Welfare?

I think that the welfare system in the United States is slightly ridiculous. My firsthand experience has shown me people who abuse the system, and people who really need it and use it properly. Last year, my mom was receiving a $1250 check from the USPS for disability retirement every month, but we had over $7000 in bills per month. We didn't qualify for food stamps, but I am getting my full education paid for by financial aid and then some. How is it that my education is more important than our starving family?! Food stamps are a type of public assistance program.

These programs, which are supposed to help citizens missed by social insurance, are selective and means tested (Katznelson, 320). A prime example of the ridiculousness of our welfare system is given by The Politics of Power: Under TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), the maximum benefit for a family of three ranges from a high of nearly $1000 (Alaska) to a low of under $300 (Georgia), (Katznelson, 320). My mother has struggled to simply feed herself, my sister and me for $300, so I cannot imagine trying to support all of us for a whole month on that amount.

Our government should offer assistance to those who need it, despite the people who will inevitably take advantage. I think that doing this does not sacrifice equity, because it gives help to those people who really do need assistance without judging them based on the people who abuse the system. If we put more money into social policy, some people would inevitably take advantage of the welfare system, as they already do, but will our whole country become lazy people who depend on the government? I think, probably not. We should not stop trying to reform welfare, but that reform should absolutely not include taking benefits away from people who need them.


Lets give them both!



Sources: 


Katznelson, Ira, Mark Kesselman, and Alan Draper. The politics of power: a critical introduction to Americna government. 6th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.,2011. 2-12. Print.


Nicolle. "economy « Reactionary Century."Reactionary Century. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011. <http://reactionarycentury.wordpress.com/tag/economy/>.