Making Changes...

I'm now 61 years old and have never been out of work more than a few days, usually going from one job to the next.In the past 30 years, I've had 2 jobs and 1 of those was in the military. I feel there is a job available to everybody if they are willing to do it. Some of the jobs are not glamarous like flipping burgers but sometimes we have to do what we do. ***************NOW TO THE BIG QUESTION, WHAT WOULD I DO TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.********* Anybody drawing welfare, food stamps ect. who are able bodied men and women and not over the age of 62 would be required to report each morning at 8:30 AM, Monday thru Friday at a specified location. They would then be given work assignments, whether it's cutting grass, picking up liter ect. Naturally, there would be exemptions, like mothers with young children. There would be too many to name them all but those persons who paticipated in the program would be making a statement, " I need the help and am willing to work for it."

I know a lot of people may not agree with me on this one. I would put a cap on how many children they are allowed to have while on welfare. I can understand people who fall on hard times that already have larger families to take care of. But these women who have baby after baby to continue to stay on welfare are the ones I'm talking about. If you can't afford to take care of the children you have you don't need to be having more babies. I know people won't agree with me on this one but that's just my opinion.

Its upsetting to me to, to see people taking advantage of the system. Its a tough situation to fix. It does seem that certain people know how to "work" the system. It also seems that some people who really need some help and have never asked for help, get screwed. I know what you mean about people buying lots of junk food with foodstamps. That a tough one too, kids do deserve treats. I do know its hard for the ones that don't get food stamps to sometime afford treats for their kids, and then they see people getting treats with food stamps that the person working and paying taxes has help buy. Their are some people who do get food stamps that are just buying decent food, its sometimes is hard for them to stretch their foodstamps for the whole month. I do think their is a limit on how long you can get benefits already.

then you are basically saying that because a child is born into a poor family they don't deserve to eat candy or have pop, or anything they see their friends having, what you are doing is making them feel that they are useless, worthless and of no consequence to anyone. that is heartless and cruel. what I would suggest is the government having closer tabs on the people and weeding out the one's that are abusing the system and educating the ones that just need to spend their money a little more wisely

I like your ideas a great deal. I think rent and utility vouchers are a great thing. And I've never liked the idea of candies and things being available to buy with food stamps. While a little is okay - the main reason for them in the first place is nutrition. And I've seen it over and over where there is a great deal of junk food bought with them. I've even had customers when I was a cashier get upset that certain holiday candy merchandise wouldn't qualify...and the rule was that the candy had to be worth 50% or more of the toys or items it came with. I think the key factor here is TIME - it should be a limited amount of time that you can have the benefits.

Instead of allowing good food to be thrown away, excess food could be bought by the social service agencies and handed out the way it used to be done long ago instead of giving out food stamps. I don't remember anyone complaining about the lovely milk, cheese, and bread that were doled out 60 years ago to those who needed a little help. There is so much food thrown away! Remember when farmers poured milk down the sewers instead of selling it at the then prevailing prices? Bulk food is cheaper to buy, too, instead of giving people money to buy overpriced food at fancy markets, the agencies could buy the food at quantity discount and divide it up like the coops used to in the 60's. Just as social security wasn't meant to be people's sole income, I this "welfare" is supposed to be a supplement for many, not complete support for a few. Those who do cheat are stealing from the people who need the benefits but don't get them. Benefits should go to the neediest, not the most brazen, I think. Yes, of course the rent check should go to the landlord, etc.

Well I myself was on welfare from the time I was 18 til just before I had my daughter and our system out here is awful but I bet it would solve the problem out there. They have made the system really hard to get on. They make you find a job before they will allow you on and if you can get a job then they will give you a check and make you pay it back. and if you have kids you only have til they are 1 before you have to go back to work. Most men are refused welfare unless they have a doctors not that says they are unfit to work. I hate the way they have done things out here but in some circumstances it needed to be done.

