Welfare is described by Jason Newman as "social programs developed in the 1930s to help the disadvantaged." In the United States, the welfare program consists of many different parts that help the underprivileged. Food stamps are a central part of welfare because of their popularity among many Americans and the fact they are beneficial to many citizens. However, the misuse and abuse of food stamps also make them the most controversial part of welfare. Food Stamps are vouchers in the form of cards given by the government to citizens with a low income. The vouchers can be redeemed at grocery stores to purchase food for the recipient. Over time, welfare and more specifically food stamps have been altered to cut down on fraud and try to make …show more content…
Americans work instead of feeling entitled to receiving welfare (Newman). Americans started becoming aware of the need for welfare around the early 1900s when books about welfare became published. The books addressed the issue of poverty and explained that between 12 percent and 25 percent of Americans were currently living in poverty (Newman). This statistic shocked the country and encouraged people of power to step up and start becoming more involved in the living conditions of Americans. Citizens started having their quality of food, water, and sanitation watched because of new policies being created to ensure the wellness of Americans. Years later, the Food Stamp Act was created in hope to decrease the poverty rates and increase the wellness of Americans by distributing food stamps to citizens needing financial assistance. The Food Stamp Act was revised and rewritten over the years to make the program better as a whole and more suitable to the welfare system. These revisions cut down on food stamp fraud that started appearing at the programs start and helped distribute food stamps to more people who need them. There are still many cases of abuse of food stamps, but they are less abundant than they were at the beginning of the program. There are several common ways food stamps can be abused, but the two major categories are using food stamps for financial gain when they aren't needed and providing false information in order to get accepted for the food stamp program. Some Americans also argue that recipients have become more dependent on food stamps and less accountable to purchasing food with their own income once they are financially able to. Using food stamps for financial gain is a type of food stamp abuse also known as food stamp fraud. During this process, someone illegally sells food stamps in order to keep the money they make for themselves or use the money for substances such as drugs, weapons, or other various non-food items. This is not only disrespecting the government by selling the food stamps they entrusted the recipient with, but also disrespectful to the citizens in desperate need of food stamps, yet are still waiting to be accepted to receive them. The repercussion to committing food stamp fraud is a minimum of $100 fine (“Offenses Involving Federal Food Stamp Benefits”). Not only are food stamp recipients involved with this type of food stamp fraud, but store owners can be guilty as well. Some store owners have been caught accepting bribes from food stamp recipients in order to let the recipient purchase prohibited substances such as alcohol with their food stamps. Because of recipients who abuse their food stamp privileges and store owners who don’t obey the law, the food stamp program loses more than $3 billion annually (“Offenses Involving Federal Food Stamp Benefits”). Another common way food stamps are abused is by providing false information to the government. Some families are needing food stamps very badly, yet cannot get accepted into the program. Some citizens try to resolve this issue by providing false information in order to have a higher chance of getting accepted into the program. Some information that may be lied about when applying for food stamps is the amount of income a family makes or the number of people living in the household (Mohan). Both of these factors are huge when deciding whether or not a family will be able to receive food stamps and how many they will receive.
Once a family is accepted to receive food stamps, there are some pros and cons to them receiving them. The majority of people on food stamps are appreciative and working or trying to find a job so they can provide for their family, but there are some citizens who do not feel obligated to work because they are essentially getting their food for free. The big problem is that there is little motivation to get off of food stamps once someone gets accepted into the program. Some programs under food stamps have requirements to make sure recipients are trying to get employed, but other times there are no requirements to apply for jobs or try to get off food stamps. This can lead to many problems because citizens who actually need food stamps are not getting them because of other citizens taking advantage of food stamps when they may not need them anymore. Because of these circumstances of food stamp abuse, the government has been working to help prevent fraud and abuse to food stamps from happening. The process is beginning to be improved, but the process is intricate and takes time. Each month the Department of Agriculture calculates the amount of money they need to give a family in …show more content…
order for them to maintain sufficient nutrition (“Food Stamps”). This is done with good intentions from the Department of Agriculture in hopes that they can provide more families with needed food, but most families that are already in the program end up running out of food by the end of the month. Healthier foods tend to cost much more money, so it costs the family more than their monthly food stamp income to stay healthy. This is another flaw in the system that needs to be fixed in order for the food stamp program to reach out to help more people and be more beneficial to United States citizens in need. Even with some flaws in the system, food stamps can be very helpful to families who get accepted into the program and utilize them correctly like they were intended to be used. When food stamps were first created, the government saw the need for food stamps as an opportunity to improve two issues within the United States- the lack of ability for families to obtain food and the low demand for produce from farmers. (The Food Stamp Act of 1964). This not only benefitted the citizens in need of food, but also helped the farmers distribute their produce, thus helping the economy. If people today continued to use their food stamps in the way they were supposed to be used, there would be a lot less controversy. The majority of families who use food stamps the way they were intended can be sufficiently fed and ultimately get back on their feet to a place where they can start providing for themselves. According to Joan Oleck, one in ten Americans today receive food stamps. This is a huge help to the Americans who need extra financial support for a certain time period in their life. With provided food stamps, receivers can buy foods that they may need to feed their family. There are some general misconceptions that come along with receiving food stamps because of some stereotypes based on food stamp abusers. Some people may assume that families who get food stamps must not have anyone in the family working, but in most circumstances this is not the case. Recent studies show that more than 75 percent of families that are in need of food stamps have at least one adult working.
