Social Welfare

The Declaration of Independence was created in 1776 with three basic principles in mind. The pursuits of life, liberty, and happiness were the paramount issues focused on by the framers. The 18th Century was a different time. Back then, every man worked on his own farm. He was expected to provide for himself and his family. It was unheard of for anyone to receive assistance from the government. As the country progressed and evolved, the rich got richer and the poor poorer. The Gilded Age of the late 19th Century truly showed the disparity in wealth in America with billionaire business barons employing penniless workers in deplorable conditions. Progressive reforms came along, pioneered by Teddy Roosevelt and his Bull-Moose Party, restricting rampant business corruption and unfair practices. These changes were not enough though, especially with the onset of the Great Depression. Poverty struck the entire country. Unemployment ravaged blue and white-collar workers alike. The entire country was plunged into despair.

Franklin Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States, pulled America out of its slump and restored its citizens to global prestige. His revolutionary social welfare programs were the first of their kind established by our government. This power was given to him in the Constitution, where it specifically states tat the government may “provide for the general welfare of the people”. He also broadened the income tax to all workers in 1943, making all of these government-funded programs possible. His bold plans that worked to pull us out of the greatest worldwide depression ever are the foundation for every welfare program we have today. However, once created these programs are very difficult to eliminate.

Lyndon Johnson was the next president to make significant advances in social welfare. He launched his War on Poverty, aimed at turning America into a Great Society, one without homeless on the streets or hungry children. In order to accomplish these goals he established liberalized requirements for government money. Over the next thirty years, Johnson’s dreams of a society without poverty were not realized. Time showed his programs did more harm than good, raising the nation debt to staggering proportions. In 1996, Bill Clinton signed a Welfare Reform bill as passed to by a Republican Congress. Reform in 1996 meant cutbacks in aid to the peopl...

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... fear of being voted out of office. Every person that holds a vote in Washington must focus on what his or her constituents wants, making sure to please the maximum number of people. When voting of social welfare legislation, most representatives know that many of their voters rely on money from the government and do not want to eradicate a large portion of their incomes. Therefore, congress rarely passes cutbacks; their concern for reelection is too great.

Many sources conspire against any sort of reform of social welfare programs, some good, some bad. Originally designed to protect the elderly during the depression, welfare programs evolved to include all of the American poor, but also some factions that were not suffering. Abuse of these programs by corporations leads to a push to eliminate ways for the system to be exploited, but the need of the poor outweighs the negatives. Being the most powerful country in the world means that we should be able to take care of all of our citizens. The wealthiest nation should make sure that children are not hungry and that the elderly are cared for. Without these programs in place, that would not happen, and no one wants the poor to suffer.