Why are so many conservatives against progressive welfare policies?

Question

I am especially trying to uderstand the argument "I work hard for my money....why should "they" get handouts? Do they fail to understand that the well being of people reflects on the well being of a country. I dont know about them but i would be quite troubled if I all i could see was squalor. Doesn't this argument go against their so called Christian values? Is it not inherantly selfish and infantile like some whining adolescent who cant grasp the concept of empathy?

Answer 1

I totally agree!!! I am a liberal and I am working 2 jobs in order to support myself and to pay off my college loans. However, as a child my family received assistance and food stamps. And I can honestly say, I have had to work TWICE as hard for everything that I have than my middle and upper-class counterparts! Some honest working people have bad times and truly need the help. So, rather than ranting and raving about how hard they "work" for their money, conservatives need to understand that not everyone was dealt the same lot in life. You know, this may be the country of upward mobility, but the sad fact is that most people will die in the same social class in which they were born. That has to tell you something, right. Poorer people are socialized COMPLETELY different than people of higher soci-economic standing! They have different schools, different role models. And from my experience, the poor people I know work 20 times harder than the people that are better off!!! Their lives are filled with struggles that middle and upper class people cannot even begin to comprehend! So, rather than judging people, conservatives with this viewpoint, should go out and try to better the conditions that these people live in. Work for better schools, better after school programs, crime prevention. It starts with the children, right? And for the people who do abuse the welfare system, the government should tighten the regulations on these programs and limit the duration for benefits (which I do beleive a lot of states have already done).

And as far as Christian values go, from what I read in the Bible, Jesus helped those who were less fortunate. I'm not even Christian, yet I follow Jesus' example of empathy more than a lot of so-called Christians do!

Answer 2

Yes, it goes against Christian values (of course), but they aren't real followers of Jesus. If they were, they would know that he was not for greed and warfare, and he was most definitely for taking care of the poor. In fact, he talked about that more than anything else.

They also seem to have glossed over the fact that we had welfare reform under Clinton, so a lot of these stories they keep passing around (welfare women driving Cadillacs, etc.) are no longer true if they ever were.

But the bigger problem is this: we do not have a box to check that says "don't help poor people at all." We only have two choices: help them at the front end with after-school programs, job training, child care, job assistance, skills training, Head Start, etc., or help them at back end by paying billions of dollars for crime prevention, war on drugs, building prisons, unemployment, etc.

A society is only as strong as its weakest link, and if we reach down and give a hand to those who are less fortunate, we will strengthen our entire society. When the economy was good (pre-George), EVERYONE got richer: the rich, the middle class and the poor.

It's really a bitterness and resentment against those they think are not pulling their weight. It's actually a wedge issue that distracts them so they don't notice that this administration and all the big corporations are ripping them off on a daily basis. This is why they don't gripe about CORPORATE welfare (for instance, the billions we pay to oil companies in subsidies), which of course harm them much more than some woman getting food stamps.

And THIS is the crucial sentence from all the other answers: "Their lives are filled with struggles that middle and upper class people cannot even begin to comprehend!" It's hard work being poor.

Answer 3

Being of Native American decent I resent welfare more than anything. I will explain. Earning your own way brings dignity and a sense of accomplishment. Welfare is like a drug, those on it soon become dependent. Many conservatives are not against help the down and out, for instance WIC, and food aid are good programs but have to be carefully watched for abuse. Why the dig against Christians. The liberals I know look down there snooty noses at the Native American or the Red Neck. My question back to you do progressive have any values at all. Dignity is not infantile and should not be taken from the weak by those who feel guilty for being white.

Answer 4

Christian values teach personal responsibility. Welfare is just the oposite.
And conservative values see welfare as an overstretching fo the government. It is not the governments job to provide welfare, the government already provides security and fosters opportunity. Those who choose to not take advantage should not be given a handout. If the left were actually concerned with the poor and downtrodden they would not have a lower level of contribution to charity. Taking care of the poor is something the private sector could do if it were an actual concern. It is not a job that is restrictewd to government and is not the governments place to do so. The Us government owes no one anything - the attitude that is does is one of the biggest problems in america. There are some that cannot work, but there are many who choose not to work so that they can live off of the gov't. End welfare corruption and maybe we conservatives can see a real need - that is much smaller thant he need represented now.

And again, if the left is so concerned why do they not contribute as much as the right when it comes to charity?

Answer 5

the government should have nothing to do with giving handouts unless it is an extreme case . a mother who is raising 3 children on her own because the father is worthless deserves a handout . The problem is generation after generation of these welfare families rarely change . The welfare system is widely taken advantage of .

try to understand this , conservatives do believe in accountability for themselves and hard work to make the next generation of their family lead a better life , with that said part of conservative values is giving to charity . More conservatives give to charity than liberals by a large margin because of their christian values . One thing I don't understand is how liberals want many social programs but don't want it to be with their money , they think the rich should pay for this just because they can , and just becuase they can is not a good argument .

Answer 6

I am from the Netherlands. Some are down and out and are not as able to adjust to the demands of this society to work or think. It's a cheap buffer against even worse cost of homeless and crime. In the welfare system you can reach out to them and slowly direct them to work if possible and have checks for fraudulant claims. I know that it gives alot of people, even the working of today, a sense of relief if such a system is in place, knowing that the American Dream can turm into a Night-Mare in one lost job, a missed bi weekly paycheck. In the Netherlands, an average petty-crime thief steal for $500,000/Year worth of stuff to support them drug habit. If you can reach out to these people giving them welfare and also drug rehabilitation you save the society alot of dollars.

Answer 7

If you want to bring up Christian values, then you must also take into account that the Bible teaches us that God helps those that help themselves. In other words, you can't just sit on your butt and say, "God will you make me a millionaire" and it will just happen. I used to work in the office of a fast food franchise and I saw people take advantage of our welfare system all the time. People would come work for the minimum amount of time it took to receive benefits, and then they quit. Then they would come back the next year when it was time to renew and they did it over again. I am more than willing to help someone that is trying their best and having difficulties, but I will not help someone who has given up and expects everyone else to pull their weight. The system is broken and needs to be fixed.

Answer 8

It's a core conservative belief that if you just give people what they need to survive, it takes away their incentive to work hard for what they get. Now, I think supporting those in need is a valid and just cause, however it should not subsist them, merely sustain them and encourage them to work for a living. Working for a living is an enjoyable and healthy thing.

I have liberal friends of mine that do socialist work; and they all changed their minds about giving out handouts; they noticed that the more they gave the less people worked and the more they depended on handouts.

Answer 9

I agree that we as people should do what we can to help the less fortunate. Give a little here and give a little there. But NOWHERE does it say in the United States Constitution that it's the responsibility of the government to tax citizens who work in order to take care of those who don't. Charity should not be a government controled operation through taxation of it's citizens. The role of government should be to provide it's citizens with the FREEDOM to live their lives their way, and to defend that freedom if necessary. NOT to give free money hand outs to the less fortunate, creating more dependency on the government.

Answer 10

I work for Welfare (social services) and let me tell you it's a big give-away. I could tell you stories you wouldn't believe. Real quick here in Las Vegas a dancer is making over $70,000 a year but will get welfare benefits for another 6 months including medical, child care and housing. Amazing but I have more.