Why do people ASSume that people who are on assistance, such as food stamps and section 8 housing, are lazy?

Question

A lot of the people that are on those types of programs are single parents who are working hard and trying to support their families, but can't do it on their own... or are in school, etc. No, I am not on assistance, but a lot of people say that the money for these things are coming out of their pocket. Well, so is the money for the war and other things that people disagree with.. at least medical assistance, food stamps, section 8 housing, financial aid for college, etc is HELPING someone! I work and that money "comes out of my pocket" also, but you don't see my crying about it.

Answer 1

I work for a W.I.C(women, infant and children) Clinic. That provides healthy food and milk during pregnancy, and after the baby is born. And I have to say that about 80% of the people in this program have some type of government assistance. And no.. they are not lazy. In fact.. In my opinion.. some of them are harder workers than other people that do not receive assistance. Until I started working at W.I.C, I did not realize that so many people work there a*s off.. and don't get paid Sh*t. Its that small percentage of lazy people who ruin it for the hard workers.. Well.. to freaking bad.. I pay my taxes.. and boy.. am I glad that at least my money is going to help people.. instead of politics, or war, or something stupid.

Answer 2

Because some people ARE just that. Lazy!!! I WAS on food stamps for almost a year after I had my son and things didn't work out with the father. However, I did what I had to do, put myself through school and got off all assistance as soon as possible. Those type of people I don't mind helping. It's the people like my husbands ex-wife, whom has 3 children, from 3 different father's, who have absolutely no desire to better themselves. Instead they want to sit at home, collect child support, and medical, and food stamps, and housing, and money allowances because they can.

It's unfortunate circumstances for some, while other's take advantage of the system and then, yes, people get upset because they are working hard, while some (not all) sit around collecting the benefits.

Answer 3

People assume that people on assistance as lazy because it makes it easier for them to treat them with less respect. It doesn't help when there are those who abuse the system for their own gains. No one ever reports on the mom of 3 kids who's husband died after a long illness leaving a stack of bills and no money who kept her family together and used public aid while she worked the only job she could get at a gas station working nights and taking care of the kids by day and while she studied for a better future off of public aid using federal programs such as the pell grant for instance. People only hear about the fat woman with 12 kids all with different fathers who collects more in foodstamps than most of us make in a month and see her going out in designer clubs to party and dealing in drugs while we are eating tuna helper for the 4th night in a row after working 50hrs a week and following the rules. It's a hard thing. There are so many good people working hard and struggling on welfare but they get discredited because of the ones who don't even bother trying.

Answer 4

Most aren't "content" with their situation. Being qualified for food stamps doesn't improve one's health (or health care), one's housing conditions, one's education, etc. And it's usually not a "laziness" thing, especially since food stamps and the amount available isn't always guaranteed, much like housing subsidies that can occur. The problem that happens in some assistance programs is that it can take a "leap" to get off government assistance. In other words, you can have someone who's at a low level of income, and they're receiving things like food stamps and government health care, and perhaps a housing subsidy for their family. They're probably working as hard as they can to get off the government assistance and get to better schools, neighborhoods, etc. At some point at work, they'll even be offered a raise and a promotion. The problem is that unless it's a large enough raise, they can hit income limits for some of their benefits, and it makes perfectly rational sense to refuse the raise and the promotion. Put simply, if a $1000/year raise means you're going to lose $5000 in government health care and housing benefits, it makes no sense to accept the raise. It's not being lazy or stupid, nor is it a "motivation" thing. And it's the "fool" who accepts that raise because they want to be "self-sufficient" who actually ends up harming themselves and back on assistance in the long run. There are also issues with people's inability to save money without it being held against them.

Answer 5

There are many hard working people but some are surely lazy and because of these few lazy people the rest gets bad name.
I use to have one tenent in the building I own. He was too lazy to work. He told the doctors that because of working 8 to 10 years in a diner his back is screwed up.
Somehow the doctors agreed with him and gave him a certificate and his is on disability.
He can drive and there is no problem. His brother offered him to get him into driving taxi but he is too lazy and just was money from disability dept and food stamps.

Answer 6

Some people really do deserve the help and "money out of my pocket". But others, the ones that have 8 kids all for the welfare check, are lazy. I work my butt off for my food and housing and then they go and sleep with many men and have many kids and get more than I do. Some even get paid to live in certain homes. It's ridiculous. But for the ones that actually need it, then sure, go for help as it's the not the little baby's fault and they need to be taken care of. And if you are going to school or working your butt off and still need assistance, then so be it. That's the real reason why it's there.

Answer 7

Those programs help some, but they also enable others. I don't ASSume, I have known several people in both situations. The ones who truly need it, and the ones who do everything they can to stay on it and don't make an effort to better their situation. I firmly believe that more stringent guidelines are necessary regarding these social programs to stop people from abusing the system. Well, thanks for your tax dollars- they are paying for my college education (and that is all- my husband works very hard and does a wonderful job supporting his family).

Answer 8

Ignorance is one problem I think. There are so many circumstances that would cause people to question why someone was on public assistance. I think it gets a bad rap, too because you hear about so much fraud with it. People believe what they physically see, too. For example, right now, I'm on medical disability because of severe chronic depression. I'm doing better now, but there for awhile, I could not hold down a job. Now, I had to submit medical records from every hospital (there were 8), doctor, therapist, etc. that I've ever seen due to depression and they determined that I was eligible for disability. BUT, to look at me, you'd think I was "milking" the system because there is nothing physically wrong with me. People don't take the time to think and find out the truth about why.

Answer 9

Taxes have killed charity. I should have the choice to help someone, I shouldn't be forced to work for the government (which is what taxation is, forced labor) so they can fritter it away. Think of how much money could be saved if I skipped the middle man (the government) and just gave $200 a month to a needy single mother. Giving my money to someone who needs it would make me feel good, paying taxes just to fund an inefficient program for people I'll never meet does not.

Answer 10

The reason is because there are lazy people on that...ones who take advantage, and are able-minded and bodied, and could do more for themselves, but choose not to.

There is someone like this in my extended family. She blames everyone else for all her problems and refuses to accept responsibility for anything, including her children (thank goodness their father is nothing like her). She's pretty sure the world should be handed to her on a platter, and doesn't like to have to fit into any kind of workplace...you mean, they make her show up and actually do her work to get paid? Shocking!

People like the woman in my family give honest, hard working people who are having a hard time a bad name...but the lazy system abusers are there...be sure of that.