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Recommended: Ethics and its effects
Ethics in Welfare Programs What comes to mind when you think about ethics and ethical situations? Ethics are moral principles that govern a person or groups behaviors. Ethics could be described as someone’s beliefs on what is right from wrong. If one feels guilty about the result of an action then that would likely determine that the action or behavior is wrong or unethical. I believe that the welfare program is intended to be ethical, but there are people receiving benefits that are not portraying ethical actions. There are a few problems with how the welfare program is managed today. I believe the welfare program enables people receiving benefits, the guidelines should be stricter, and the program could possibly be eliminated. I believe …show more content…
The government will never have the opportunity to know all those who receive assistance. I feel it would be beneficial if we could go back to when those in need received help from the community. I feel receiving aid from the government is not and can never be on a personal level. Whereas relying on the community for ones needs would be on a more personal level and could possibly provide exactly what the family needs. Relying on the community provides a way for the people to have a relationship with each other. This would give people of the community a way to seek personal help and someone just to talk to about their induvial situation. An example of this system would be common many years ago. If someone living in a community were in need of eggs but only owned a cow, they could trade their milk with another person from that community who raised chickens to receive what they needed. This way everyone in the community could barter their goods without having to own every producing animal. In conclusion, I feel the welfare system was intended to be an ethical program. Over the years it has become more and more distant from the aiding program it was designed to be. It has become more of an enabling program. I feel the welfare program enables people receiving benefits, the guidelines should be stricter, and the program could possibly be eliminated. There are too many people receiving benefits abusing the system, and unfortunately ruining a good thing for people abiding by the rules. Just like the saying, “One bad apple ruins the whole
It seems like the Welfare system treats its recipients with disrespect and shame to discourage them from joining the system. The people who made and run Welfare in the 1990s made Welfare into a blame game and forces recipients to solely blame themselves for their poverty. The moral prescriptions in individually getting rid of poverty according to TANF are the Work Plan/Family Plan. The focuses on work and family are contradictory because of how little time there is to get both goals done and each goal perpetuates the idea that it is the most important part of ending poverty. It seems like Welfare is more about getting people off of Welfare than eradicating poverty. There is a difference in the goals and that is reflected in how the recipients are treated and how Welfare is run.
From what I have read from the page it does seem that the distinction is still apart of our Social welfare like the example that the book gave was a single mother where it gives that she could be like that because of her employment status, or being a divorce parent which could cause there circumstances. The question that it gives "are recipients worthy or unworthy" it's basically that people who make bad choices are resulted in the need for an assistance are considered unworthy, but the worthy part is when a widow, or an elder had no control over the events over there personal decision.
In the summer of 1996, Congress finally passed and the President signed the "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996", transforming the nation's welfare system. The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act sets the stage for ongoing reconstruction of welfare systems on a state-by-state basis. The combined programs will increase from nearly $100 billion this year to $130 billion per year in 6 years. Programs included are for food stamps, SSI, child nutrition, foster care, the bloss grant program for child- care, and the new block grant to take the place of AFDC. All of those programs will seek $700 billion over the next 6 years, from the taxpayers of America. This program in its reformed mode will cost $55 billion less than it was assumed to cost if there were no changes and the entitlements were left alone. The current welfare system has failed the very families it was intended to serve. If the present welfare system was working so well we would not be here today.
Innocent: Confessions of a welfare mother is a memoir that defies the stigma that comes along with welfare and poverty. It outlines the trials and tribulations of a single Caucasian mother and her ability to maintain her family. Forced to make pivotal decisions and keep the best interest of her family in mind, she must take welfare handouts to get through her financial struggles. This memoir is a way to highlight the obstacles it takes to keep a stable household and get by at the worst times in a single mothers life. At a time of racism and despair, this single mother was able to find a place to call home and give her family a comfortable life.
The prospect of the welfare state in America appears to be bleak and almost useless for many citizens who live below the poverty line. Katz’s description of the welfare state as a system that is “partly public, partly private, partly mixed; incomplete and still not universal; defeating its own objectives” whereas has demonstrates how it has become this way by outlining the history of the welfare state which is shown that it has been produced in layers. The recent outcomes that Katz writes about is the Clinton reform in 1996 where benefits are limited to a period of two years and no one is allowed to collect for more than five years in their lifetime unless they are exempted. A person may only receive an exemption on the grounds of hardship in which states are limited to granting a maximum of 20% of the recipient population. The logic behind this drastic measure was to ensure that recipients would not become dependent upon relief and would encourage them to seek out any form of employment as quickly as possible. State officials have laid claim to this innovation as a strategy that would “save millions of children from poverty.” However, state officials predict otherwise such as an increase in homelessness, a flooding of low-waged workers in the labour market, and decreased purchasing power which means less income from tax collections. The outcomes of this reform appear to be bleak for many Americans who reside below the poverty line. How does a wealthy country like America have such weak welfare system? Drawing upon Katz, I argue that the development of the semi-welfare state is a result of the state taking measures to ensure that the people do not perceive relief as a right and to avoid exploiting the shortfalls of capitalism ...
The United States is often referred to as a ‘reluctant welfare state.’ There are various reasons for this description. One of the primary reasons for this is the differences and diversity of the political parties which are the motivating forces that control government. The Liberal Party, for instance supports government safety nets and social service programs for those in need. “Liberals believe in government action to achieve equal opportunity and equality for all.” ("Studentnews," 2006) They believe it is the responsibility of government to ensure that the needs of all citizens are met, and to intervene to solve problems. The responsibility of government is to alleviate social ills, to protect civil liberties and sustain individual and human rights. Liberals support most social and human service programs; such as TANF, including long-term welfare, housing programs, government regulated health care, Medicare, Medicaid, social security, and educational funding. Their goal is to create programs that promote equal opportunity regardless of gender, age, race, orientation, nationality or religion, along with many others. Liberals believe that government participation is essential and a means to bring about fairness and justice to the American way of life.
