I think the majority of people who have an opinion on the matter would agree that the welfare system needs an overhaul. The problem seems to be that, as with most other government-run programs, the powers that be cannot or will not agree as to what needs to be done and how to go about it. I'd like to first give some information about what's happening now (as I see it), then a summary of what needs to happen (again, as I see it).
What's happening now:
I tried to find some information on how much money is being spent on welfare programs currently. I now have a new appreciation for the phrase 'looking for a needle in a haystack'. Every time I thought I was close to finding the needle, I just found another haystack. Maybe if I didn't have a job and could devote more time to research....oh, well. Here's what I did find http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofs/data/2009/table_a1_2009.html
I confess I didn't take a lot of time studying that report. Seeing the twenty-plus billion dollar figure at the bottom made me a little sick. I decided to back up and take a look at what's happening closer to home, to reduce the problem to a level I can more readily comprehend.
I personally have known families who have lived on welfare benefits from generation to generation, women who have had numerous children and subsequently increased the amount of 'assistance' they receive, people who display no shame for the fact that they do nothing to affect change for their present situation or for the future of their children. The government would have us believe that there are rules and limitations to the amount and duration of assistance available, but the fact is that the people who have been raised on welfare know the loopholes and know how to manipulate the system. If one can have a higher standard of living on welfare than would be available if they got a job, what motivation is there to change? I do not mean to suggest that everyone who receives welfare falls into this group, but in my personal experience, there are far more of this type than those who use the current system as a stepping stone to improve their situation.
What needs to happen:
Again, keeping it on the personal level, I believe that every person receiving welfare benefits needs to be required to participate in a complete home economics course. For those who would ask 'where's the money for that coming from?', remember that there's over twenty billion in the pot already. I'm no accountant, but I'm sure we can find the funding somewhere. I'm talking about a program that teaches everything from budgeting to sewing. If I'm going to give a person money to live on, I'll feel a lot better about it if I know they're making an effort to live on less. A complete home economics course would include teaching about nutrition, proper food storage and preparation, gardening, canning, etc.
Every government housing project needs to include a community garden in which all residents are required to participate. Those with real disabilities who cannot physically participate should be assigned tasks that are within their range of abilities. I understand that some people are severely disabled. Under the revised system, there would be funds to provide for those individuals.
Some states are working on requiring mandatory drug-testing for people who receive government assistance, and I think it's a fabulous idea that should be put into practice nation-wide. Most employers require you to pass a drug screen to be eligible for employment, so it doesn't make sense that it's easier to get welfare than to get a job. People who fail can have the option of participating in a rehab program, with benefits to be reinstated upon successful completion, and continued benefits contingent on passing future tests.
Every individual receiving benefits who is able to do so should be required to attend vocational classes or some type of program with an eye toward increasing their marketability and expanding their job choices. They should be allowed to change programs if they find they are not suited to the one they're in, but quitting altogether would result in loss of benefits.
The amount of benefits awarded should never equal more than the current federal minimum wage. This sounds harsh, and I often hear people say you can't live on minimum wage, but the idea here is to make getting a job preferable to living on welfare. And I say that if you provide good home economics education, people can live on minimum wage. Maybe not the rock-star, designer clothes, new cell-phone kind of lifestyle they seem to think they're entitled to, but they can live. And maybe, just maybe, if you force people to work for what they get, they will be more inclined to put forth effort to improve their lot in life.
How about requiring an accounting of how benefits are used from month to month? I personally have a budget in place and can tell you where every dime of my money goes. If I can do this while working full-time, surely someone who doesn't have a job can manage. I believe one of the reasons so many people take advantage of welfare is that it's just so easy to do. Make it harder, and more people will decide they'd rather just go get a job.
For all those people who want to start screaming about violating civil rights, I say this: the government may be the distributor of welfare benefits, but it is not the source of the funds. The working, tax paying citizens of this nation are the source of the funds. I don't give cash to beggars. I'll buy them food if they want (they usually don't), but I can't feel good about just handing money to someone who has obviously already made some really bad choices, and then expecting them to make good choices with that money. So if a person has already proven that they're not capable of managing things on their own, doesn't it make sense to provide guidance and monitoring along with the funds? I'm not talking about violating anyone's 'rights'. I'm talking about providing services that will help recipients acquire the skills they need to move forward.
This is a summary only, and doesn't include the countless details that would need to be set forth in a complete overhaul of the system. But I think it would be an excellent start. One detail I would like to mention is this: I believe no parent should be allowed to receive welfare benefits for a child they are abusing or neglecting. People on welfare are assigned caseworkers, and part of their job should be home visits and interviews with every member of the family. If a caseworker has too many cases to be able to do this effectively, hire and train more caseworkers (more jobs = fewer people on welfare...hmmm)! Child abuse and neglect are rampant in welfare families, and the cycle needs to be broken. I can't be the only person who has seen a family where the children aren't getting proper care, don't have decent clothes, are obviously mistreated and/or not properly supervised, but thanks to welfare the parents have their beer or cigarettes or tattoos or smart phones or whatever.
No comments:
Post a Comment