Wellfare Reform Essay - 1590 Words

In the past twenty years, welfare fraud and abuse has become an overwhelming problem. Large numbers of people are living off the government alone, with no attempt of finding work. Our welfare system is out of date and needs to be slimmed down. Congress needs to eliminate the mindset of Americans that welfare can be used as a free ride through life. No matter how liberal or conservative, all politicians agree that welfare costs could be greatly reduced if abuse and fraud were eliminated. Welfare was first introduced in the 20’s as a program to help people get through the depression. The government created many public works jobs to employ the thousands that lost their jobs. At the time it was a great program but seventy-five years†¦show more content†¦Many have said that the current welfare system encourages dependency. They say that the value of welfare benefits is more attractive to many long-term recipients than are entry level, minimum wage jobs. In several states, welfare programs pay recipients the equivalent of a $25,000 a year job. The value of the full benefits of the average welfare recipient exceeds the poverty level ( McCuen/Rector 29). Welfare benefits are tax-free so the dollar value is greater than that of a comparable worker. The following are some prime examples of the abuse that takes place withi n the welfare system. -In 40 states welfare pays more than an $8.00 an hour job. -In 17 states welfare pays more than a $10.00 an hour job. -Hawaii, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and Washington D.C. pays recipients the equivalent of $12.00 an hour. That’s more than twice minimum wage.(Tanner 18) -9 states pay more than the average first year salary of a teacher last year. -The largest pay off is in New York City where recipients receive $14.75 an hour. With these figures it’s no wonder why people choose to live off the government. Welfare makes their lives too comfortable. The goal of welfare should be to encourage recipients to leave the welfare roles and enter the workforce. 68.6% of welfare recipients report that they aren’t actively seeking work. Why should they? There are plenty ofShow MoreRelatedTo what extent were the decisions made by Germanys leaders responsible for the outbreak of the First World War?895 Words   |  4 PagesGerman leaders were actually responsible for the outbreak and the statement might be true, because if Hollweg knew that the war would be a certain victory, he would certainly be very pro-war, this due to him carrying about German wellfare which can be seen through certain reforms he passed, such as the 1911 imperial insurence code. Norman ( Source 3) does not fully accept the argument that the German army pushed for war, he instead says that the war was collectivly the fault of Great po wers and increasingRead MoreEssay on The Causes of Poverty - Cultural vs. Structural2610 Words   |  11 Pagesissues such as poverty and race. Widely shared cultural values and narratives can also make good social and economic policies politically unviable. Social policies and programs to benefit the poor such as tax in transit, affirmative action and other reforms which have found success in Europe (Wacquant 2008) are ignored and considered unfeasable due to their cultural framing in the U.S. as â€Å"socialism† or â€Å"reverse racism† among political groups such as conservatives and libertarians. This is evident in