Government Assistance?

Question

What do you think of parents who are on government assistance? Meaning: food stamps, WIC, medicad, HUD housing, or unemployment? I'm just curious what other people think about this and please don't be rude or immature.

Answer 1

It's like Glenn Beck said: "The government is supposed to back you up, not bail you out."


I think most of the parents using government assistance are only using it because they got pregnant and freaked out because they weren't ready, weren't married, weren't financially ready, etc. so they turned to the government because they knew the government would help them out.

Answer 2

I live in hud housing, I recieve food stamps and welfare and medicaid. I also have a son. With this help we can have a roof over our heads and be healthy. People go through things in their life most things unexpected. I had a house a full-time job and a car and my full time job just wasn't cutting it. I couldn't pay the rent and utilities. Its not something I want to live on or off of. Some people just need it to get back on their feet. For the people that abuse it, I know that's it's not enough money or food to live on it will just get you by. It''s not enough money for those who want to buy clothes all the time or go to a nice restuarant to eat or have nice things in your house. Sometimes it's not even enough money to pay for simple things like paper towels or shampoo. For now it gives me and my son a roof over our heads and running water and heat. But that doesn't make me different from everyone else. I'm a person that has struggles like everyone else and just need a little help to make it on my own. It's not a good feeling to know every month that the money that you get is not your own and you didn't earn it. For me it's very disturbing and often hurts my feelings when people judge me for where I live or that I recieve government assistance.

Answer 3

I think that these programs are great for the people who need them. i agree that they're getting abused, and it's hard to tell who needs them and who doesn't.

My husband and were both working and still needed some help. We had food stamps when we first moved to where we are now for about a month until we had found jobs here, then we stopped. It's very frustrating because these agencies are now trying to stop people from abusing these programs, but the only ones who are being affected are the ones who really need it. Thye make you jump through so many hoops, but the people who know how to cheat the system don't do any of it and still get their benefits. It frustrates me to no end.......I had to proves that I was looking for employment and if I hadn't found a job, I would have had to go to these little classes on job training and resume writing from 9-5 every day just to keep my benefits. Then I knew all these women who were sitting at home doing nothing, and they were getting more benefits than i was, usually because they had more kids or whatever.

We currently have Medicaid for our 2 kids, but not my husband and I - we have it through our jobs, but it would be too expensive right now to add 2 toddlers to our plans - but our goal is to have them on there by the end of the year. We also have subsidized daycare expenses (we pay $120 / week for our children's daycare when it would normall cost $250). i think this is one of the best programs because it leaves mothers with no excuses to not find work (no offense to the person who said that she couldn't work because of daycare expenses - I know that not everywhere has them. I'm talking about the mothers who don't even bother to try). I think this should be one of the biggest programs they offer with assistance. I would love to get off of government assisance completely, and hope to do so soon.

As for HUD housing, I bet the same people who complain about that also complain about how many homeless there are on the streets. Guess what.....that number would be greater if they didn't offer affordable housing. People who get help from HUD programs get just that: HELP. They don't get a free house, or live rent-free. They still have to pay, it's just based on their income and otehr factors, not what a billionaire developer wants to charge so that he can get a new yacht.

As far as unemployment, like someone else said, you pay into that. That's not the government. I guess if you don't like the unemployment program, you don't want to get social security when you retire, either. That's something you pay into and get when you retire AND it's regulated by the government! (yes, I know there's some debate now about whether it will be around much longer, but you get the idea).

I think that government assistance is great if you use it as that: ASSISTANCE - not support.

These programs were designed to help people who fall on hard times and need a little help getting back on their feet. As long as it's used for that, I have no problem with it or people who are using it. My father was glad to know that I was using public assistance since he pays into it with his taxes - he felt that he was helping us by his money going to these programs.

Answer 4

I think its a good thing..i was on WIC while i was pregnant with my daughter...i would still be on if i was still in my home state...what bothers me is the people who abuse it and take it away from the people who actually need it... my husband was without a job for 3 months and our daughter was 8 months old at the time and i only worked at a grocery store 30 hours a week for 8.30 an hour and the state(arkansas) denied us food stamps saying that we made too much money...but there would we people comming in there with designer this and designer that and with all kinds of jewlery on them and they get 700 a month in food stamps and who knows what else!

