Government Welfare Benefits

Government welfare was created to help people who were struggling get back on their feet again. People now abuse this privilege that was meant for good. People expect the government to give them food stamps, free health care, and other necessities of life. By doing this, tax dollars of the working class are taking care of people who will not work. To solve this problem, welfare should be temporary not permanent, prove you are looking for a job, have random drug screenings, and work in community service in exchange for welfare. Although government welfare can be a great resource to those in need, there needs to be restrictions and limits put on it so it will not be abused.

It is believed that welfare began after the Great Depression. During

this time, poverty was at an extreme low. As a result, President Franklin D. Roosevelt put in place an act that is now known as social security, and from there the welfare system began to expand with different programs. (“Welfare”)
As you may see, welfare was meant for people in poverty or hard times to have the opportunity to get back on their feet again, but now it is being abused.
The federal government is the one who supplies the funds for welfare programs. According to this article, welfare is given to families who live in poverty or make around 10,000 dollars a year. Food stamps, Medicaid, and direct cash payments are the most common welfare programs. These programs are all provided by the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). (“Welfare”)
Welfare can be one of America’s greatest failures if we allow it to be. “It replaces the natural, productive change of labor and ideas with an artificial system of resource distribution.” This has made people lazy and taught them you do not have to contribute to society. “People have little reason to work for things they get for free, so an endless supply of free things will perpetually prevent people from realizing their ability to improve their lives through the work of their own hands.” This makes sense because, it is human nature to take the easy way out of problems. “Society as a whole is robbed of the accomplishments that are never accomplished by the men and women of absolute destitution.” “And sadly, American society as a whole is generally inclined to accept this preposterous thought as well.” (“Welfare Can Not End Cycle Of Poverty In U.S.”)
To end the abuse of welfare, people should have to pass a drug test. As of now, welfare recipients do not have to pass a drug test to receive help. West Virginia delegate, Craig Blair, says that all welfare recipients should have to take drug test to receive any help and if they continue to test positive after two months, they should lose any help their receiving. Mele Carrol, from Hawaii, said that drug testing would make families more accountable. (“States Consider Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients”)
Another solution to cut back on the abuse of welfare is to prove you are trying to find a job and to make it temporary instead of permanent.

A very good program that supports this is called the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families or TANF. The primary goal of TANF is to create employment opportunities for parents of needy children, so that these families will no longer be dependent on federal assistance. TANF also helps people find work. “It promotes job opportunities through skill assessment programs, employment training programs, and assistance with job placement.” TANF not only focuses on finding jobs, it helps recipients with marriage and pregnancy issues and focuses on maintaining a secure family life. TANF has certain limits of assistance that an individual or a family can receive. The TANF requires recipients to find work as soon as possible. “If a TANF recipient has not found a job within two years of first qualifying for assistance, their benefits are terminated.” “That said, TANF recipients are eligible to receive additional assistance in the event they become unemployed again, although the maximum lifetime duration of benefits is five years per family.” (“Temporary Assistance to Needy

Families”)
As you may see, there are many ways to cut back on the abuse of welfare, but it is up to the people to take a stand.

Welfare was meant for good, to help individuals and families who are less fortunate than most get back on their feet so they may have a prosperous future. Our society has strayed away from these principles. Welfare has turned into a necessity for most. It is used as an easy way out and allows people to lose the initiative to work because they know the government will take care of them. If we continue to let this go on, the minority will be taking care of the majority and our great country, which was built on the principle of hard work, will economically fall. It is up to the American people if welfare destroys our country.

“States Consider Drug Testing For Welfare Recipients.” Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly 21.8 (2009): 4-6 Academic Search Premir. Web. 28 Sept. 2015

“Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.” Everyday Finance: Economics, Personal money management, and Entrepreneurship. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale 2008. 514-516. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 28 Sept. 2015

“Welfare.” Everyday Finance: Economics, Personal money management, and Entrepreneurship. Vol. 1 Detroit; Gale, 2008. 263-265, Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Sept. 2015

“Welfare Can Not End Cycle Of Poverty In U.S.” UWIRE Text 13 Nov. 2014: 1. General Onefile. Web. 25 Sept.

2015