I got to thinking…. last week I ran into a friend and fellow landlord whom I always thought was a bad landlord and business person. She rents to bad elements who don’t behave well. One of her tenants is a single mom with 4 kids. Husband is in prison on gun charges. Tenants always pays late.

I used to help people like that too.. until I found out that if the tables were turned, these ‘bad elements’ would not do anything to help you. They often get into that condition through a long series of bad decisions. ie. the gun charge. You don’t go to prison for unregistered firearm, you might if you are a felon in possession. Why the felony? In this situation, I worry about the children. They learn by the example of their parents. Being compassionate and helping may have a bad side effect. It may create a moral hazard played out in front of the children, where parents might be seen as getting rewarded for poor behavior and lack of responsibility by the children seeing it all played out in front of them; Children that may not understand that their current difficulties may in part be due to a long series of bad decisions by their parents – but they get a nice movie and meal made by someone else and no cost to themselves or their parents.

Situations like the above, and the illegal migrants with children make me very sad. I can see both sides of the issue. Children should not have to suffer due to the irresponsibility of their parents. However we also have to be careful of what is being learned by the children in the process. We have to be careful of ‘adults’ using and abusing our goodwill, good nature and willingness to help – the Fagins of the world? (supposed adults – who might have produced 4 children, but are themselves so out of control that they have problems staying out of prison, nor keeping a good job)