Welfare Argument Essay

Welfare officially started after the Great Depression in the 1930s. On top of guaranteed cash payments to the poor, monthly benefits were given out to single mothers and children regardless of their ability to work, assets on hand, or personal circumstances. There was also no time limit on the welfare program. Once accepted, people could stay on welfare for their entire lives. In the 1990s, public opinion had turned strongly against the old welfare system. The welfare system included no incentive for recipients to seek employment. More people enrolled in welfare because they wanted the support, rather than needed it. The system was viewed as rewarding, and it made poverty rates and welfare enrollments rise. It was in 1996 that the government realized they needed to make a change.’

“Welfare's purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence (Ronald Reagan).” The Government stands tall as the “big brother” and takes the responsibility of holding the United States up. The question is, is it too much to bear? The United States following the Dust Bowl was a disaster, and this was the first time in history many looked to the government for assistance in holding the country up. What began nearly 100 years ago never ended and only grew into what it is today: welfare, where anyone struggling can receive assistance. Since the 1930’s much has changed, today the government assists low income Americans in many ways just two are providing food and housing.

Welfare started as a temporary response to the economic crash in the 1930s. Its primary goal was to provide cushioning to the families who lost the ability to be self-sufficient during the Great Depression. Yet, as America slowly rose back to becoming prosperous and wealthy, a significant chunk of America's population stayed below in the transitioning social system. The welfare system started to become counterproductive to the government so that, in the 1990s, Clinton hastily came up with legislation to end welfare, more famously known as the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. This road that Clinton led ended in a downfall as more people than ever before are now dependent on the federal government for food, housing, and income. Our current welfare reform may need another reform before welfare can truly end.

The welfare system has been controversial throughout U.S. history. It is constantly under attack and is often the chosen topic of political debates. In 2015, 35.4% of Americans were on welfare (Boyd). Welfare is a government ran program, where the government gives benefits to people who cannot afford to take care of themselves or their family (“Brief”). The benefits that the government gives to the people are money and the necessities they need to live a normal life (“Welfare” 825). The welfare system is an interesting topic and has many layers. Although it is necessary, at the same time it is frustrating for many politicians and U.S. citizens. Numerous people abuse the welfare system everyday. People have found many ways to take

Welfare abuse is a severe problem across the country. Each year, millions of Americans receive government benefits such as housing assistance, food stamps, telephone service, and other funds. Welfare is a kind of system that is being set by a government to help and assist families and individuals who are having a hard time providing for themselves such as food, clothing, education and health assistance. This program helped many families survive during The Great Depression and still helps families survive today. Welfare, which was once meant to help individuals re enter society, has been abused and manipulated. The abuse of the Welfare System has become a serious problem. Many dependent persons rely mainly on welfare for their sole source of

Today our welfare programs give out too much money and the systems need to be reformed again. In 1996 The Welfare Reform Act was enacted and it changed the entire program for the better. However, since then, the programs have become abused and need to be reformed again. Many of the people that receive state or federal funding have more luxury items than the average middle class family. The government should check-in on the families that are receiving assistance to make sure they actually need the assistance. The government should also place more stipulations on the various welfare programs in the state. There are several people all across the country that are abusing the system that was put in place to help get people survive in a time of

Can a single mother of three working full time for minimum wage afford to pay ' by herself ' for food, clothing, transportation, childcare, occupational training and medical care? Without government aid, the obvious answer is no. Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), as described by Robert Kuttner, is a government aid program designed 'to help all of the working poor rise out of poverty.' It includes tuition reimbursements, wage supplements, and above all, childcare? (Kuttner). It creates a more equal opportunity for those at a disadvantage to improve themselves and their situation. TANF, 'which limits the time families can remain on welfare, appears to be a smashing success' (Cohn). First, if eligibility were to become stricter, seeking

First of all, Welfare plays one of the major factors why the United States still in debt, there are one hundred and twenty six antipoverty programs in America today. The nationwide welfare spending has risen from $107 billion to $688 billion dollars, which is an average of 640% with the ultimate goal to decrease or end poverty in America. In 1966, the poverty rate was at 14.3%, according to www.census.gov, US poverty rate in 2014 was14.9% and last year’s poverty rate was at 14.8%. In the

In 1935, Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act which, among other things, provided for the financial, medical, and material needs of the poor (Komisar 125,128). Since then, there have many additions and reforms to the bill, none of which has served to quell the controversy surrounding the effectiveness of the welfare system in the United States. The main concerns of the distribution of welfare dollars and resources can be answered by the questions ?Who gets assistance?? and ?How much do they receive??. The U.S. welfare system is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, which attempts to answer these questions through a system of minimum incomes, government-calculated poverty levels, number of children, health problems, and many other criteria. This complicated system leads to one of the critiques of the welfare system?that it is too large and inefficient. President Lyndon Johnson declared a ?War on Poverty? in 1964 designed to alleviate the burden of the poor and established the Food Stamp program the next year (Patterson 139). In 1996, a major welfare reform bill was passed that placed time limits on welfare assistance, required able participants to actively seek employment, and implemented additional services for the needy (Patterson 217).

The extensive amount the government spends on welfare could easily be spent on more productive things. Not only that, but more has been spent on the war on poverty than the combined cost of all American wars ever. Which considering those go all the way back to the Revolutionary War, that is an absolute disgrace to this country and its citizens. All of this government spending gives people significant incentive to stay on welfare (3). Welfare is meant to be a temporary necessity, not a way of life. With the government money and state money combined, 10.3 trillion is disbursed on welfare (Bandow 2). It is estimated that welfare spending will increase from five to six percent GPA by the end of the decade (Gaiser 2). That is a preposterous amount and there is no reason for our country to spend so much money supporting people who choose not to work. Society would be a better place if people would put in an actual effort in life and not collect the money of those who

There remains a remnant of citizens who honestly cannot do without the welfare system and who abide by the regulation of the welfare system, however, the system unintentionally invites scam artists. The ways of abusing the welfare system continuos to grow. Here are just a few of the examples. Citizens are staying single parents in order to receive aid. Parents view having more children as a gateway to receiving more money from the system. Recipients refuse to search for jobs and report employment in order to continue receiving assistance. People seem to easily make false claims, requesting assistance when they do not need it. Although, there is a set time period for receiving funds many citizens become comfortable and lazy during assistance. The whole purpose of the system is to get citizens through rough economical problems and back to a independent lifestyle without government aid. However, the systems seems to encourage complacency in society and provide fraud play in

two years if at least one year has been spent in a work program. States must

First of all, people who are on welfare usually do become dependent on assistance because it gives them an incentive to avoid work. Many generations of families have been living on welfare assistance and have not made any reasonable efforts to prosper within our society. According to the article Welfare in the United States, “Some people get on welfare because they were laid off or relocated, but whatever the reason, some get stuck on welfare much longer than necessary and no one has the ability to remove them” (Redyns, 2007). Welfare was designed to give a boost to the poor, and help struggling families make it through the year,

Welfare was created as an amendment to the social security act of 1935 in 1939. Before this many things were being implemented already as a form of welfare. Such as Medicaid, food stamps, and SSI (Supplement Security Income). During this time was the great depression which extremely affected the American economy, causing thousands of people to become unemployed. These established many of the programs that built the way welfare is shaped today such as the AFDC (Aid to Families with Independent Children). Due to these being created there had to organizations and agencies to supervise

Welfare state is one of the most important political and economic concepts of the twentieth century. The welfare state is a place in which responsibility for the care of the public in matters such as welfare, health, education, housing and working takes the government.