“Michigan lottery winner arrested on charges of felony welfare fraud”
-- Melissa Anders --
Poverty is an issue in America that has become a growing problem. While it may not necessarily be an issue that gains a lot of attention from people in today’s society, it is still a problem that should be addressed, especially in times of economic hardship like the ones that we are currently experiencing. Money has become tight for a lot of people, but there are still those that have always had a problem meeting the needs that they have in everyday life. In order to address this problem, the government put into place many government aid programs that are designed to help those when they are truly in need of it. However, it seems that today there are many people who are receiving government aid that do not truly need it. These are the people that cheat the system and the tax payers who are paying for the benefits that they are receiving.
Before the topic of government aid is addressed, there is information about the poverty rates that puts the topic in perspective.
The poverty rate in America has recently increased a noticeable amount. The poverty rate increased from 13.2% in 2008 to 14.3% in 2009. This meant that in 2009 there were 43.6 million people living in poverty (Poverty 298). With this many people that are reported living in poverty, it is clearly demonstrated that there are those who need the support of the government. However, it does not mean that everyone who is receiving government aid actually needs it. There are still those that manage to find ways to cheat the system, which creates problems for the tax payers. Since they are the ones who are forced by the government to provide the money for those that are struggling to make ends meet, they do not want to be responsible for those that are capable of doing it on their own.
The goal is to address why the welfare system needs to be reformed, however first it is necessary to understand what welfare actually is.
Welfare is one government aid program that is designed to help those living in poverty. It is essentially financial aid for those living in poverty. While this is not the only government aid program that exists to help those in need, it is a very large program. It was first put in place in the 1930s during the gre...
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...hose who need the assistance receive it. I think that the reform on the system is going to take a lot of time, but I also think that in the end, the reform will be a success as it will limit the amount of money that is wasted on those that do not need it.
Works Cited
B, Penny. “American Citizens Abusing the Welfare System: Your Reactions – by Penny B - Helium.” Helium – Where Knowledge Rules. Web. 20 Jan. 2011. < http://www.helium.com/items/1006371-american-citizens-abusing-the-welfare-system- your-reactions.>
Borjas, George J., and Stephen J. Trejo. “Immigrant Participation in the Welfare System.” Industrial and Labor Relations Review 44.2 (1991): 195-211. JSTOR. Cornell University, School of Industrial & Labor Relations. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. .
Corcoran, M. “RAGS TO RAGS: POVERTY AND MOBILITY IN THE UNITED STATES.”Annual Review of Sociology 21.1 (1995): 237. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.
“Poverty in the United States.” Congressional Digest 89.10 (2010): 298-300. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
Melissa Anders -- http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/lottery_winner_arrested_on_cha.html
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Poverty in America is a very complex issue that can be looked at from many directions. There are a plethora of statistics and theories about poverty in America that can be confusing and at times contradicting. It is important to objectively view statistics to gain a better understanding of poverty and to wade through the stereotypes and the haze of cultural views that can misrepresent the situation.The official poverty line in America begins with a person making at or below $12,060. To calculate the poverty line for a family, an additional $4,180 is added to the base of $12,060 for each additional member(“Federal Poverty Level Guidelines”). According to the last U.S. census, over 45 million or 14.5% of Americans are at or below the poverty line(Worstall). At this level, the U.S. poverty level has not changed much from the 1970s when the government began a “War on Poverty.” However,
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Since poverty affects a wide array of people, poverty has evolved into a very complex issue. And even though the government has passed legislature to try to ameliorate the situation, many of these means-tested measures like food stamps, have only been able to help the surface of poverty and fails to rip out the long roots poverty has grown throughout history. Poverty’s deep effects are seen especially in minorities as they struggle much more to leave a current situation that has been created by historical process. Even though government assistance like food stamps do help alleviate some of poverty’s burden, these measures fail to recognize the reality that many of the impoverished minority have undervalued homes or no homes at all and even if they can rent, that rent can be high enough to take up more than fifty-percent of their paychecks. Overall, poverty in America is a vastly complicated issue rooted throughout history. And even though the government has attempted to pass legislature to help provide relief from poverty, America still has yet to provide measures that target the roots of poverty and until then, the government assistance it does provide will only be superficial and fail to provide long-term solutions to a complicated
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Issitt, Micah, L. Flynn. "Welfare: An Overview." Points Of View: Welfare (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 5 Jan. 2014.
I have concluded that there are five major problems within our American government assistance system. One, the welfare system is too generous. There is evidence of this within the article because it states that government assistance spending has more than doubled since 2008. It also states that in poor countries people only have the choice to work or starve. They choose to work long hours and we choose to not work and receive benefits. There is definitely a problem with our assistance system if a single mother could receive more money in benefits than a secretary who works. Two, the welfare system becomes a crutch and acts as a government safety net. It creates idleness and comfort with people who rather receive a generous amount of benefits than work. Three, one-third of people claim disability are actually able to work. Four, states have significantly differen...
Welfare is a great incentive program to help the ones in need, to maintain basic human needs. Over time people have started to misuse the system. The program is created for the ones who worked really hard or can't work because of any physical or mental challenge. Many Americans on Welfare today, don't want to work, and collect free money from the government. The homeless that are on the streets deserve it more than anyone. Our country is aware, but we are not taking action, we need to step up and end this immorality. Welfare should be reformed, because many people are abusing it, its putting our government in debt, and giving away tax money from paychecks of the ones who work. However, Welfare is great for the ones who work hard, and still have a hard time supporting their families.
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.
Welfare is described as a short-term program designed to give Americans a chance to build them up financially in order to stabilize. This government assistance is supposed to give those in need time to get a proper job and to stabilize. It helps its receivers by letting them become aware of the different programs the government acquires. Such programs include its childcare services which give the child or children a place to stay while the mother finds a job or is working. Another program is it gi...
This nation has a problem: more of its citizens rely on the federal government for help than to support themselves with a full time job. Poverty has many negative effects on the people who suffer from it and on the economy. Everyone needs to be made aware of poverty and the many negative effects it has on people. There are things that could be done to help reduce the amount of people that are in poverty. Reducing poverty would decrease health risks, strengthen the middle class, and help the democracy.
Although poverty is a tremendous issue in America, there are practical solutions to remove, or at least lessen, the inequality it poses in society. Through government intervention and an active commitment to the issue by citizens, progress can be made.