Welfare

[jasonbigley]

What do people think about the welfare system? What do you think about other people that are on it? I dont mind if someone is on welfare temporarily until they find a job, but then there are people who stay on it for years and abuse it. For example, I have a relative who has kids just to get more welfare and it burns me up. My brothers ex girlfriend has 6 kids (she is in her late twenties) and gets welfare! I also used to volunteer at a food pantry and you would not believe all the people that came in there on welfare wanting food, but yet they had all these fancy clothes on and had money for cigarattes and drugs. It also used to make me mad when we had people come to the pantry for food and then you see them leave the parking lot in a cadillac and a fur coat. It made me wonder what the heck they were doing there in the first place.

[Waterston_Fan]

Would being on SSI disability be considered welfare?

[MickeyMac]

Mixed emotions about welfare. Sadly true there are those who abuse the system and use it as a free ride. Thats the part that rips me because some people think that all people who are on some kind of welfare are lazy bums who want to live off the government. There are those who through no fault of their own have fallen on hard times and need some sort of temporary assistance. I have met people who had to do this and you could see the defeat in their eyes. It took them time but they were able to get back on their feet. With the economy going the way it is, we will see more people on it not because they are lazy, but because if they lose their job and struggle even more to pay their bills, they are going to need some sort of assistance.

That said, it should be temporary.

[Janice]

There are people who would be on the street if not for welfare. If a mother has kids and the father takes off, she needs help. There's no shame in that. There are always people who are going to abuse any system, but for the most part, it's a Godsend. People wearing fur coats and driving Cadillacs to a food pantry are the exception to the rule. Most are there because they need to eat and feed their families, and they would prefer to be in the supermarket. One of my good friends growing up....her family was on welfare because her dirtbag father abandoned the family. She had three siblings. Her mother worked two jobs waiting tables and collected welfare. I remember going to the place with my friend so she could get the government cheese, butter, powdered milk, etc. These were good people. It just depends. Can't paint people's lives with a broad brush. Many people are one layoff from losing their homes and facing hunger. I don't think people should spend their lives on welfare, but employ it more as a transitional program until they get back on their feet.

[catlover79]

I agree with both Mickey and Janice. Welfare should be for the people who need it, not lazy people who want a free ride.

[MonarC]

I think it should have more strick regulations. Like you must be looking for a job at all times and show proof that you are looking. There should also be drug tests done to all those benefiting and if you are on drugs you will be disqulified. If someone really needs it then thats what it is there for but I feel it is abused.

[Janice]

Originally Posted by MonarC

There should also be drug tests done to all those benefiting and if you are on drugs you will be disqulified.

You think that people collecting welfare should be subjected to drug testing, even if they no history of drug abuse? Why, because some people are drug addicts, that means that a young single mother or a 60-year old grandmother who has been widowed and left penniless should be forced to piss into a cup at the government's whim. Is this communist Cuba or America. Welfare recipients are drug users/addicts. Way to stereotype.

[Chocoholic]

I agree with Mickey and Janice. I have no problem with helping out those in need. I do have a problem with those who take advantage of the system and live off the government their whole lives. The system needs to be fixed. Welfare should be temporary until one can get back on their feet, not a lifestyle. I also believe that those receiving welfare benefits should be required to do a little community service to give back to the taxpayers who suppoerted them in their time of need.

Originally Posted by Janice

You think that people collecting welfare should be subjected to drug testing, even if they no history of drug abuse?

I have no criminal record and have never done drugs, yet my employer requires random background checks and drug tests. I have no problem doing that. People receiving welfare checks should have to do the same.

I'm not trying to start an argument, just putting my $0.02 in.

[MickeyMac]

Should mention I get some assistance. I got laid off from my job a few weeks after New Years, and now have to rely on unemployment benifits. I certainly didnt choose to be let go. Also I was told that I would qualify for food stamps. I went to social services to see if I was eligable and lo and behold I was, but here is the best part. Each month I get a whopping $14 for food stamps. Think of all the junk food, steaks, and lobsters I can get with that.


That said I am not sitting on my ass. I do go to school and am currently looking for some volunteer duties, and have got my resume online. I decided to take January and February off, but now its March so I will be pounding the pavement. That will be something because around here the jobs are scarce.

[Janice]

Originally Posted by Chocoholic

I agree with Mickey and Janice. I have no problem with helping out those in need. I do have a problem with those who take advantage of the system and live off the government their whole lives. The system needs to be fixed. Welfare should be temporary until one can get back on their feet, not a lifestyle. I also believe that those receiving welfare benefits should be required to do a little community service to give back to the taxpayers who suppoerted them in their time of need.



I have no criminal record and have never done drugs, yet my employer requires random background checks and drug tests. I have no problem doing that. People receiving welfare checks should have to do the same.

I'm not trying to start an argument, just putting my $0.02 in.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I just disagree. I don't believe that people who collect welfare checks should have to take drug tests. There should be no presumption of drug use. Many people on welfare are older, or busy single parents. Not sure what kind of work you do, but I know of only two people who work (and I know plenty), who have to take random drug tests. Both involve public safety. One is a bus driver and the other is a police officer. One job I had in corporate required one initial drug test prior to starting the job. I can't imagine getting up from my desk to take a drug test.