Out of that 75 percent of families, 60 percent had an adult that worked full-time (Mohan). Although there is the occasional person trying to abuse food stamps, there are plenty more hardworking Americans trying their best to earn as much as they can. Another reason a family may need to be on food stamps is because of a recent natural disaster or family crisis. Unlike food stamp abusers who have little motivation to get off food stamps, some families have had hardship strike and therefore need extra financial support for only a specific time period while they recover. Natural disasters may cause a family to be without funds for food, leaving the family in financial distress with no job to turn to. Thankfully, food stamps can be given to these families until they get back on their feet and recover to their normal lifestyle. There will always be public disagreement about the topic of welfare because of the way the government handles poverty. There is no doubt that many people, including children, would go hungry without the generosity of food stamps. Food stamps continue to be a
central part of the welfare system and will be used by many America citizens in the years to come. Food stamps will always have pros and cons, and there will always be citizens that abuse them and some that utilize them correctly. It will be interesting to see what administration will bring to the progression of this issue and how it will develop in the future.
Food Stamp is a government-funded program in the United States. This is a program that helps people buy food for their families; in other words, it is a very important program to families living in poverty. It is the nation’s most important program in the fight against hunger. This program was developed in the 1960’s; it is made to improve the nutrition level and food purchasing power of people with low-income. This program is offered to people who cannot afford to buy groceries for their families, regardless of age, color, sex or religion. Food Stamps can only be used to buy food items not hygiene or household items, and it’s offered only on a monthly basis.
With more and more people becoming unemployed and applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), it is imperative that we understand the benefits as well as problems this causes. Even while researching this topic and talking to some of my family and friends about it, it surprised me the amount of those who do not understand food stamps. Coming from the SNAP website, “Food stamps offer nutritional assistance to millions of eligible low-income individuals and families and provides economic benefits to communities” (United States). This program helps millions of people per year and gives upwards of $75 billion and rising. With the prices of food increasing due to inflation, beneficiaries are receiving around $400 at most per month. Using the Electronic benefit transfer systems (EBT), beneficiaries can buy goods from a grocery store using a credit-card like transaction, which takes the money off of their card. The benefits are received monthly on a specific date and vary in amounts from person to person. One family may receive $300 per month because they have three kids and need the extra money, while another may receive $100 or less depending on financial status. The application process includes completing and filing an application form, being interviewed, and verifying facts crucial to determining eligibility. In the past, these applications did not require a drug screening to get benefits, but more and more states are adopting this. There are many drawbacks to SNAP as well such as taking money from working people’s paychecks every week and people abusing the system. Talking about a very opinionated subject, we must remove bias and answer whether or not the Food Stamp system should be limited.
People should be able to purchase junk food with food stamps. Others might assume that they have no money so why waste it on junk food? Food stamps help numerous people if they struggle with food at home, or don’t earn enough salary. Moreover, why waste it on junk food?
The American Public never loved social welfare programs, but it did not necessarily want them dismantled. In fact, by the early 1990s, nearly 50 percent of all households drew on government benefits from Food stamps to social security to mortgage interest tax deductions.
Many families and people have become too dependent on food stamps. “Critics of food stamps and government spending, however, argue that too many families have become dependent on government aid.”(NoteCard #1) But if they did not have this program people would go hungry. “11.9 million people went hungry in the United States”... “that included nearly 700,000 children, up more than 50% from the year before.”(NoteCard #2, Point 2) The program does good and helps people but it also spends a lot of money to get people food stamps. “..food-stamp recipients has soared to 44 million from 26 million in 2007, and the costa have more than doubled to $77 billion from $33 billion.”(NoteCard #5) But in the end, is it worth it? People need the assistance. It does help people from going hungry and keeps them at least with a little food in their stomach to that keeps them from starving. A lot of people who could not get jobs, were eligible for the program because they did not have a source of income. “Critics of food stamps and government spending, however, argue that too many families have become dependent on government aid.”(NoteCard #1) Since not everyone could get work, the government changed the requirements and it went for the better and for the
Welfare is a federally funded program that provides health care, food stamps, child care assistance, unemployment, cash aid, and housing that is under the umbrella of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Per Welfare Information, eligibility is determined by net income, family size, and any crisis situation such as: pregnancy, homelessness, and unemployment. TANF also requires the recipient to obtain employment within two years of receiving help (2014). A majority of the monies that support Welfare come from taxes paid by the working class and donations from private companie...
