The Welfare System in America is broken. Everybody knows it to be true, yet nobody seems to wish to fix it. Personally, I don’t think the government wants to fix it. I believe their goal is to get everyone in the nation on the system. They want the people of America dependent on the government.
But that’s another article.
When I was a child, our family was on Welfare. Circumstances lead to my mom raising four kids (the youngest still in diapers) on her own. What else was she supposed to do? She needed assistance, so on assistance she went. When the youngest started school, she went to work outside the home and eventually she got off of Welfare.
Back then, being on Welfare was embarrassing. There was a stigma about it. People looked down on those who were on assistance. For a lot of folks, it was just the way it was. Whatever the reason, they were on Welfare until they could work themselves off of it. There were also those who made a career off of being on the program.
It’s very much the same today. There are those who are on assistance because for whatever reason, they need to be, and then there are those who make a living, living off of the government. Which in reality is living off of the taxpayers. The government doesn’t earn any money but they sure are happy to dole it out like it’s nobody’s business.
Again, that’s another article.
Here’s why I think the government wants people to stay on Welfare:
First, they changed the name from “Welfare” to “Government Assistance”. See? They are no longer giving the recipient a handout, they are just helping out. There isn’t anything shameful in getting a helping hand. Quite frankly, we all need a helping hand once in while.
Then they changed the payment from “Food Stamps” to “EBT”. So instead of paying for groceries with fake, government money that is recognizable from 30 feet away, the recipient can discreetly swipe a card like everybody else. The card swiping is actually kind of nice. Being one who had to pay with Food Stamps I found it embarrassing, even as a kid.
“EBT” stands for Electronic Benefit Transfer. Benefit sounds so much nicer than Welfare, doesn’t it? It’s almost cozy. Like coming home. Makes one want to snuggle in rather than ditch it for a real job.
The biggest problem with the Welfare System is that it’s designed to keep the recipient on it. If you’re on Welfare and you get a job, they deduct the same amount you make from your “benefit”. Sounds like a logical move except for the fact that it keeps the recipient in the same spot. It needs to be set up in such a manner that the recipient can work themselves off of it.
How about making it so that one can only be on Welfare for a certain period of time, before they have to get a job. Then, instead of deducting what they make from their “benefit”, deduct half of what they make. That way they are able to get ahead while working themselves off of the system. It would also force the career recipients to get out and find a job or they lose their “benefit”.
