How is it that people on government assistance have enough money for cell phones and satellite dishes?

Question

A single mom I know works for every penny (with no welfare), and earned a 2-yr. degree in the process. Yet, three other families I know have 100% of their rent paid by the government, (plus get food stamps), yet they have two cars, cell phones, big screen t.v.s,... things that would make you think they actually HAVE money. They're not mentally ill, either! All four families have kids. It doesn't seem fair, maybe the working single mom should just quit her job and collect $800 to $1000 a month for nothing, plus get some food stamps, too. Do you think this system is fair?

Answer 1

honestly, this system is a two sided coin.

on the one side you have the single mom and others like her that are doing everything they can to get out of the system while on the other hand you have those that see it as a way of avoiding responsibility while living the commercialized, materialistic life that America has so long endorsed.

There are certainly things that could be better about the system but the fact is there currently are not enough people with the heart to work for reduced wages to police the system and make sure that all that apply are using the funds wisely. Can we fix the problem without hurting those that are actually in need?

Think about it, if we make the process more invasive, meaning longer, you dissuade those that are perpetrators but also those that are truly in need. the time spent going through the more invasive process is time that could be spent looking for a job or earning income.

Keep the process as it is and anyone with time and patience has access to government funds.

What is the final answer? Is there only one answer that will solve the problem of abuse to the system?

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

Contrary to popular belief, the government doesn't just give away money to people who don't work. For example, getting disability benefits is difficult, with quite a few cases ending up going to an administrative law judge who weighs evidence of a disability and testimony from expert witnesses in determining whether the claimant is entitled to benefits.

Once benefits are awarded, recipients are free to spend the money as they wish. This is when recipients prioritize their wants and their needs. Some people refuse to quit smoking and will waste hundreds of dollars of their benefits on cigarettes, to the detriment of their cupboard or children. Others are willing to forgo fast-food, an occasional night at the movies, and other impulsivities in life and save some of their benefits for other forms of entertainment, such as a nice television. Someone might receive only $600 per month in assistance, not counting food stamps, and be fortunate enough to live in an apartment that costs only $380 per month to rent, leaving plenty of money to pay for electricity and telephone and gasoline, with some left over for buying a "luxury" item down the road.

We should not expect disability recipients and others who receive government help to live in a black hole as second-class citizens and deny them the ability to buy anything but the most essential clothing, the most healthful foods, and pay for rent, telephone, and electricity. This is why, at least here in the United States, there is a formula for awarding financial help and the government allows the recipients to bear the responsibility of making wise financial decisions.

Answer 4

I favour placing single mothers into the work force but they need public housing, educational opportunities and daycare subsidies to do it. I believe there need to be some changes to the system, like:

1. Daycare and subsidized housing for all low-income families;
2. A refusal to drive the income-providing father or boyfriend out of the home even if she is collecting welfare;
3. Allowing the women to bank or invest alimony and child support up to a certain point without tax penalties or deductions;
4. Greater allowances for education and rent;
5. Funding for school lunch programs which eases the burden on working single mothers and low-income families;
6. Better private and public health care coverage;
7. Required job training after being on welfare for two years;
8. Allowances for part-time and casual work while on the system;
9. Mandatory job searches for certain people;
10. Programs through companies for targeted work experience programs for people on UI and welfare, up to a year after getting off the system so that they can earn wages, get experience and references.. It can be a fifty-fifty split on cost.

Answer 5

The system needs work BAD. If I had my way, the guys would all get neutered, and the women would get the Norplant 3000 installed. More than 2 children, the excess put in orphanages. And the parents put on government farms for manual labor. Let them build that new fence in TX, AZ & CA to pay off that satellite system they so needed. Nothing should be easy or a quick fix when everyone else is paying taxes for "your party" ... there's a start on being fair.

Answer 6

I also know people who get away with that, and I just don't understand how or why. How can you own two successful businesses PLUS have a regular paying job working for the city, yet be eligible for food stamps? Who's zooming who?

No, this is totally not fair. Kudos to your single-mom friend! She can take pride in her accomplishments, because she has actually accomplished something, as opposed to those other people. It's called FRAUD. Maybe someday the system they are draining will collapse on them all. Unfortunately, it will also be collapsing on those of us who pay for these losers.

Answer 7

Everybody has priorities. As for a cell phone, anybody can afford a pre-paid: these are the main form of communications in the poorest countries of the world, in Africa, South Asia, etc.

Satellite dishes don't cost anything; subscription services are expensive, but probably not more expensive than smoking.

"Government assistance" scarcely exists anymore since the Clinton era reforms. There's a 5-year lifetime maximum. Perhaps the people you are referring to are drug dealers. Or otherwise earning untaxed, black market, criminal income. In which case I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are using a cloned satellite receiver and a stolen cell phone and TV.

Answer 8

Suplemental C A S H income the Government knows nothing of?

Answer 9

No, but the people who know how to work the system pass it on to the next genertion.

Answer 10

NO THE SYSTEM IS DEFINITELY UNFAIR! YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE FOR YOUR CHILDREN!!.

btw, dash should get Best Answer!