I know what you are on about for sure. We have a similar problem in Australia. I would be the last person to deny that very low income people should go without basic essentials, such as food, health care & schooling. By all means the Government should support them, via our taxes. I notice here though, that there seem to be two groups of people who qualify for the healthcare card & school card. One group are the genuine poor, which may be a single parent, or a couple with kids who for whatever reason can't find jobs. Then there is a second group who receive the health care card & school card (and cheaper utilities, etc). This group is largely single parents with kids, who do receive maintenance (child support) from their ex spouse. This group still get income from centrelink, still get the the health & school card, etc. Some of them end up better off that what we are with all these benefits. I am NOT referring to single parents who do not receive child support. Solution: Reduce the child support payments a lot.Take into account large gifts of money given my parents to this second group.

Some people have all the luck LOL. I don't know how people do it either. I have asked for help in the past and couldn't get it because we made just a little bit too much. You can look around at alot of other people who get assistance though and they have alot of nice things and they get alot of help and assistance. It doesn't make sense. It isn't fair to the ones who really need it or have to have it at the time. I don't like asking for help anyway because it is very embarrassing but still.

Hello twoey68, I think the first change I would make is tat anyone that wants Federal benefits should be willing to do volunteer work like community service of some kind. At least that way they would feel like they are sort of earning it. Then I would make the children a ward of the state and any misuse of the system would be grounds for removal. Lets face it, these women aren't having kids because they love children. Anyone that can work WILL be actively seeking work or risk losing there benefits. In most cases they choose to be single mothers because they knew they had the government to fall back on. Any retailer that accepts food stamps for anything other then basic necessities will receive very stiff fines. 35+ years ago when I was living with my mom in the projects, I seen lots of people that were working the system and having more kids just to get more benefits. I can only imagine that the situation has gotten a lot worst now days. After all, all of the kids that grew up in welfare homes are now learning from their parents how to work the system. I'm not saying that this is always the case, but as time moves on it seems more and more are looking for a free ticket through life. I think its kind of sad that they are willing to accept this kind of life when they can do so much more with their lives. I guess that makes the government an enabler. Just my two cents. Take care, Terry

I agree with you about the food stamps to some degree, although I do understand how kids should be entitled to SOME treats like you mentioned. Maybe they could program the cards they use now to allow only a certainly percentage of certain items? I'll tell you something that really bugs me, and funny this should be the night before the Super Bowl; a few years ago I was grocery shopping either the night before or the day of the Super Bowl and the store was packed. I was behind a guy who had a cart that couldn't have held another item without it all spilling out, and I'm talking the cart itself and the rack on the bottom. The majority of the stuff in the cart was party items - chips and other snacks, chicken wings, shrimp, a bunch of big bottles of soda plus drink mixers, cheeses and dips, snack meats, you name it. He paid for it all with food stamps. This guy had one heck of a Super Bowl party on US. Anyway, it's really a shame because these people who abuse the system have found some way of playing it because I know of too many people, especially these days, who really could use just a little bit of help but since they're working and doing the best they can they can't get a red cent. It's really a shame and I wish something could be done without hurting the ones that are really in need for a good reason. Annie

I like your approaches to the welfare problem. Sending the checks to landlord or utilities instead of to the person receiving them. It pisses me off when I'm behind someone using food stamps and most of the stuff on the belt is junk food. I even went as far as telling one lady off bout it. I got foodstamps for a few months just over a year ago. I only bought meat, canned/fresh veges/fruit, milk, all the healthy food with it. I never did buy junk food much being if it's in the house, it gets chosen over the fruits and veges as snacks which isn't good for you. I would add one thing thou that, hopefully, would stop ppl from having 10 kids just to be on welfare. Put a limit on how many kids in a family that can be on it. I know it's harsh but if these welfare mothers that are purposely having more and more kids just to get more money knew that only their 2 oldest were going to get benefits, they just might stop having more kids. Or maybe if they clearly have no intention of working their way off welfare, don't let them have more than 2 kids. Either make it a law that after 2 kids, they have to get their tubes cut,tied,burned..whatever so they can't have any more kids. My daughter is an only child for a good reason. I knew we were having a difficult time financially, and it would be even tougher with 2 kids. I didn't want our daughter to go without alot which is what would of happened if we had more kids. I knew when to stop so we won't have to go on welfare.

