The UW-Madison College Republicans hosted author and columnist Star Parker Thursday to speak to students about the ethics of welfare in the United States.
Parker, the founder of a non-profit organization titled the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education, said poverty in the United States should not be combated through welfare.
Parker, who has personally endured poverty, said she should not have ""cheated the system.""
""Living off the heavy hand of the government doesn't work ... The first step out of poverty is to self-govern,"" she said.
Parker stressed the importance of education as a tool to combat poverty. She said children who grow up in poor communities do not see commitment around them and do not commit to their studies.
""People don't just step out of poverty. First you get it together and get yourself together and then you start to work and you need to get a little more education,"" Parker said. ""Their children need more framework built within them.""
According to Star, women are handed resources instead of consequences. She said she saw women in her community waiting as long as possible before aborting so they could receive a welfare check.
""We are convinced as a society that there are no implications to abortion,"" Star said. ""There's no medical challenge, there's no moral challenge, there's no mental challenge, so why wouldn't everybody use abortion rather than birth control?""
Star said in society, welfare recipients are viewed as people who do not have the knowledge to invest. She said investments can give people liberation from the welfare system.
""When we think about freedom and we think of the opportunities in our society to break free, [investing] is an area that we see a social adjustment,"" she said.
Sara Mikolajczak, president of the College Republicans, said she wants people to work their way out of poverty and live the American dream.
""[Star's] message is a great story and it really shows no matter what your circumstances are, you can always pull out of it and do better,"" she said.
Kristen Wall, vice chair of the College Republicans, said she was pleased with student turnout.
""We had a lot of different [people], not just members of the College Republicans,"" Wall said. ""There were some members of the College Democrats and members of the university community.""
