[ShadyLady]

Would you like to cut off welfare progrms? Why?
How would you go about doing this?

[N0help4u]

There will always be poor, needy and less fortunate.
I do not think it should be cut but restructured so that not everybody is eligible just because they have a baby or because they are lazy.
One thing is teens need to be taught differently about sex ed so they are not thinking it is okay to just go around having sex and ending up pregnant then get on welfare. Where I live it is like a dog breeding factory for the past 10 yrs. Like this guy came here from down South. He is homeless so he sleeps with three different girls every night (Remember playing musical chairs? Now they play musical beds.)
The one just had a baby to another guy and is pregnant to another guy and now she is sleeping with this guy.
He doesn't keep it a secret that he has gf's in three different states.

[creekpeople]

[B]From boat21 and creekpeople welfare or not!! Explain this to us. To get a job at a Corporation you have to get drug tested. To get a job at a hospital, same thing. Working for the government, ditto. So explain why a Welfare recipient can get a paycheck from the government and not have to take a drug test!! Welfare, yes with a drug test. Welfare NO without one. Boat21 was going to ask on a thread why the government doesn't randomly test welfare recipients and yet most government employees have to get tested. That should be the answer to welfare yes... or no.

[Fr_Chuck]

I would like to see either required government work programs, picking up trash at the park, cleaning fire trucks, anything, or training programs that they to actually go to before they will earn any welfare money.

And agreed, they must pass a drug test each month or week, since if they have money for drugs they don't need welfare

[KBC]

Some of the problem with putting the welfare recipient to work would be 'How do they get there?'

Public transportation is all good if your in a city environment,but what about those who are 10,15,or 20 miles out in the country?

The welfare system was brought to bare when?

And back then what were the criteria for receiving it?

WHO made the changes since then,ratifying the system till it got to the state it's in today?

I suspect those answers will be forthcoming from the political members who have the research and debating skills I sadly lack.

Good topic.

[creekpeople]

Welfare can not be cut but there should be more restrictions applied. They could be asked to work/volunteer for their money. This could 'break' the Welfare chain in families. They could gain more respect for themselves by being 'useful', accomplishing something, anything. There should be a cap on the number of children, sans fathers, that each person collects. This requirement would also profit the children as fewer would receive more attention from 'Mom'.

[N0help4u]

Something needs to be done because while welfare is a necessity for some too many abuse it
Today on the radio they were talking about a 29 yr old woman that has 9 kids and wants to be given a van. Then where is she going to get the money for insurance. She already gets charities to support her besides her welfare. She doesn't collect child support and who's to say she doesn't have more kids?

[21boat]

How welfare effects your taxes! The state of Delaware has NO NO sales tax because its not a welfare state that way. And no its not Dupont that suck it up to offset taxes. Even my property tax is cheap! Hear is another Major FLAW!! In the system. I found out from a police officer he arrested a person that had 3 welfare check stubs in his wallet! 1 N.Y, 2 N.J. 3 Pa. He called N.Y. welfare office and they said they can't do anything about that now times that by how many!! But yet the I.R.S will bust my chops of my business on audit and my taxes are way out of control. We cloud literally save 100s of millions If we check for fraud and how hard is that with a tied in computer system. We could pay off that system probably the first year or so on how much it will save the government. Lets clarfie that the "Goverment" Dha How much it will save the "people" police fraud on welfare recipients.
Too much of welfare has also become come a supplemental income for the drug dealers to get a check until the get paid for there deals they need to collect.
Signed I am mad money out of my families mouth to a thief's!!!!!!
P.S. It might cost more to jail them get this I looked up costs to jail a person for a year over $90,000.00 a year!!!! per person!

[N0help4u]

I think now with all the corp. bailouts and all the welfare recips. Are going to be a drop in the bucket. We ain't seen nothing yet!

[andrewc24301]

I agree that any welfare recipents should be drug tested.

Now, I live in a section 8 kind of area. I'm not a section 8 guy, I pay all my bills and get no assistance, I just happen to live in "that side of town". And I see how the welfare class is, first hand, and my thought on welfare is it is a complete and total WASTE of tax payer money.

I would allow welfare for children only, as they can not be expected to fend for theirself. Of course, the parents would be the stewards of the money, but they had better do a darn good job of taking care of the kids. They need to at least TRY to work. I think it should be like unemployment, where you have to put in so many applications per week to keep the benifet.

After so long of a time, the parent still doesn't get a job, then other measures need to be taken, it's time for social services to step in, because I believe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, if the kid isn't placed in a "working family" environment, then we will breed a whole new generation of welfare moochers.

Girls that get knocked up:
Easy. Welfare is granted under the terms above, under the condition that the woman gets her tubes tied. The father of the child pays for the procedure. (not tax payers) the father of the child can avoid this if he agrees to have himself "snipped" as well.

As far as general welfare when no kids are involved. No kids, no welfare, get a job or stave.