I also don't agree about community service. We pay into our tax system for that. People can't stay on welfare for life. That ended years ago, at least here. With the Back to Work program, mothers have to return to work when their kids start school.

[Chocoholic]

I work for the school department and we are required to fill out an annual CORI form at the start of a new school year. We are also subject to random drug tests, but most of us have only had it once and they usually won't do it again unless there is probable cause, but it's still in the rulebook. We even require parents who want to volunteer to submit a CORI, although I'm not sure if all schools do that. Even though I've never committed a crime or done drugs (Heck, I don't even smoke or drink!) I don't mind taking the time to do it if it keeps someone who has no business being around children out of the school.

I certainly do not mind helping out those in need. What I do mind is seeing people play the system and receive benefits while sitting around the house, going out and getting in trouble, and doing drugs and stuff. I've witnessed this first-hand, believe me. I know of several students who are on reduced lunch, wear hand-me-down clothing, come to school disheveled, and never have the money for school supplies or field trips. (The teachers or the PTO have "scholarships" for these children.) Meanwhile, their mothers drive nice cars, wear fancy clothing and jewelry, have cable TV and other expensive gadgets, and go on exotic vacations. Daddy is hardly ever in the picture, but Boyfriend Who Doesn't Like the Kids is. Only two of these mothers have jobs. The rest sit on their asses until the kids come home, then they go out so they don't have to deal with them. They never help their kids with their homework, come in for conferences, etc. And they wonder why their kid's in special education. I work in the suburbs, but people have told me it's worse in the cities. I try to be as loving and supportive to these kids as I can because they sure don't get it at home. These "parents" need a huge reality check, not a welfare check. I know not all parents of welfare are like that, but too many seem to be, and I deal with their children.

IMHO, welfare should be temporary and it should only cover the basics like food, shelter, and clothing. Welfare recipients should be entitled to job counseling and money management and possibly parentling classes. If they commit a crime or are caught using drugs, then benefits should be stopped. There is a huge difference between a hand up and a hand out.

[MonarC]

Originally Posted by Chocoholic

IMHO, welfare should be temporary and it should only cover the basics like food, shelter, and clothing. Welfare recipients should be entitled to job counseling and money management and possibly parentling classes. If they commit a crime or are caught using drugs, then benefits should be stopped. There is a huge difference between a hand up and a hand out.

I agree.

[PunkyP0WER]

I see this problem firsthand everyday at the homeless shelter where I work. Yes, there are honest people who are on welfare, theres a girl who lives in one of our subsidized apartments that took advantage of the system (in a good way) - went to school for 2 years w/ a grant and is now a nurse at a hospital, bought herself a car and will be leaving in april to live on her own w/ out assistance, however as always there are the rotten apples who have given welfare a bad name. for instance, theres one woman who has 3 kids (4 years of age and under) all by diiferent fathers and she is pregnant with her fourth that they PLANNED. Yes, planned, because her newest b/f wanted her to prove that she didn't cheat on him while he was in JAIL! So to prove her love to him, she got pregnant. She does not work, nor does the b/f, but lives in one of our subsidized housing 4 bedroom apartments that section 8 pays for. Now where i work there is more of the latter girl i mentioned than the first.

[Chocoholic]

Originally Posted by PunkyP0WER

for instance, theres one woman who has 3 kids (4 years of age and under) all by diiferent fathers and she is pregnant with her fourth that they PLANNED. Yes, planned, because her newest b/f wanted her to prove that she didn't cheat on him while he was in JAIL! So to prove her love to him, she got pregnant. She does not work, nor does the b/f, but lives in one of our subsidized housing 4 bedroom apartments that section 8 pays for. Now where i work there is more of the latter girl i mentioned than the first.

I blame that kind of behavior on the breakdown of morals in our society. We pushed God out of the public eye and look what happened. We have drugs everwhyere, women who have several children with different fathers, fathers who have no involvement with their children, people who would rather lie, cheat, and steal than make an honest living. No wonder we're all screwed up.

[Janice]

I agree that welfare should be a means to an end, or a beginnng really. What I don't get is this all this big money people are getting. I know and have known people on welfare. Close people, relatives. They don't get nearly enough for fancy cars, fancy clothes, furs, exotic vacations. They're only allowed to have $1,500 in the bank. They have to recertify once a year, some every six months. Food stamp recipients have to recertify every six months. Everything has to be documented. Bank statements, all your assets, rent receipts, value of your car, everything. I've helped my aunt with her recertification paperwork many times.

This is how it's done in Massachusetts. A family of four gets a $691 welfare check. If they're in subsidized housing, it's $491. They'll also get job training, food stamps and other benefits. I'm reading now that even with kids, you're off the public dime. Two years is the limit, with certain exceptions. They provide day care, so the mothers can work. Some are making it sound as if the government is handing out $5,000 checks, and they are not. Welfare recipients often struggle to make ends meet.

I worked for the Boston Public School Department, in Administration. Again, I had to take an drug test to get the job, but never random. I can't say it was in the handbook or not, as I never saw it. I've been out of the workforce since 2001, so unless things have changed, I never heard of random drug tests unless public safety was involved. All of my friends work and don't have to submit to them. Could be Massachusetts. Maybe Uncle Teddy said no way, lol. Anyway, here's some info on welfare in Mass. Nobody's getting rich.

http://www.massresources.org/pages.c...icID=353#other