This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The current rhetoric on Capitol Hill is the "new" administration will waste no time attempting to make radical changes to America's social safety net, threatening to dismantle programs that allow millions of people to make ends meet every year. There are gross misunderstandings regarding these programs that have a proven track record and all types of empirical evidence showing that what RESULTS has been successfully lobbying for (for decades) works!

My personal testimony: I grew up in poverty, and were it not for the "Food Stamp Program," now SNAP, I would have never received the proper nutrition that a child needs to develop their mind and body. Consequently, I may have never received an education that allowed me to pull myself out of poverty and now, in turn, passionately fight for those less fortunate.

The families needing assistance are productive members of society and by no means shirkers of their dues and duties.

I emphatically urge our national legislative body to educate, with resounding clarity, the incoming administration, to "Keep America Great" by making things better, not worse, for hard working Americans!

Michael W. K. Brown

Salt Lake City