How do WE fix Welfare in America?
By matersfish
@matersfish (6306)
United States
March 12, 2009 2:38pm CST
I recently left a blog post on my beloved blogspot rambling and ranting outlet giving "my" proposed solution to the welfare problem in the U.S.
In the context of my question, I'm also asking about healthcare. I'm including healthcare, food stamps, checks, and any other social program that can be considered a handout.
In the interest of time (and because they won't let me copy-paste! lol wtf!), I'll link my post if anyone's interested in my take. :-)
http://decidedwellfall.blogspot.com/
But I am interested to hear how you - not your local or favorite politician - would fix this horrible problem of welfare in America. Or, do you really think that it's worked thus far?
2 people like this
5 responses
@aero89 (422)
• United States
19 Mar 09
My answer is short. Get rid of all illegal immigrants. We spend hundreds of billions on their healthcare, schooling, housing. We spend our resources to lock them up in jail when they come over for other reasons than working for a living. Next thing you know, we'll need another couple hundred billion for a few prisons out west where they gather. We let them have anchor babies, and proceed to do all the same for them.
So, WE need to make people realize the burden that illegals are on us all. We cannot afford them. And if they get amnesty, say Goodbye to life as you know it.
So basically, the first thing to do - is make Welfare available ONLY to American citizens. The rest is, what's the word? moot?
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
21 Mar 09
Agreed! I also read today that we (American taypayers) give $112 billion a year to single mothers. Umm lol What's wrong with that picture when every year the number of single mothers increases? Every year the number of people in jail increases. Every year the number of child abuse cases increase. Every year police budgets need to be increased due to crime. UGG!
2 people like this
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
22 Mar 09
All 57 states, about to reach Alaska, which would make 58 total - paraphrased quote from America's 44th President.
1 person likes this
@lilnono (228)
• United States
22 Mar 09
I really don't understand why you consider welfare a horrible problem. Who exactly does it hurt. Do you really think that if welfare was eliminated the government would give you back your taxes? They'll just use that money for something else you probably won't like. I really don't know what your point is considering that most people who receive health care and food stamps through the government do have jobs. If anything is a horrible problem it's jobs that don't pay enough for people to be able to afford all of their basic needs. In most states the limit for the amount of time you can receive a check is 3-5 years. That may be longer than necessary but is it really a horrible problem?
Of course it works. The purpose of welfare is too keep poor people from starving and dying in the streets from malnutrition and untreated medical conditions. In order for welfare to not be working that would mean that American children were starving in the street. I haven't seen too much of that.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
22 Mar 09
Works? Because more children aren't dying in the streets from starvation, welfare is a working model. Well, I've never quite heard that argument before.
And because our current approach to securing our borders actually stops a few illegals, it's a working model and doesn't need revision. Yikes? :/
No one is suggesting that welfare go away - it simply needs to be fixed.
Far too many people rely on welfare. You ask where the tax money would go? Perhaps the tax money would go to create actual jobs for people to work. Perhaps taxes could be cut if welfare was fixed, thus allowing people to bring home more on their paychecks.
And as far as the statement that most people on food stamps have jobs, you'd have to show me those statistics in writing. Or are there other variables, such as single mothers with multiple children, etc?
It's a simple and irrefutable fact that the more people who take money equals the less people who give money. Almost every system in America could be reformed, and welfare is at the top of the list.
When I ask: "How do we fix welfare?" what I mean is, how do we make it better? Nobody's pushing for the entire idea of it to disappear.
My solution: People who receive welfare should - if able - work for it -- as in, volunteer their time at one or more designated locations. One of the "horrible problems" with welfare is that some people turn wholly dependent on the welfare.
For every parent working to put food on the table, there's an Octo-mom-like screw-up who's draining more than their fair share.
And, yeah, I know: "More than a fair share? But that's what welfare's for!" Ah, actually, "fairness" is what it's supposed to be, right? So people won't starve. Well, people drawing a whole lot more than they should be drawing - due to lack of personal responsibility or otherwise - is a drain on everyone else; hence, a problem that needs to be fixed.
1 person likes this
@lilnono (228)
• United States
23 Mar 09
http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/MENU/published/snap/FILES/participation/charictaristicsSummary.pdf
I was overstating things when I said most people who get food stamps work according to this report 30% work 25% receive disability (which would indicate that they are not considered able to work and 25% receive social security (indicating that they used to work) If you add that up that's 80% of the people who get food stamps are either working disabled or too old to work. If you browse the USDA site http://www.fns.usda.gov/ora/MENU/published/snap/snap.htm
I think you will find that the solution you are proposing was already implemented 15 years ago.
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
3 Jun 09
I think it is completely out of hand. First of all there should be no support for illegal aliens.
I believe that there are some people who need welfare due to situations out of their control. Some people due to disability are unable to work and those are the people that welfare was meant for. There are a lot of people who are disabled but could still work, sure they have less options, but a guy with an occasional sore back could handle a desk job. I think there needs to be more effort placed on placing people with disabilities in jobs that they could do based on what they are capable of.
I also think there needs to no incentive to women having lots of babies to get more welfare money. I think helping women with children to care for pay for day care rather than handing them money to stay home and make more babies they can't afford.
I think more effort needs to be made to people on welfare a hand up, not a hand out. Help them find suitable jobs, stop giving jobs that these people can do to illegal aliens. Help them with their education.
I have no problem with un-employment because that means that, that person has had to work to get it. They paid in to it, they should get it if they need it, as long as there is evidence that that person does not have a huge amount of returns to unemployment. I know a couple of people who will work just long enough to be eligible for unemployment and then will get hurt or something where they are forced to let him go. Or he only works jobs that he knows will only last a few months, just a short while and then be off and get paid unemployment till it runs out and then finds another job. That kind of thing should be identified and stopped.
I think there needs to be more emphasis on helping people help themselves rather than having the government pay for them.
@lampar (7584)
• United States
30 May 09
What state in the USA gave out welfare check to illegal immigrant? It is interesting to know which welfare agency in the country can not read document. 
I used to see couple buying all sorts of stuffs and food in grocery store with welfare card in my area, ironic part is they don't really look like a starving couple, but extremely well fed and well off, some even driving a brand new SUV after doing their welfare shopping.
I used to see couple buying all sorts of stuffs and food in grocery store with welfare card in my area, ironic part is they don't really look like a starving couple, but extremely well fed and well off, some even driving a brand new SUV after doing their welfare shopping. 
@PrarieStyle (2486)
• United States
24 Mar 09
I'm no expert but first I would start with cutting of Illegal immigrants. They use a huge amount of tax payer money without putting back into they system.
Then I think I would work on education. We have a huge self esteem and entitlement problem in this country where so many think everyone else owes them something. Our sense of pride in ourselves, working hard and saving for things we want has gone out the window. If it's ever totally bread out of America, America will be lost.
