People on Welfare?

Question

How long should a person be allowed to stay on Welfare so that tax payers have to pay for them to eat. I believe their should be a 1 year standard no longer by that time they should be able to find a job and get off the Governments back and start to support them selfs if not oh well so sad become a bum.

Answer 1

I like Ohio's no more than 5 years total with no more than one 3 year period. I have a little problem with food stamps also. There have been people on welfare that would work under the table and collect welfare. These people would teach their children to do the same thing. It makes me sick when I see a couple pull up in a brand new caddie and pay for their food with food stamps. My parents who have worked hard their whole life may now be able to buy a caddie, but they are almost 60.

Answer 2

How the hell can you say that? I have known a handful of people who were on welfare, some deserving, some not. There are going to be people who abuse the system no matter what rules or regulations are set upon it. When something is part of a legal institution, it's very hard to categorize eligibility and pick and choose who can have what. No, I don't think that women/families should be paid more for having children, as that can be miscontrued as an incentive to produce more unwanted and ill cared for children. No, I don't think that an individual/ family should be allowed to stay on welfare indefinitely. However, until you have actually come upon the hardship of being gainfully unemployed or, conversely, a hard working citizen who can't, because of one reason or another (whether it be mental, physical or educational "handicaps"), make enough money to support your family, I don't think that it's our place as privelidged citizens to judge. In case you're unaware, the entire success of this country (as well as several others) has been built not on the back of the government, but on the back of the empoverished and the "ignorant", on those who aren't eligible for higher learning and who must actually use their skills and their labor to earn their keep. True, I don't know you or your backrgound, but your ignorance preceeds you. Why don't you become a bum? Oh, I'm sorry...that might be too good for you.

Answer 3

There are soooo many things that we need to do to lower the poverty level in this country:
1. Reform the Education System in Inner-City schools, so that the Un-educated can get jobs and succeed in the real-world.
2. That half-way fixes the Welfare program, but we need to cut the government checks to a 2-year program every 10-20 years for an individual. That is way more than enough time for people to get off their feet and find a decent job.
3. Get rid of the minimum wage. Economically speaking, the stupidest thing a government could do is create a minimum wage; it is even stupider to raise it. When you raise the MW, the money that businesses have to put out increases. That means higher prices, and that means more they have to pay to the producers to get the product to sell. So they have to either make it $9 for a cheeseburger, or they have to lay people off. Businesses always choose to lay people off. Guess who the first people they lay off are? The people who are making MW. If you get rid of the MW, the money that businesses have to put out decreases. Either they lower their prices, or they raise their worker's wages. If they lower thier prices, which is often what happens, Inflation plumets, Unemployment declines, and the value of the dollar skyrockets. The U.S. economy would once again be the absolute envy of the world, and nobody could compete with us. Instead of everything being made in China, it would be made in the U.S., etc.

4. When our economy is high, the government will cut taxes across the board, benefitting everybody, especially the poor. So we need to implement more Tax Cuts.

5. Create a Flat Tax, so that everybody pays the same pecentage of their income every year. That will also help spike the economy, and thus, more tax cuts, and lower interest rates.

6. Make housing more affordable.

I hope that answers your question to some extent...

Answer 4

You have to back up a step first. Welfare is a man-made phenomenon, not a right. Prior to the involvement of our government playing Robin Hood, those in need would seek help from charities, churches, and others of generous nature. Having to humble yourself and ask for help did a great job of keeping the welfare roles small.

Once the government stepped in, it presented welfare as "an entitlement", saying that anyone who did not have enough should be given help. Lazy people intermingled with the genuinely down-on-their-luck masses, because there was no real way for the government to distinguish the two. And, since it was law, the social workers could not turn down anyone who appeared to qualify, even if they were suspicious of the claims being made.

This took away the ability to use subjective means to assess the true need and truthfulness that was present when the charities took care of these people. And, since no one had to "humble themselves" to claim the welfare money, we made it almost too easy. A little discomfort and embarrassment when asking for a handout did wonders to motivate people to do their best to work their way out of need.

I have worked with the homeless enough to realize that only a portion are actually lazy. Some truly can't find work, and others are permanently "unemployable" due to disability, low mental age, etc. These people need a lifetime of support from the rest of us. Setting an unyielding limit of only 1 year would unduly punish them.

But I understand your point. Our social programs have done this to us by telling generations that they are "entitled" to a comfortable living, going too far to ensure that no one receiving a handout walks away feeling bad about themselves.

Answer 5

If the welfare system was run properly and people trained in a skill that would benefit them and helped to get back on their feet and live at a level where they can afford to take care of them selves, the time on welfare would be a lot less. I was amused at the persons who made the comment regarding more white people being on welfare, that is far from the truth. they have probably never even seen inside one of the county offices.

Answer 6

If I recall most welfare recipients are young white females who have children whose husband skipped out on them. The average time on welfare for these single Moms is only a few years. The amount they get is not enough to live on and 80% of all money collected in taxes for welfare goes to the system for administrative expenses not to the poor people that need it. Get educated on the subject.

Answer 7

Well, I have had to go on welfare. My ex husband abandoned my two children and I. I was told that I could only use it for five years, but since my children's names were attached I was using their benefits as well. I only used for six months till I could back on my feet, but it seems like some people are always on welfare. I followed a lady out of the grocery store one day, she had a $200 food bill, paid with welfare card, and went outside and got in to a brand new Mercedes.

Answer 8

I don't think there should be a limit on the time for welfare. Unemployment aid gives enough time for somebody to get a job. Welfare should only be given out to people that cannot support themselves, which would mostly be the mentally disabled.

Answer 9

And what about the children of all those people on welfare that you think should become bums?
Never look down on someone else unless you are helping them up!

Answer 10

Normally I would agree with you, except that I have an aunt who is schizophrenic and basically isn't capable of normal interaction with society and can't hold down a job. She lives on Welfare, and she will be sick with schizophrenia for life and will never be able to get out of her situation. I don't know what would happen to her without Welfare checks.