the Country
We are literally bankrupting ourselves.
Our national debt is over $38 trillion, and rising by the second.
And still, we keep giving more money away.
Even when Trump announced that working Americans would get $2,000 in tariff money, I was frustrated. I get that it’s popular, but it’s wrong. We could’ve shaved off $3 billion in debt instead of handing out temporary relief for political points.
We can’t keep spending like this.
Every new benefit, bailout, and tax credit feels good in the moment, but it’s just putting us deeper in the hole.
And it’s not just about numbers.
It’s about what kind of people we are becoming.
Especially You, Men
I want to speak directly to the men reading this, because I think our generation desperately needs to hear this.
If you are a husband, your wife is your responsibility.
If you are a father, your kids are your responsibility.
If you are living in your parents’ basement, gaming until 3AM while your girlfriend works two jobs to feed your baby, you are failing your family.
Responsibility is not a burden. It’s the job.
It’s the call. It’s the whole point.
You don’t have to make the most money. You don’t have to be perfect. But if your life is falling apart and you’re not doing everything in your power to make it better, then I believe you are part of the problem.
I Come From a Long Line of Hard Workers
I’m the firstborn son.
So was my dad.
So was his dad.
And his.
I come from a long line of firstborn boys who worked hard. And when I look back over that line, I can tell you without question: I have had the easiest life of any of them.
My great-grandpa lived in the middle of nowhere West Virginia, in an extremely poor town.
My grandpa grew up in a broken home with no money, but made it out. He moved to Columbus and found opportunity.
My dad grew up in a broken home, too, but he had two incredibly hard-working parents who gave him a chance to dream bigger.
I still remember when my dad was my age now. He worked at a bank by day.
But at night? He delivered newspapers to make ends meet.
He and my mom would skip meals just to make sure I had formula as a baby.
And now here I am, 24 years old, living in a way that is so much better than any of them had it at this stage of their life.
I don’t take that lightly.
You can say a lot of things about me.
Most of them might even be true.
But you can’t say I’m lazy.
You can’t say I don’t work hard.
And I will keep working hard until I physically can’t anymore.
Because I believe in it. I believe it’s what makes life worth living.
Both Things Can Be True
I can love Kevin and still call out the people who aren’t trying.
I can believe in generosity and still believe in accountability.
I can want the government to help the hurting and still want it to stop enabling the lazy.
Both things can be true.
It’s not cruel to ask people to try.
It’s not un-Christian to expect effort.
It’s not heartless to want programs to end once they’ve done their job.
Because what I want more than comfort is character.
What I want more than support is strength.
What I want more than free stuff is earned confidence.
Action Steps (For Me and For You)
Celebrate the strugglers. Look for the people in your life who are doing the hard work to get better. Help them. Cheer them on. Let them know you see it.
Stop enabling the takers. You can love people without funding their laziness. You can care without covering for them.
Audit your own life. Where are you coasting? Where are you making excuses? What are you expecting others to carry that’s actually your job?
Call men higher. Be the kind of man who works, who provides, who takes ownership. And expect that of your friends too.
Vote like it matters. Don’t vote for comfort. Vote for policies that build dignity, reward work, and prioritize the long-term over the quick fix.
Speak up. And while you’re at it? Write to your elected officials.
We complain about what’s broken at the dinner table, on social media, in group chats — but most of us never take five minutes to tell the people in charge what we actually want changed.
Let them know you want a system that values work, protects dignity, encourages fatherhood, and builds long-term solutions instead of endless handouts.
Why I Write
I’m writing these posts because I need a place to think — really think — about what’s happening in our country, our state, and our communities. I’ve always cared deeply about public service, about leadership, and about the future of the place I love. But caring isn’t enough. If I want to lead one day, I need to understand what I believe, why I believe it, and how those beliefs should shape the way I show up.
This corner of my website isn’t polished or promoted. It’s not where I’m trying to impress anyone. It’s simply a space for me to get my ideas out of my head and onto paper — a place to wrestle with frustrations, ask hard questions, and be honest about what’s going on in the world around me.
And just so it’s clear: I reserve the right to be wrong.
Not because I’m unsure of what I believe today, but because I’m 24, still growing, and still learning. I might change my mind. I might rethink things. I might see something differently down the road. That’s not weakness, it’s growth. You’re allowed to disagree with me, and I’m allowed to learn as I go.
I know that one day I want to run for office. That means I need a record of my values, my convictions, and the lessons I’m learning as I watch, listen, and pay attention. These posts are my way of preparing, sharpening, and growing, not to score points, but to become the kind of person who can serve with clarity, humility, courage, and integrity.
This isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about starting the work now, thinking deeply, learning constantly, and building the ideas I’ll need for the future.
If you stumbled across this page, I hope you find something worth thinking about. But mainly, this exists so I can keep doing the work:
to observe, reflect, adjust, and speak up — not just someday, but today.