There will always be people cheating the state. However most of the people that recieve benefits really need it. Most of them do feel really bad about being in a situation like that, and they feel embarrased and get upset and depressed by the way others view them. So what changes would I make? I would make sure there were work to be had for those able to work. Work and get paid. I would put uneducated people in school or in an aprentiseship. Educated people are able to support themselves better. I would get treatment for people that are ill and cannot afford to get treatment. I would supply daycare, and have langiageclasses for people that need that. I think it is a better way than handing out money without trying to help in any other way. Hardly any like to be om welfare for years and years. It does get harder and harder to get back into the swing of things when on welfare. People do ned help and they do need someone requireing something from them in return.

Unless they are being paid cash for working, they will be found out. There used to be a list of things you could not buy with food stamps, and I think it was changed just to make checking out at the grocery store easier for the cashiers. I do think you have a good idea there about making some type of voucher that can only be used for specific things, rent, utilities, etc. I do know that there are more honest people out there that could actually benefit from receiving assistance than get it.

I'm sure I know people who keep popping out babies just to get benefits. I don't know how it could be changed but it would be difficult because whatever happens, there will always be genuine people suffer from the greed and selfishness of others. I think some benefits should have time limits. Her in the UK, benefits get reviewed every year expect if it's permament disability I think. This is ok but there must be ways of getting around this because of the number of people who get money they don't need. I think that's a good idea about using food stamps only on regular food. Also, here if people get benefits, they might get housing benefit to help pay their rent and that usually goes directly to the landlord. I don't think it is right that it is so easy for people to get benefits they don't need when some people who really don't have a lot can not get any help. If I was a single parent, I could get benefits and help finding a job, etc. (although I wouldn't be working if I was a single mum cos I'd need to look after my kids and I don't have anything against that sort of thing) but, because I don't fit into a particular category, I can't get any help to find a job or anything. So basically, if you're not already on benefits, no one cares but they help people who are to get off even if they need to be on them. I think that came out a bit wrong but I'm sure you know what I'm trying to say. I would never begrudge anyone anything that they have worked for or saved for and if, for example, someone has a lavish wedding, that doesn't mean to say that they don't need to be on benefits. They could have been saving up for years or be getting help from someone else, etc. but it someone regularly goes on holiday or drives a nice car, etc. then they should not be on benefits. We're not on benefits and can not afford luxuries like cars and holidays so it certainly wouldn't be right for someone on benefits to have more than those who are not.

I would make the checks out to the landlord and the other companies to and yes food stamps should not be used for chips candy and junk food like that. They need to do that to some of the women that get childsupport to

It really upsets me when I hear of someone who is taking advantage of the system. And while they're doing that there are ones who really need it who can't get it because they make just barely over the income limits.

I agree with you, but also include helping the people get a job or even helping them with some kind of training for some skill so they can stand on their own feet..I believe most people that are on welfare and food stamps can do something to earn an income, even if they are physically disabled, they can do soemthing..

Neither my partner or I work. He is a student and I am a stay at home mum, and our government looks after us well enough. We are managing to save money at the moment, but that's because I've not been shopping online for a while. oops! lol. The system here is if you are caught not declaring income, then you end up with a debt against the government. This then has to come out of your benefit, but is usually only a percentage, depending on how badly you cheated. Our charities make it clear when handing over food vouchers that they are not for luxury items or the top market brands either, and they only hand them out to the same people about 2 times per year.

I would ween the entire country off of welfare within the next decade or two, shrinking the amount of aid given to everyone but putting the children who can't control their parents poor life decisions ahead of everything else. This period would terminate with the complete destruction of Welfare, so that the government could restore more economic power to the citizens. Philanthropy might pick up some slack and help out those who are still in need. The main thing is that people will lay less claims on the lives of others through their claims to others funds due to their own "need."