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United States Welfare Policy Analysis

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The United States welfare policy is designed to aid sick, aging, and disabled Americans through programs consisting like SNAP, Social Security, and Medicare. While these programs have a simple mission of helping those in need, they are muddled by a complex and sometimes inefficient bureaucracy. This intensive analysis will seek to address each of the following: 1) the U.S. government’s responsibility to the welfare of its citizens 2) the problems with the current policy and the government’s action to address such problems 3) an analysis of the American welfare system’s future potential. The first section of this report will offer history on the introduction of welfare to the United States despite limited government being among America's …show more content…

In 1896, New Jersey established a teachers’ pension plan, likely the oldest in the nation. New York State and New York City set up retirement systems for their employees in 1920. In 1920 the Civil Service Retirement System was also established to provide retirement benefits to employees of the U.S. federal government. Members of the Armed Forces, however, were the first group to receive general welfare. The General Pension Act of 1862 offered compensation based rank and degree of disability, to disabled soldiers, widows, and dependents. Land grants and money allowing for the hire of a nurse or maid were other benefits extended to veterans early on. https://www.ssa.gov/history/briefhistory3.html By 1910, over 90% of the remaining Civil War veterans were receiving benefits under this program, although they constituted barely .6% of …show more content…

Constitution. Article 1, Section 8 states that to "provide for them… general welfare" is among the powers of Congress. Amongst the founders, disagreement prevailed over the phrase’s meaning. James Madison thought that limiting taxes and spending money on Congress’s powers as outlined in the Constitution was the way to advance the general welfare. Alexander Hamilton saw the phrase as having a more expansive meaning that allowed for taxation and spending on initiatives that were not directly outlined in the Constitution. During the turmoil of the Great Depression, Congress used their power to boost the general welfare with the Social Security Act of 1935, therefore assuming a Hamiltonian interpretation of the

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