Answer 5

The government is here to help, not bail us out. I am on medicaid, wic, and I get food stamps. I use it only right now bacuase I need the help. When I had it last time, I stopped them when I didn't need them anymore. It's only fare.
Then there is these nasty females who keep popping out all these kids and expect the govn. to take care of them. When they get a check on the 1st of every month, they spend it all on themselves, or their baby's daddy's. I see that on a regular basis out here where I live. And it's a damn shame to the kids, and the tax payers. The kids didn't ask to be here. And we don't want to pay for someone else's children. Most of these women/and men, that are on public assistance, don't want to work and they are taking advantage of the state.
Use it if you need it. I did, and do. I am almost done school, and then I wont be anymore.

Answer 6

I was on WIC, Food stamps (only because I qualified) and Medicare. I used them while I needed them unlike many other people in this greedy country. My husband worked 48 hours a week and according to the state guidlines we qualified, so while we needed it we used it. However the second we could afford insurance for ourselves we did. I only used WIC for formula because that is very expensive. Our children are 6, 4 and 3. I worked after my son and daughter were born but it was pointless after the third because daycare is outrageous. So for about 3 years we were on Medicare. Foodstamps was only for about a year when our youngest was born because I couldn't work and my husbands job couldn't pay for the car, apartment, necessities and food. I am very thankful we were given the oppurtunity to be helped. Its very unfortunate to see others abuse the system. There are people who really need help and others who are just too lazy to get off their asses and make a living. That's my opinion.

Answer 7

I use medicaid only because I can't get insurance on my own and my doctors and my son's doctors bills would just be outrageous. I have thought about getting on wic just because with so many bills popping up from elsewhere I at least want to make sure we have the essentials. I will not use food stamps though, even though I qualify, I don't feel I need it. I do know a government assistance abuser though. I have known her for years, she is like a sister and her kids consider me their aunt. I don't like the fact that she abuses it but she does make sure her kids get what they need and as long as they are taken care of I just deal with it. They also do have a time limit on assistance. I'm not sure what it is everywhere, but I know for our state its 5 years for your lifetime.

Answer 8

I think if the person truly needs it to get back on their feet then it is great. But people who use it to just not have to work, who live off it and stay home all day are just lazy. Unemployment is not government help. When you work your employer pays in a certain amount and when you lose your job you can draw on it for awhile, the money comes from the employer not the government.

Answer 9

There are genuinely people that need help from the government. It isn't to be abused however. Don't let it be an ongoing fixture in your life. It's designed to help you get on your feet and WIC is also used to teach young mothers about nutrition for their babies
There should be a time limit on the help people receive. Its a good program, but people take advantage. Good Luck

Answer 10

I'm fine with food stamps, health care, unemployment. I am NOT OK with HUD HOUSING (or section 8). here in our state you have families leaving in these things for the past 25 years+! one in our area is being completely renovated, with some people getting new houses to rent! no more apt for them! When interviewed, many want to stay in that development cause their grandkids live there now, and they themsleves have lived there for over 20 yrs. (and they are excited to get into something new, after all these yrs their apt is looking ratty) so, what you have is a generation after generation living in poverty. Go into these projects and you find alot of 20yr moms with a couple of kids and an underemployed daddy. Housing along with welfare should be a temporary fix. Not a life long program. any housing program should be temporary, and the millions spent on renovating projects (and providing police security) should be spent by taxpaying citizens to fix up their own place. Give the poor a monthly cash voucher to help pay the area market rent from a private landlord. If they spend it on cable or drugs, oh well. take the kids till they learn how to make good life choices. look at Cleveland OH, high amount of subsidized housing, high amount of poverty, high amount of High School dropouts. low student test scores in schools. the government needs to get out of the housing market. I had families in my caseload that were evicted from public housing for not paying their $15 a month rent. they wanted all the freebies they could get so they could stay-at-home. their monthly package after food stamps and housing equaled to about $1500 a month. they didn't get welfare cash, it had been already two years. These people made more on the government dole than some do working. Wake up senators and congressmen, welfare cash was basicaly a bonus check. The real money today is getting a housing voucher. get that voucher and the door is open to a whole lot of programs.

Answer 11

I'm glad that our government provides assistance to those who are in need. Some people only need assistance for a short time while they are having a financial or medical emergency and others will continue to be on assistance because that's all they know. Instead of being angry that others are possibly abusing the system, I prefer to be thankful that I'm not caught up in that poverty mindset. In Florida they only allow a person to receive assistance for a set amount of time in their lifetime, so for example, if you receive 6 months of assistance you'd have 2 1/2 years of assistance left during your lifetime. As far as someone wearing a lot of bling and getting assistance, I can't believe everyone who goes on assistance is going to give up or sell all of their jewelry - so don't judge someone for wearing their gold to pick up their foodstamps when maybe you just took yours off before you went.