Welfare... why has nothing been done if it's so "bad"?

Question

Republicans often on here go on and on about the "hand outs" that government does... yet their leaders haven't done anything about it with the majority and presidency?

they've passed MANY bills that didn't have any Democrat support with few Democrats putting up a fight? so why don't they get rid of the "handouts" or at least improve the program? I doubt Democrats would even fillabuster, but even if they did, you don't know until you try? wouldn't it be worth the effort? (you guys voted on a gay marriage bill that had NO chance of passing, why not this too?)

H*ll, there was more work to "improve" the program under Clinton than under the current administration?

Jasin: well that's why the system needs reforming... to weed out these people..

and as I said... just saying "the dems would fillabuster" is hardly an excuse not to try... it didn't stop you with gay marriage

speakeasy: are there stats to back up the "welfare participants vote" comment? the south has the highest rates of welfare in the nation, if you're familar with the stats... yet they vote republican... which doens't make any sense if what you say is correct?

Answer 1

Welfare reform was forced on Clinton, in the early 90's when the Republicans took over the House of Representatives. Clinton vetoed the bill three times before he finally was persuaded to sign.
Welfare has been reformed. Before reading your question, I have not heard any complaints about the current welfare system. I think you will not persuade the majority in Congress to eliminate welfare completely. There are people who actually need a "helping hand" rather than a "hand out" as you put it. In my state, welfare is more like an interest free loan. Recipients are expected to pay the money back if they ever have the means to do so.

Answer 2

I live in the South and you are right about the number of welfare recipients. There are a lot here but they have cut back a lot! I have worked with the Medicaid commission and I know for a fact things have changed a lot! They can't stop it all together due to the elderly and the ignorant. There are plenty of good, elderly people that worked all their lives and try to live on a tiny bit of social security every month. SS is only half of what they were making while they were working...Some of the retirees must go out and work more just in order to buy groceries...Is that fair? I think not, these people need government help...some of them are too proud to go and get it but some have the guts to ask for help. I think the system is a lot better than it was in the 90's. I won't disagree that there isn't any room for improvement but the new system is weeding out a lot of the "deadbeats" and lowlife people.

Answer 3

You have to look at it from the point of view of one of those politicians, or better yet, of one of those CEO Lobbyists who own the politicians...

They think welfare is bad, by and large, because it spends tax money on poor people. AT ALL. That is your answer right there.

The Agenda behind "welfare reform" has never EVER been about helping poor people be less poor, or get back to work, or whatever...it is about *denying money to poor taxpayers* and giving MORE of it to the Richest 1%. It wouldn't matter if *everybody* in the system got 100% better and went back to work tomorrow, the Rich would still resent the system for spending ANY money AT ALL.

Really. It is that simple. It is all about the greed thing. Never mind that our Government already gives a *dollar* in corporate welfare to the CEOs of companies like Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Archer-Daniels Midland, or ANY Big Oil company or ANY Commerical Passenger Airline you could name....no, your CEO clique of greedy *mad dogs* has to resent that ordinary citizens get *five measly, begrudging cents* for every *dollar* the Suits get.

It is an ideology. It is all about turning the American Economy into one Big Globalist Plantation, wherein the CEO/Investor Class are the HAVE ALLS and everyone else, the bottom 80-90% of the population, are the HAVE NONES. Just like Haiti. Just like New Orleans, post-Katrina. Just like Saudi Arabia.

Follow the money. The Big Money Clique that *owns* the politicians on *both* sides will Not be happy until the down and out poor are dying in the gutters *like roadkill*.

That is why welfare isn't being reformed. It is currently doing its job (of denying money as much as possible) while creating as little social disorder as possible (meaning, they can afford to let the inner cities and the far-out boonies *rot* into barbarity if it means leaving the suburbs and the shopping malls intact). Or at the very least, it is only creating as much social disorder as the American People will tolerate...

Any further "reform" from the Rich Man would simply amount to the dismantling of the system and a "let them eat cake" attitude, not unlike what Laura Bush showed in New Orleans at the Superdome.

Answer 4

Welfare is for the truly deserving, there are too many frauds out there taking advantage of the system. I say train them to do something and pay them when they do it. Call it cival service.
If all they can do is answer a phone, pick up litter. clean the animal shelters, cut grass , pull weeds , or whatever have them earning it or prove why they can't. There are people with disabilities both physical and mental that do something to be productive.
Also change the Tax laws , give everyone the first 30,000 tax free than take a pecentage after that.
30,000 is just a number it can be whatever.
Also add more to Social Security and make it pay like health insurance, Any one seen a insurance company go broke?

Answer 5

Republicans don't have the strength to clean it up. Democrats and their welfare voter base have too much power.

Welfare recipients vote.

The biggest failing of a Democracy is that people figure out they can vote to put money into their pockets from other people's pockets. Our Republican form of government was supposed to protect us from that but Leftists have been progressively reshaping this nation to suit their agendas, such as creating a voter base dependent upon their largesse.

Answer 6

There's nothing wrong with it, mattering how it's used, of course. If it's a crutch, that's welfare. On the other hand, total dependence, especially for the work able, is the typical welfare stereotype in the eyes of Conservatives, so much that it influences their own bias. What they don't realise is that alot of people, one or two I know personally, hate being on welfare.

Answer 7

we need a lot of welfare reform ,I think it's pretty sad when someone can cross the border and get all the hand outs they want ,,yet someone who was born and raised in this country and has paid taxes for 50 years , then falls on hard times is told there is no help for him, the person this happened to became very ill and welfare would do nothing for him.

Answer 8

The democrats would fillibuster, the majority of their votes come from working class and poor people.

Answer 9

Welfare's not bad its the lazy people on it who leach off the system that are.

Answer 10

corporate welfare is the worst,,,