In today’s America, there are many people who would either be disgusted at the very mention of Welfare or be highly grateful for its existence. I believe that in order for welfare to be more effective in America, there must be reform. From the time of its inceptions in 1935, welfare has lent a helping hand to many in crisis (Constitution Rights Foundation). However, at present many programs within the system are being abused and the people who are in real need are being cheated out of assistance. The year after the creation of welfare unemployment was just about twenty percent (Unemployment Statistics). The need for basic resources to survive was unparallel. Today, many people face the same needs as many did during the 30s. Some issues with
The United States is sometimes described as a “reluctant welfare state.” I agree with this statement. Too often there are programs created by our government that, although may be lined with good intentions, end up failing in their main purpose. The government may, and hopefully does, seek to help its citizens. However, by applying unreasonable qualifying or maintenance criteria, or too many restrictions that bar people from even receiving aid at all, they end up with many more problems than solutions. Three examples of policies that do this are: Medicare, No Child Left Behind, and TANF, or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Since the Welfare reform law was introduced in 1996 it has impacted American society greatly. The new welfare policy, named the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), replaced the Aid to Family and Dependent Children (AFDC) program; they have five known differences that only affect the ones who need the assistance. Critics argue that the TANF has negatively impacted the society while some argue that it has not. Linda Burnham, author of “Welfare Reform, Family Hardship & Woman of Color,” asserts that “welfare reform has increased the hardship faced by many women leaving welfare for work and their movement into low-wage jobs, exposes them to higher level of housing insecurities, homelessness, food insecurity, and hunger.” She also argues that women of color “are especially vulnerable to the negative impact of welfare reform” (38).
Welfare has been a safety net for many Americans, when the alternative for them is going without food and shelter. Over the years, the government has provided income for the unemployed, food assistance for the hungry, and health care for the poor. The federal government in the nineteenth century started to provide minimal benefits for the poor. During the twentieth century the United States federal government established a more substantial welfare system to help Americans when they most needed it. In 1996, welfare reform occurred under President Bill Clinton and it significantly changed the structure of welfare. Social Security has gone through significant change from FDR’s signing of the program into law to President George W. Bush’s proposal of privatized accounts.
Welfare can be defined as “systems by which government agencies provide economic assistance, goods, and services to persons who are unable to care for themselves” (Issitt). The United States welfare system is an extremely complex and unique entity that encompasses ideas and concepts from an abundance of different places. Many people believe the current system is an excellent resource for the population, while others believe the current welfare system requires reform and budget cuts to become effective.
Welfare is intended for families or individuals that are in need of assistance with no or little income. For those who do not know, Welfare funds come from hard working individuals that are required to pay taxes. Now we wonder, are the tax payers’ hard earned money going to the right deserving recipients? Welfare fraud is on the rise in this country. Many are taking advantage of the system taking away the help that is meant for people that truly needed help to provide for their families or people that need assistance until they can stand on their own feet. Statistics clearly show that “785,000 to 1.2 million families are illegally receiving welfare benefits. At the average rate of $11,500 per year, this means taxpayers are being scammed out of roughly $9 to $13.5 billion dollars every year” (User, par. 4) that is $13.5 Billion dollars of the tax payers hard earned money that is going to the wrong people that do not deserve it. What are the types of Welfare fraud that are being committed in the United States that our government needs to pay close attention to? To start, hopeful recipients will intentionally give false information about their household income to qualify. Some will sell their food stamps also known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP). Also, illegal and misuse of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) is one of the problems our Welfare System is facing today. All three are considered illegal and these type of activities need to be stopped immediately. People that are in need should be given the assistance they desperately ask for. The System should re-assure tax payers that their hard earned money is going to the right recipients and is not going into the wrong hands.
The United States society believes both. Former president George W. Bush said “ people overcome obstacles and hurdles due to welfare” He also states “ 2.8 million fewer children live in poverty than in 1996” In his intention George W. Bush believes that welfare is helpful. People however abuse the system. In the book Uncle Sam’s Plantation, there is a young women named Sondra and it tells about how she got pregnant and had an abortion in high school. She then figured out that she could work the system and get money if she had another kid. “there is a small percentage of the population that would have a baby just to collect welfare.” In her (Sondra) case that is what she did. People like Sondra that abuse the system like this make people have the demented view point that they have on
As a citizen of the United States, I believe people in this country that are unable to provide for themselves should be taken care of by the government. However, I do not believe the government is using the welfare program in the right way. From drug testing to the amount of money people receive, the program needs to change. I strongly believe that people out of work should be looking vigorously for jobs, and should not use the U.S. government as a permanent source of income.
This topic has many people for and against it. Many people are living off welfare and need it to survive. That is not entirely true. They don’t need it unless they have a disease or injury that makes it impossible to work any job. In that case, they could go to a homeless shelter. The shelter could give them food and clean clothes and take care of them. The second thing that people can say against this is, “cutting off government aid would increase homelessness, hunger, abortion, and perhaps even street violence” (thenewyorktimes.com), what can be said about that is, the money that is saved when not giving it away, can be used to build homeless shelters and orphanages. A third point is there are going to be millions of people out there with no support (thenewyorktimes.com),...