Pros And Cons Of Welfare Reform
Nichole Lugo
Professor Wenzell
English 120-7202
6 April 2017
Welfare Reform: Hand Up or Hand Out?
There are approximately 67,891,000 Americans receiving government assistance, that is roughly 21% of the American population using some form of welfare. (Statistic Brain) While situations may arise, and people need help, the welfare system is now being used as a crutch rather than a stepping stone to becoming independent. The government should place more conditions on the various welfare programs. People all across the country are now abusing a system that was put in place to help people survive in a time of need. Welfare was created in the 1930s following the Great Depression to provide people with some assistance while the economy was at a low …show more content…
California had a policy in place called the, “Maximum Family Grant Rule”, but it was recently repealed as the state felt it was doing more harm than good. This policy did not reduce the number of children being born to welfare recipients as they had hoped and California felt children were not getting the benefits they needed. If you are on welfare and make the decision to have another child, you should not be allowed to receive even more compensation for that child. Many women are using the system to justify having more children and see these programs as “free money.” Not to say that women are having more children because of this program but it’s not deterring them either. We need to stop throwing money at the problem and instill more programs to help people to be employed and learn how to live on their own. It goes back to the old saying that if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, you teach him to fish and he eats for the rest of his life. The government feels like it’s doing its job by taking care of the children but it actually is putting children at a disadvantage later in life. “A study by Gordon Dahl looks at data from Norway's "disability insurance" (DI) system and finds that when a parent is allowed DI, their adult child's likelihood of participation over the next five years increases by 6%, and grows to 12% after ten …show more content…
In 12 states and DC, the welfare package is more generous than a $15-an-hour job. Of course, not everyone on welfare gets all seven of the benefits in our study. But, for many recipients — particularly the “long-term” dependents — welfare clearly pays substantially more than an entry-level job. To be clear: There is no evidence that people on welfare are lazy. Indeed, surveys of them consistently show their desire for a job. But they’re also not stupid. If you pay them more not to work than they can earn by working, many will choose not to work”
Professor Wenzell
English 120-7202
6 April 2017
Welfare Reform: Hand Up or Hand Out?
There are approximately 67,891,000 Americans receiving government assistance, that is roughly 21% of the American population using some form of welfare. (Statistic Brain) While situations may arise, and people need help, the welfare system is now being used as a crutch rather than a stepping stone to becoming independent. The government should place more conditions on the various welfare programs. People all across the country are now abusing a system that was put in place to help people survive in a time of need. Welfare was created in the 1930s following the Great Depression to provide people with some assistance while the economy was at a low …show more content…
California had a policy in place called the, “Maximum Family Grant Rule”, but it was recently repealed as the state felt it was doing more harm than good. This policy did not reduce the number of children being born to welfare recipients as they had hoped and California felt children were not getting the benefits they needed. If you are on welfare and make the decision to have another child, you should not be allowed to receive even more compensation for that child. Many women are using the system to justify having more children and see these programs as “free money.” Not to say that women are having more children because of this program but it’s not deterring them either. We need to stop throwing money at the problem and instill more programs to help people to be employed and learn how to live on their own. It goes back to the old saying that if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, you teach him to fish and he eats for the rest of his life. The government feels like it’s doing its job by taking care of the children but it actually is putting children at a disadvantage later in life. “A study by Gordon Dahl looks at data from Norway's "disability insurance" (DI) system and finds that when a parent is allowed DI, their adult child's likelihood of participation over the next five years increases by 6%, and grows to 12% after ten …show more content…
In 12 states and DC, the welfare package is more generous than a $15-an-hour job. Of course, not everyone on welfare gets all seven of the benefits in our study. But, for many recipients — particularly the “long-term” dependents — welfare clearly pays substantially more than an entry-level job. To be clear: There is no evidence that people on welfare are lazy. Indeed, surveys of them consistently show their desire for a job. But they’re also not stupid. If you pay them more not to work than they can earn by working, many will choose not to work”