why do some people living on welfare insist on staying dependent on the government?

Question

if more people would be financially independent, we would be in a better state economically. there would be more money givers and less money suckers.

Answer 1

Because they're lazy... some welfare recepients honestly need the help, but I'd wager most don't. Of course, this is pure opinion. Of course, the politicians love welfare as well... it equals votes.

Answer 2

In California, that isn't the case. Clients (yes, they are 'clients' rather than 'recipients' now) get a certain amount of time to stay home with a newborn baby and then they have to work to get their welfare check. If it is a two parent household, one parent must work full time, the other part time or any combination to equal 60 hours per week for the household or they loose money from the welfare check. The county will help them with child care and transportation, but even that help is eventually cut off.

The maximum LIFETIME assistance is 60 months in California. Not all at once except in very unusual circumstances.

I don't know which states allow people to stay dependent on the government anymore since Clinton signed most of the above into federal law with the Welfare Reform Act. The costs for anything beyond what is allowed by the Welfare Reform Act would be the sole responsibility of the state and/or county of residence.


~Morg~

Answer 3

Personally I like the welfare system I have heard about in the state of Wisconsin -- you have 90 days to either find a job, start school, or prove you can do neither. They will help with child care expenses if you need it, but they require if you are able to assist yourself by working, or training for a job, that you do so within the 90 day period. If you don't, they cut you off at the knees. Or so I've heard. Sounds like a great solution to me. If you apply for welfare, and can be returned to the workforce, it happens.

What gets me around here (Mississippi) is that the people on "welfare" (food stamps, monetary assistance, rental assistance, medicaid) can somehow afford a new car every 2 or 3 years, and always seem to have new clothes, while those of us who "make too much money to qualify" are driving 17 year old cars, and barely keeping our heads above water. And work. And work. And work. Not a great system, is it?

Answer 4

I know an awful lot of welfare recipients who are working full time. They are doing the best they can in a difficult situation. They couldn't afford to go to work if they weren't getting the help with day care. And they wouldn't be eating or feeding their families without food stamps. Fact of the matter is, they're divorced mothers. The absent parent is not paying child support. And the moms are doing the best they can. The real culprit is DIVORCE. Most men are not making enough money to support 2 families so the first one suffers. These women are doing the best they know how to single handedly raise their children on their own and work full time jobs at the same time. They have no family who can help them. So maybe it's time to take another look at that welfare problem. It's hard enough on these women having to rely on the help of strangers. Lets not drag them thru the mud and belittle them on top of it.

Answer 5

If the government provided everyone with the education and training they needed to get a living wage job, a lot fewer people would apply for welfare in the first place.

Think about it. A hundred years ago, or even fifty, you could graduate from high school and get a middle class job that paid enough to support a family. The government paid to educate everyone that much. Now we only get enough free education to flip burgers or pump gas. If you want a real job, you have to lay out thousands of dollars to go to college. So a living wage job is out of reach for a whole segment of society. Welfare is one of the few options they have left.

Answer 6

They get so used to being dependant on others for their money
it is hard for them to think they can make it on their own. It is a
safety net for them. Their afraid. But there ARE programs in place for welfare recipients, to take certain classes to work toward independant living. And learning to be self reliant. In fact,
some states require you to get a job at a certain time or they get
cut off. Last time I remember, CA, paid like 4-6 hundred a mo. per kid. But in KY, they only get 2 hundred and thirty, something
like that. So, it is a hinderance really. But the cost of childcare is
outragous, and many women are single mothers, and it is more
cost effiecient for them to stay home. So, theyr'e screwed either
way really. Unless, they have help from friends or family, which
helps ALOT. They don't stay on welfare forever.

Answer 7

i will tell you why....when you don't work you can get all the help in the world if you need it , but if you are out there working and trying to take care of your family and ask for a little help from the government, you can't get a single thing from them. It is easier for people to stay on welfare and get "free" money than go out and get a job and still need help every month paying the bills. It sucks but its the truth...the government would rather help the lazy people who just sit around having kids for the freakin money than to help a family that is trying to make a better life for themselves.....so in my opinion that is why.

Answer 8

I don't think they realize that.
And I think they are scared. I know a couple that live off Social Security and disability checks. They are getting up in age, but he works "under the table" because they are afraid that if he works openly they could lose their medicaid and then they might get sick and need meds or a Dr.'s attention and not be able to get either. They probably are on more meds than he could afford now anyway.
Many of the people in my home town pretend to be mentally or physically ill in order to get "a check". I don't really know how to help them, but it does frustrate me to no end to see people live like that though. It is no life at all.

Answer 9

because most people on welfare either did not finish high school are barely finished and the only employment they can find is minimun wage jobs without medical benefits. Welfare gives you a medical card, foodstamps and you can apply for public housing.

Answer 10

REAL reasons people stay on welfare:
free healthcare
housing subsidies
food stamps
REAL reasons why they have a hard time getting off welfare:
Can't afford health care/insurance
only qualified for Unskilled/under-employed jobs=minimum wage
which means they can't pay much for rent or food

"“We are concerned to see that the number of people without health insurance continues to grow. Under the Bush Administration, we have seen the number of uninsured Americans go from 41.2 million in 2001 to 46.6 million in 2005.

“The huge number of uninsured Americans now exceeds the cumulative population of 24 states plus the District of Columbia."
http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/newsroom/statements/census-bureaus-uninsured.html

" Real median household income remained unchanged between 2002 and 2003 at $43,318, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. At the same time, the nation’s official poverty rate rose from 12.1 percent in 2002 to 12.5 percent in 2003. The number of people with health insurance increased by 1.0 million to 243.3 million between 2002 and 2003, and the number without such coverage rose by 1.4 million to 45.0 million. The percentage of the nation’s population without coverage grew from 15.2 percent in 2002 to 15.6 percent in 2003.
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/002484.html