Working money provides more for families than borrowed money. Money cannot continue to be distributed unfairly from productive Americans to Americans who refuse to be constructive. Americans need to concentrate on the long-term effects of welfare. People are depending on the programs available to survive. What are we teaching our future generations, to rely on someone else? According to _ over one hundred and forty million dollars were spent on SNAP/Food Stamps in February 2016 alone; however, this was only in Tennessee. Welfare recipients are taking advantage of many aid and programs that should be profiting other families or children in crisis. Growing up there were five of us in our household. I have no problem with tax dollars being used to help families in a crisis. There were three children, my dad, and step mom; however, my dad was the only source of income for our family; therefore, my dad had to pay not only his expenses, but for four other family members too. Welfare recipients must think about this on only a small spectrum of how this would affect a family
In 1939, at the end of the Great Depression, is when the Food Stamp Plan was established. It was part of the New Deal that was put in place by President Roosevelt. It was made for low-income families who couldn’t afford essential foods. Participants in the program bought orange stamps which bought household items such as starch, soap, and matches. For every one dollar spent in orange stamps, fifty cents of blue stamps were given back. These stamps would buy the surplus foods such as flour, eggs, cornmeal, and other healthy foods. The program ended in 1943 as World War 2 came to an end, boosting the economy, leaving less in poverty. In 1961, John F Kennedy re-introduced the Food Stamp Program. This program required participants to still purchase food stamps, but eliminated the special food stamps that were needed to buy the extra items, similar to how the program works in the modern day. Today, research shows that 9.25% of food stamps are spent on soft drinks alone. The recipients of food stamps are using them for the wrong purpose.
Welfare can be defined as health, happiness, and good fortune; well-being; Prosperity; and Financial or other aid provided, especially by the government, to people in need (Merriam-Webster, 2014). It can be very beneficial to people in need of it. Tim Prenzler stated that, “Welfare systems are often seen as providing a ‘safety net’ that prevents citizens falling below a minimum standard of living (2012, p2). Everyone is able to use is if they are in need of it. People have successfully used welfare to get out of their slum, and started to support themselves. Others have decided to not try to get out of that slum, and live off that welfare. They decided that they didn’t have to try, and let the government support them. Welfare is a good tool for people to get back on their feet, but shouldn’t be that persons steady income.
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.
Food stamps are used to purchase food from local grocery stores, supermarkets or shelters that serves meals. The government provides the participants an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) that delivers the benefits on a plastic card. The amount that the card is loaded with depends ultimately on the number of people in the household and how much income you provide. Usually people who qualify for food stamps are low-income households. 76 percent of food stamp participant’s households include an elderly person, child or disabled individual (Department of Agriculture U.S).
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a Federal food assistance program that can be traced to 1933. Since then SNAP has helped millions of Americans, who live below the poverty line, to purchase food and has been a safety net for Americans who have experienced hard times due to economic downturns. SNAP is an amazing federal program that without it, millions of Americans would be starving and economic activity would be down.
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 programs are an important part of American society. Without any type of American welfare, people will starve, children will not receive the proper education, and people will not receive any medical help simply because they do not have the resources available to them. Each of the three aspects of the American welfare system are unique in their own ways because they are funded differently and the benefits are given to different people. While support for these welfare systems has declined in the more recent years, the support for it when it was created was strong. There are three aspects of the American Welfare System that include social insurance programs, public assistance programs, and private or sector welfare.
...legally. And since each family receives about 11,500 dollars annually, that means that about nine to thirteen billion dollars are being collected in taxes in order to be given in the form of government assistance (D’Souza 1). That’s nine billion dollars being taken from people’s incomes for people that legally do not need to be receiving any type of assistance. This is unnecessary and tax payers would appreciate keeping their money instead of it going to those so greedy with money. Welfare in the United States is used to get people financially from below the poverty line so that they can find jobs and then without the assistance can be able to provide for their family in an appropriate mean of the standard of living. Welfare is not supposed to be used for a person who is ineligible for it because they are making way more than the amount allowed in order to qualify.