[andrewc24301]

And don't tell me there are no jobs. There is always a job to do, somewhere. It might not be a gravy job, or a high paying job, but a job is a job. Be it flipping burgers or digging ditches.

Personally, I respect the ditch digger and the casheir FAAAAR more than I respect the CEO's that are on Wallstreet.

BTW I don't mind anyone getting some assistance if they are at least working 30-40 hours per week... or doing the best they can do.

But this thing of people sitting on their lazy butt and collecting off me every month is for the birds.

Pardon me if these comments offended, frankly, I don't care, looking at my last paystub, I have paid over $6,000 in taxes this year, plus $6,000 in insurance premiums for MY FAMILY. Plus I have to deal with the annoyances of the "welfare class" in my neighborhood every day. Welfare? I'd be better off without it, and I can think of a few better things I could have done with that six grand.

[Akoue]

Every dollar of welfare creates 1.50 of economic activity, so the "economic drain" argument doesn't fly. We're all better off if people who aren't working get welfare; it actually helps the economy. There are a huge number of people on welfare because they have serious medical problems that prevent them from working (many of them would love to work, by the way, since welfare doesn't afford them a particularly lofty standard of living). And while it's true that there are people on welfare because they are lazy, I'm not sure that starvation is an appropriate punishment for the vice of laziness. At the rate at which our economy is bleeding jobs, this is the worst possible time to cut welfare programs.

[N0help4u]

I agree that far too many people abuse the welfare system, especially too many taking advantage selling their food stamps for drugs.
BUT I do not agree that anybody can find a job.
I was married and had 4 kids THEN things didn't work and I ended up divorced. NOBODY would watch my kids. Children's Services couldn't even find anybody willing to watch them so I HAD to stay home with them and there was NO way I could work.
Then when they were in their teens. I got a job that was mostly during school hours. Children's Services said I had to quit because I was not home for them right after school. They said they were classified as 'special needs' so I couldn't do as other parents did. So I quit.
Then when they were older I tried to find work. I applied hundreds of jobs for 3 months and didn't get anything. My daughter applied many of the same places only kept the jobs a few weeks and quit. Within 5 months she worked at Kentucky fried Chicken, McDonalds, Burger King and some other places.
I really believe they hired her because of age. They told me I didn't have any experience whenever I had on my resume that I did work a bunch of restaurants in the '70's and she had never worked anywhere before.
Also you would be very surprised if you sat in the welfare office nowadays. SOOOO many of the people applying are very middle class looking office worker types in their early 50's that got laid off and can't get a job most likely because of their age.

Also you figure, if you shut down the welfare system how many jobs that is going to affect. The welfare workers --out a job.
Maybe they could go get a job at the day care centers to watch the welfare parents kids that would be working?

I really do not believe there are enough jobs no matter how little you are willing to work for an hour.

The bailouts to large corps are a bigger threat. They said all the bailout money so far exceeds all the money that we have spent on WW! WW!! Korean war, Vietnam war, Desert storm and this Iraqi war combined.

[excon]

Hello:

I agree. Before we give any more CORPORATE welfare, the CEO'S should be drug tested.

POOR people, on the other hand, should receive help because they're POOR - NOT because they're wonderful people.

Should the help you receive, (like a deduction on your interest) be based upon how wonderful YOU are?? WHAT?? Deducting your interest isn't welfare to you because you own a house and I don't?? ). Oh, I understand. A deduction ISN'T welfare - it's the law. I got it now.

But, of course, any time the government opens up the cash window, the GOOD guys are going to call what THEY get something dignified, like "bailout", or "tax credit", or "subsidy"... But, the money the POOR receive is called welfare...

And, you people buy into this crap.

Bwa, ha ha ha ha.

excon

[N0help4u]

I also haven't mentioned that many people can not get jobs because of transportation issues. Some are homeless with no phone and no way for someone to contact them for an interview.
In fact, some homeless wouldn't even have a way to get a shower and a clean change of clothes for an interview.
Many have mental illnesses and would be unable to follow up responsibly to get and keep work.
Many it is of their own doing but the fact is that is where they are now and not much can reverse their bad mistakes especially when they can't even see they have a problem.

It would be great if somebody could follow lives of people on welfare to deem if they are truly in need of welfare or if they are just playing the system for all they can get. But I don't see that happening. Kids make mistakes and have a bunch of kids by the time they are 21. As I said earlier what should be done about that? It is the system failing these kids to make them glorify kids having kids. The sex education needs to take a different approach to deter kids from wanting kids. I see it all the time 14 and 15 yr old girls idealizing having a baby and then they get bored with it and pass the baby onto their mom. Their mom (grandma) can't afford to feed another mouth and makes daughter go get on welfare. Dad is off the hook because she didn't want to make him pay child support so she put Father: unknown on birth certificate. Now it is the taxpayers problem.
The taxpayer is paying hundreds of dollars per day for each student to get a faulty sex education. Then the taxpayer is paying into the welfare system to pay for the student to feed the baby. Then some moms sell the food stamps to pay for drugs and beg the neighbors to feed their child.

