I hate the United States welfare program. Over the past couple of decades, the United States has spent billions of dollars-our hard-earned dollars-on entitlement programs that are ruining our country and doing little to actually reduce poverty.
The U.S. has created a culture where living off government assistance has become the norm rather than a temporary relief for families going through hard times.
This “welfare dependency” has come about thanks to programs that reward recipients for being poor, thereby reducing motivation to work and robbing people of their self-esteem.
Now, before people start calling me ignorant and privileged, let me explain something: I’ve actually volunteered at a homeless shelter.
I wondered if perhaps I was biased, so, for four months, I took an opportunity to meet and interact with the homeless.
I met many of the regulars and frequently sat out on the sidewalks before meals trying to get to know them better.
After my weeks of volunteering, however, I found myself even more opposed to our current welfare system than when I started.
On one of my first days, I was shocked when a girl only a few years older than I offered me some clothes and books after she found out I love to read.
I was overwhelmed. I thought, “Wow, she is so generous! Here is this girl who is homeless, has nothing and is sharing what little she has with me.”
I didn’t feel right accepting anything and tried to tell her to keep them because she needed them more. Then I found out that she didn’t really need them. She could always get more.
She went on to tell me that she can get clothes, books and “free” childcare if she needs it, and that there are places to shower and shuttles to drive the homeless to shelters at night.
It was little wonder that the social service building across the street didn’t have a line of people a mile down the road. That building is responsible for finding people temporary housing and short-term assistance until they get back on their feet. In other words, they help people become independent.
I asked a social worker why more people didn’t take advantage of their programs. She told me that the assistance stopped once one got his or her second paycheck and most people found that it was easier to stay on welfare long-term than to get back to work.
Our system punishes those who want to work and become self-reliant.
Granted, there are some that really need assistance, but I don’t think it should be free.
Instead of being a drain on society, welfare recipients should have to give something in return for the assistance we offer.
There are many municipal jobs that could be filled, or, if none are found, community service would suffice.
What I have a problem with is the people who are perfectly able to work and choose not to.
The ones who are “retired for life” at the age of 27 and expect to leech off of us for the rest of their lives.
In occupational therapy, patients such as stroke survivors, amputees and many others are treated to learn how to deal with the changes in their lives. They aren’t taught to just lie around and accept their condition. They’re taught to become self-reliant and, in so doing, improve the quality of their lives.
The same should be true for people on welfare. In the long run, the best and most compassionate course is to help people become self-sufficient.
Instead, our system rewards and encourages irresponsibility and immaturity.
Studies have demonstrated that work is inherently better than welfare and that working boosts self-esteem among workfare participants and provides positive benefits to their families.
To reduce families from depending on welfare for generations, benefits for able-bodied workers need to be phased out in favor of a program requiring them to give back to society.
The only way to succeed in eliminating the dependency trap of welfare is to make government programs decisively guide poor people toward responsible, self-reliant and productive lives.
