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Everyone in America works to make a living, well, almost everyone. Beneficial to many, though hated by more, welfare has become a central argument in American Politics. Welfare is not an old program in the United States. However, in the last quarter of a century there has been some excess controversy over the Welfare Budget. Welfare is government program in which individuals who cannot support their families, either from lack of employment or lack of good employment, can receive money from the government as aid. The first programs originate from the 1930s as the New Deal when the United States clawed its way out of the Great Depression (Auerbach). The program has its draw backs though. "Welfare is hated by those who administer it, mistrusted by those who pay for it and held in contempt by those who receive it" (Goldmark, 1). The United States is currently divided between people who feel that we should continue to keep the welfare budget as it is and those who feel the welfare budget is too large and needs to be cut down. …show more content…
Although it can be interpreted many ways, welfare is interpreted by many as food stamps. According to the U.S. government site, welfare doesn’t stop at food stamps, the program can range from medical assistance to child support programs (1). Citizens in favor of the program argue that the program is very diverse and beneficial to most Americans and deserves all the funding it can get. “The vast majority of American -- about 96 percent -- benefit from some kind of government social program” (Morgan 1). If 96 percent of Americans benefit from some type of welfare who would want to cut
When speaking about Welfare we try to avoid it, turning welfare into an unacceptable word. In the Article “One Nation On Welfare. Living Your Life On The Dole” by Michael Grunwald, his point is to not just only show but prove to the readers that the word Welfare is not unacceptable or to avoid it but embrace it and take advantage of it. After reading this essay Americans will see the true way of effectively understanding the word welfare, by absorbing his personal experiences, Facts and Statistics, and the repetition Grunwald conveys.
There have been numerous debates within the last decade over what needs to be done about welfare and what is the best welfare reform plan. In the mid-1990s the TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Act was proposed under the Clinton administration. This plan was not received well since it had put a five year lifetime limit on receiving welfare and did not supply the necessary accommodations to help people in poverty follow this guideline. Under the impression that people could easily have found a job and worked their way out of poverty in five years, the plan was passed in 1996 and people in poverty were immediately forced to start looking for jobs. When the TANF Act was up for renewal earlier this year, the Bush administration carefully looked at what the TANF Act had done for the poverty stricken. Bush realized that, in his opinion, the plan had been successful and should stay in effect with some minor tweaking. Bush proposed a similar plan which kept the five year welfare restriction in place but did raise the budgeted amount of money to be placed towards childcare and food stamps. Both the TANF Act and Bush's revised bill have caused a huge controversy between liberal and conservative activists. The liberals feel that it is cruel to put people in a situation where they can no longer receive help from the government since so many people can not simply go out and get a job and work their way out of poverty. They feel if finding a job was that easy, most people would have already worked their way out of poverty. The conservatives feel that the plans, such as the TANF Act, are a surefire way to lower poverty levels and unemployment rates as well as decrease the amount o...
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.
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...
The welfare system has helped families over time sometimes for their entire lives. Welfare is a social support system that helps families. It is provided by the government. Funding for the welfare system comes from general government revenue. The welfare system was originally call the aid to dependent children and this was created in the great depression. The AFDC was created to decrease the poverty during this time in American history. Overtime the welfare system has evolved. Although welfare provides assistance to some families, some people take advantage of the system by living off of unemployment and this can cause unfair expenses for taxpayers.
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
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.
Welfare is supposed to be financial support given to people in need. The welfare program began in the 1930's during the Great Depression. The US government wanted to help people and their families that was in need of aid, so they created a welfare program that assistant those who had little or no income. There’s nothing wrong with assisting people who need the help, but the problem arises when people abuse the program. It’s not fair when the government takes money from the hard working people and redistribute the money to the citizens that’s “needy”. Some argue that welfare is a good thing because it helps truly desperate and deserving individuals. If the individuals were truly desperate, then there would be no problem with welfare.
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.
There have been many debates on whether or not welfare is a good thing. Welfare is a great system for those who are in need of it, but there are many people on welfare who don’t need it. A lot of people cheat the welfare system and this needs to be stopped. Welfare should enforce stricter policies, where you are only allowed to be on welfare for a certain amount of time, unless you have a disability that keeps you from working. This will help our economy grow by decreasing the unemployment rate and have more money to
Many believe that welfare is capable of ending poverty, but in no way is that possible. Welfare is nothing but a program that was designed by the government to help citizens that
Ever since its creation in the 1930’s, Welfare has somehow stayed in the forefront of America’s mind and not in a good way. If you ask any white middle class American how they feel about Welfare, most of the time they will tell you that it is a waste of tax payers’ money. Surprisingly however, many believe that the government should help those who suffer from poverty. The reason why white middle class Americans despise Welfare so much is due to their racist views. Most white middle class Americans believe that Welfare supports lazy black people, particularly men, who have poor work ethics and decided to leech off the government till the day they die. This idea can find its origins in the Reagan era, when President Reagan was trying to convince Americans that government intervention was a detriment to society. In actuality, the Welfare state has helped the lives of many stricken with poverty.
America is the greatest nation in the world. That is a sentence that has been stated many times by many different people, for many different reasons. Whether those reasons are militarily related, based on global political influence, or even economically. However one reason that this statement is repeated over and over again is the fact that America is the “land of opportunity”, a place where anyone can come, work hard and make something of themselves. No matter your age, race, religion, gender or creed, in America you have the opportunity to make something better for yourself and your family. However this ability, this “American Dream” is under attack. Not only is it under attack, it is under attack from within, from our own citizens. The motto of America seems to be changing, from “the land of opportunity”, a place you can work your way to prosperity, to the land of giving, a place where you can lounge yourself through life on someone else’s dime.