[andrewc24301]

So you're trying to tell me, that everyone should be on welfare? (Akoue), I'm not going to put a "red box" on your profile, because this is a political debate and I just don't think it proper on a self help website, but I do, "dissagree".

If EVERYONE was on welfare, what tax dollars would fund the system? If I were on welfare, the government would be almost $12,000 poorer.

No, I take that back, since I pay for my own insurance, if I were on welfare, and the government paid for my insurance, as well as the cost of the actual insurance (what they cover), then given the surgeries my wife had, we would have probably cost the system $50,000 this year. In addition to what they would have paid me.

Now, I understand the problem with this countries finanical system, to many people not working, and drawing welfare, and too few paying into the system.

Out of the $4,000 I paid the federal government this year... what did I get for that money? Nothing.

And FYI - I dissagree with the whole economic stimulous plan! Granted, they send me another check, I'm going to cash it, but I would have been just find had they have not. The government can not afford it, and I really don't need it.

Child tax credit?
Please, any money I get back from the federal government, I have to turn around and pay the state with it. There might be $400 or so left over. Hardly enough to offset the expenses of having a child.

At one time, I would have agreed with you all, I would had a kind heart.

Not any more, not after I made the mistake of moving into this neighborhood without researching the surrounding homes first. Not after living 5 years in this welfare abundant, unemployed town. I see the level of disrespect these unemployed people dish out daily. Drugs, fussing, cussing, partying all night. And why not? Do they have to work the next day? Hardley. Running a fan all night drowns out much of the noise, but does little to drown out the occasional thumping car that drives by at 3AM.

Now DISSABILITY is a whole different subject. Of course, if you are disabled, then I have no problem with someone drawing social security, same goes for retirement.

That is a separate (in theory) fund that everyone who has worked has paid into while they were working. If someone wins a dissability claim, then they will receive no grief from me. I do think it's assinine that you could amputed ams and legs, blind as a bat, can not hear, or speak, and you still have to hire a lawyer to win a case.

I respect your thoughts and opinions, but I do dissagree with them.

But in reality, it really makes no difference, welfare ain't going nowhere... Perhaps someday I will cross the financial threshold and be able to afford the high taxes I have to pay as well as a nicer place to live away with this wannabe ghetto. I could have afforded it a long time ago, two years of taxes paid would have made a nice downpayment.

[andrewc24301]

Anyway, to put it simpler, as I said before, welfare for children only. All others fend for theirself.

Oh, and by the way, Nohelp4u. I consider staying at home and raising a family a full time job. I understand the difficulties of finding affordable daycare and a job that can pay for it. Our family is having this same problem.

But all the same, we are still not on assistance. My hands bring the food to the table and keep the lights on. And that's not because I landed a good job. Sure it helps, but we have been poor before. When my wife won custody of her child, I was bringing home about $13,000 per year. The only assistance we had, was her child was on Medicaid. (as I said, for children only)

Impossible to do without welfare? Well, consider we we lived a simple life, we don't drink, smoke or do drugs. I drove to work in a beat up nissan sentra that I got for $300. When the furnace blew up, we heated on kerosene heaters. We took a calculator to the grocery store, we didn't buy snack cakes and junk food, we purchased beans, rice, simple foods, breads, flour, I grew a garden. We didn't have to have all the newest things. This was only 5 years ago, we didn't have a DVD player, game console. Our TV was purchased at a thift store and still had dails, two channels didn't work. There were times we just coulnt make the ends meet. I would do odd jobs when I could, once in a while, literally worked for food. But we made it. And damn proud of it!

[N0help4u]

That is great that you are able to do that. I wish every mother was in your circumstances.

[artlady]

Welfare in and of itself is a program for needy families and it is a life saver for many people.

In a failing economy many people have found they must turn to food stamps and also help with paying their heating costs (HEAP)

The people who abuse the system are where the problem lies.


In New york there is a jobs program and if you want to be on public assistance you must work for it if you are physically able.If not you must have a statement from a doctor.

The problem of welfare is multi-faceted.

When we cut programs that help people to gain employment and cut head start programs for needy children we are leaving these people behind.We need to keep these programs open and thus end the cycle of dependency.

[N0help4u]

Yes the abusers are the problem.
With welfare reform you can only get so many years of cash asst.
If you and the dad live together they make one of you go out and work or they cut you off. They even will make some single moms go get jobs too. One lady had just had a baby, fresh out of the hospital and they were making her go to the classes before cutting you off. She had no way to get her kids to any daycare and then make it to a job. Yet the lazy abusers seem to never get 'sanctioned'. I think more people need to turn in the abusers but that doesn't seem to work either.