Enemy of the Welfare State

PhilanthropyDaily.com ^ | 10/14/13 | Scott Walter

[Edmunds mom]

“They gave me an opportunity … to become a man.” That’s what a man of color, choked up, says from inside the business he owns on a video produced for the recent 30th anniversary of Step 13 in Denver.

And that’s why Step 13’s founder, Bob Coté, who gave this man that opportunity, despised the welfare state and declared in big letters on the front of his homeless shelter's building that his philosophy was "A hand up, not a hand out."

... Colorado developer and philanthropist Steve Schuck is a long-time board member because he is convinced of the truth of Coté’s philosophy: “any system or program that takes responsibility from a capable person dehumanizes that person.”

That ought to be graven on the tombstone of our nation’s welfare state. But since what Coté called “the poverty Pentagon” is still going strong, it will have to serve as epitaph on Coté’s own grave marker. He went to the Lord on September 27.

Rest in peace.

[Edmunds mom]

We lost a great American who fought the welfare state one drunk at a time.

[SaxxonWoods]

Bob Cote’ was awesome. His radio show with Mike Rosen every year was a primer on how to help people without turning them into dependents, but rather helping them become productive members of society.

[dljordan]

“Bob Cote’ was awesome. His radio show with Mike Rosen every year was a primer on how to help people without turning them into dependents, but rather helping them become productive members of society.”

He was on with Peter Boyles a lot before Boyles got canned from 630 in Denver. Boyles had a lot of respect for him and Cote was no-nonsense all the way.

[GOPJ]

...Coté’s philosophy: “any system or program that takes responsibility from a capable person dehumanizes that person.”

Cote's was right ...