Welfare Dependency

President Trump, last Tuesday, signed an executive order directing federal agencies to strengthen the work requirements for government assistance.

The order is aimed at healthy, childless, citizens who are receiving government assistance.

President Trump Turns Attention To Welfare Programs


This has long been a concern for America.

In 2011, President Obama had this to say about welfare dependency:

I think we should acknowledge that some welfare programs in the past were not well designed and in some cases did encourage dependency.… As somebody who worked in low-income neighborhoods, I’ve seen it where people weren’t encouraged to work, weren’t encouraged to upgrade their skills, were just getting a check, and over time their motivation started to diminish. And I think even if you’re progressive you’ve got to acknowledge that some of these things have not been well designed.

President Obama Admits Welfare Encourages Dependency


Federal law limits the amount of time an able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) can receive SNAP benefits to three months in a 36-month period, unless the individual is working and/or participating in a work program half-time or more, or participating in workfare. The law exempts individuals from the time limit for several reasons, including age, unfitness for work, or having a dependent child. The law also provides state agencies with flexibility to request a waiver of this time limit if unemployment is high or the area does not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment. USDA Seeks Ideas to Help SNAP Participants Become Independent | Food and Nutrition Service


I do not see anything wrong with these requirements.

What do you think?

 

It's not the welfare that encourages dependency it's the fact that we make ourselves into slaves by believing that little pieces of mass produced green paper dictate our worth in society man

 

Yeah, but it goes deeper.

That little green piece of paper that you work to earn is what feeds you. That should give a person a feeling of worth and dignity vs. not putting any effort into collecting benefits and reinforcing the idea that you don't have the initiative to be self-sufficient.

When all it takes is the drive and direction but a person is so deeply entrenched in living off the welfare system that they think it's a good thing...there's something wrong with that.

 

I can see the logic for sure. Single with no children at home... That's primary work force right there and I can see how getting that check could bring someone to complacency.

 

Exactly.

You begin to tell yourself all kind of lies about your ability to be an active part of society and your self-worth just dwindles.

If you don't feel good about yourself then you don't care about yourself.

If you don't care about yourself why would you care about your fellow humans?

 

No sane human would want to be part of our current form of society.

 

Not everyone holds such a bleak opinion of life.

 

I think you make an interesting point, particularly regarding self worth. That sort of thing can bring on severe depression. An unfortunate by product of depression is it tends to be a focus on the self (speaking to your point about not caring about others... And I'm not trying to demonize people who are depressed please know). Plus depression can be another severe limit to motivation.

 

Sounds reasonable at first instance. But it depends on the details and how it is enforced if it really is so.
But yes, if the obligations/requirements of getting welfare are reasonable and are not met by a certain participant it obviously should be verified why not, and if there's no valid reason the welfare should be cut back or stopped. But it is easily put in a generalized statement. Proper enforcement of it is what makes or breaks it

 

I don't see it as a bleak opinion. Look at how civilization has evolved in the last century. We're steadily going down hill. Something in the global subconscious needs to change or we're all done. I wholeheartedly believe that that change can happen. Welfare certainly isn't going to help bring it about though

 

Depression should not be demonized.

Some depression can be helped to a certain extent through self-esteem building activities, etc.

Other depressions cannot be helped as simply and that is one of things that will qualify a person for a medical disability.

In my mind, those, and many others are excused.

I'm sure the chronically depressed would even benefit a little from the general moral of the community being lifted.

 

Oh I agree on all counts. Just another reason this reform might be a good idea.

 

Like you say, something has to change.

I hope that these welfare requirements can be part of the solution.

I follow a youtube channel, Camera Crusaders. They've got the idea. They are trying to elevate the integrity of their poor neighborhood and I believe that acts of that kind are the solution.

If we could just all turn our daily thinking and inth of a degree toward making anything better, I think it would start to make a difference.

 

I have lived on welfare in the past. Sure, you get a cheque, but it's not enough money to live off of, barely enough to stay alive. I was able to pay my rent, but I still needed to eat at the soup kitchen everyday, most days the lunch they provided was my only meal.

I did not have enough money to wash my clothes or afford a phone. Finding a job was difficult when I couldn't afford a razor to shave with, or receive a call from an employer.

I was helped out of my situation, can you guess how? more social assistance, and more government programs.

Cutting me off of social assistance would have led to me becoming homeless, even though I was an able bodied employable person.

Please have compassion for your fellow man. The system in which we live is highly flawed.

 

That's good!

What other assistance and programs?

 

Society/civilisation in general is not the issue imo. If you look at it like that it might just be you for a large part and not mainly society.

If i do i notice some impressive improvements have been made. Most stuff i'm at odds with are environmental, not societal, like polution and overpopulation.

So which aspects of society are making it go downhill so steadily?

 

I was given more money, which I used to buy presentable clothes and a prepaid phone. To receive the money, I was required to attend classes about writing resumes and how to find a job (I didn't find them helpful, but I see how they could be for others), also the government subsidized my wage (4$per hour subsidized, to encourage hiring welfare recipients), when I was hired.

I should also mention that I am from Canada, and we have much more social assistance programs.

 

We've been down this road before Asmo. Several times man. I've already derailed this thread enough. You want answers just wait for the thread I'll inevitably create addressing these issues

 

Ah.. so its not welfare?

 

The problem is much larger than just welfare, but blaming people on welfare, is definitely not going to get you or our society any further.