This Should Be Obvious, but Collective Punishment is Wrong

Last week, a YouTube influencer went viral after visiting daycares run by Somali immigrant communities in Minnesota and claiming that they were committing fraud. In response, the current administration canceled all childcare payments, not only to the facilities under scrutiny (where fraud has not been legally established), but to childcare programs across five states governed by Democrats.

Many people in this country are one missed paycheck away from serious financial hardship, even homelessness. How do you go to work when your children need care and suddenly have nowhere to go?

And how many times in the past year have entire communities lost resources or been subjected to suspicion and blame because of the alleged actions of one individual, one organization, or one system?

This should be obvious, but it also must be said: Collective punishment is wrong.

—Renee Roederer