Should we abolish the welfare system?

Question

I think the system is broken. Most of the people who receive welfare checks do not spend it wisely and it makes them lose their incentive to get a job.

What about if the kids were taken away from these deadbeats and 100% of the welfare money was used on the kids and leave the deadbeats to either get a job or die.

Answer 1

Hmmm...it would be nice if we could...but don't you think that would severely raise crime levels and kids growing up hating America? I think there just needs to be better regulations, more accountability, and a time limit perhaps to force them to find work. Also illegals definitely shouldn't get a piece of it.

Answer 2

Yes, the system is broken. There should be limits placed on welfare. There should also be more screening and people able to work disqualified from drawing welfare. However, many of these people are good parents' and children should not be taken away unless there is abuse or neglect.

Answer 3

DEADBEATS?  Who are you calling deadbeats?  No, the only deadbeats are the deadbeat FATHERS that walked out on their children, NOT the mothers on welfare.

Just because a parent goes through a little struggle and needs welfare, does not mean they cant take care of their children or that they are lazy.  Everyone has rough patches especially if you are a single mom.

Besides welfare requires 32 hours a week of work or school.  And who says they dont spend it wisely.  They give you a few hundred dollars a month which is probably just enough to rent a room from someone and buy diapers.

Answer 4

Yes it needs more restrictions, but if you have no legs or arms, then you should qualify for something

Answer 5

That would not be so easy:  what about the elderly and the seriously disabled?  Because see, there is this thing called Social Security Supplement Income which is also considered welfare, and a lot of the elderly and disabled do get that type of check.  How would they survive?  

I agree with you on one thing though:  too many people are collecting welfare who could go to work.  I also would like to add that even though it is not the fault of these children, why should I be responsible for them?  I had 2 children, my husband died early, but I took responsibility for them, by going to work and providing for them.  I have a neighbor here who has 5 children from 5 different men, who collects welfare checks for each child, gets a bunch of food stamps,gets housing assistance---and smokes dope.  Since you only really help another by teaching them skills to support themselves would I rather like to see programs that teach those losers to take care of their children and work instead of taking money away from those who really need it--but I don't think that abolishing welfare is the solution....

Answer 6

Absolutely! Let's abolish the welfare system, and let's start with the costliest of all welfare programs: corporate welfare. Let's abolish all those tax deductions, tax abatements, government grants, low-cost government loans, bankruptcy protections, special 'incentives', tax avoidance policies, offshore tax shelters, and corporate bail-outs that cost American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars every year.

Then we could abandon that welfare system we call 'war' that allows a handful of wealthy elitists, industrialists, oil barons and power brokers to become wealthier and more powerful at the cost of TRILLIONS of U.S. taxpayer dollars and thousands of human lives.

And how about eliminating the unemployment benefits for those who lose their jobs because their employer moves to Mexico; or the millions of Americans who are less fortunate and who are under-employed; under-educated; disabled; sick; elderly; mentally handicapped; hungry or homeless?

Or were you just referring to those whom you deem yourself to be 'better' than? Those whom you believe to be 'lazy', unproductive, just because they're of a different race or culture?

Perhaps you were referring to those who live in the 'ghettos' instead of the nice five-bedroom home you live in with four bathrooms (for which you take a mortgage interest tax deduction, i.e. 'welfare') - because you were fortunate enough to grow up in a family environment that encouraged ambition, prosperity and hard work.

Maybe you meant those 'poor kids' who go to a school with broken windows, inadequate teaching materials, and crumbling classrooms just because those schools didn't get the funding that your suburban school received for its Olympic-sized swimming pool, better-paid teachers and state-of-the-art technology equipment.*

Yeah. Instead of allowing those 'deadbeats' to escape from poverty by helping them out of it (not only financially, but with our own personal energies and assistance), let's just force them to get a [non-existent] job or DIE.

That's the American way!!   -RKO-  07/12/08

P.S. I agree with you: our social welfare system doesn't work, and the the answer isn't to throw more money at it. The solution lies in our ability as a society to abandon our arrogance, fears, avarice, ignorance, sloth and hubris - and come to understand WHY the system is broken. And one of the biggest reasons it's broken is because those who don't NEED it have found loopholes which allow them to acquire it while those who DO need it get the very least financial and social assistance. The corporate welfare system works great because it's figured out how to exploit our government's magnamimity.

Answer 7

No, I don't. I think it needs to be revamped, though. It's there to help people in need who have fallen on hard times. The number of homeless people would rise considerably without the program, but I think more could be done to help these people get jobs and there should be a time limit on how long you can draw benefits. Knowing that money was only going to come in for 6 months or so, would be a decent motivator.

To abolish it completely would be a terrible thing, though. There are people who really need it, who aren't abusing it, and they shouldn't have to suffer because of everyone else.

Answer 8

Yes

Answer 9

Abolish it for the able bodied, if they have family they should be the ones to help,out, not ask my family to give away the hours I worked for them, and that is what money is, the hours of a persons life....

Answer 10

Most people on welfare actually are in need of it and try very hard to rise above the heed.  The system itself is not broken.  There are many loopholes that many people slip throygh both to get on and to lose welfare.  Taking children away from"deadbeats" only to foster them out to other deadbeats does nothing to solve anything.

Answer 11

Yes, I think so.  I'm afraid that welfare program has solved nothing.  It's simply created a subculture of people -- most who continue this type of life on in their children.

Not that I think people should starve but their SHOULD be stigma attached to welfare.  We make it so easy and so accepted...with credit cards to buy their groceries and free housing-- we've normalized the idea of welfare.  

I've done much charitable work in my life, but I have yet to go into the home of a welfare recipient and NOT see a video game set up, cell phones and a tv with cable.  WTF?

If they can find money for luxuries, why can't they afford food?

Answer 12

Yes, I agree with you or make them take a Urine test to get the benefits. Any illegal drugs or to much alcohol means instant and total loss of benefits.

Answer 13

the welfare system was an idea born of good intentions...

HOWEVER

The reality of taxing people (that is $ taken wither we like it or not)

and then given as "charity" to the needy.... no!

this doesn't work!  An institution can NEVER be charitable!

Individuals can show compassion and charity but the GOV,

give me a break!  ALL of the entitlement programs should go away.

+ un-fund the National endowment (etc...)

we would be paying less in taxes and have more local control, if the gov. would just stay out of a lot of the things they currently run.

Answer 14

No.  But it should be very difficult to qualify for.  Those allowed to participate should have to pay the benefits back over time once they are employed.  Nothing is free, and getting free money from  Uncle Sam is not preparing anyone for the real world.  

Section 8 housing should be abolished too--where is the incentive to do better, when you can live in the same neighborhoods as those who work and sacrifice by delaying satisfaction and actually planning their families???

Time for the free rides to end.  Life time caps on benefits, then no more.  I'm tired of working to help those who won't help themselves.  Enough already.

Answer 15

In Charles Dickens times, families needing pubic assistance were split up and given away as servants. That was back then.

Today, I would opinion you would have to stay home with sandbagged windows and employ illegal firearms to maintain a boundary.

Or, would you suggest more prisons?

Answer 16

I'm conservative but I do believe SOME people need it to get back on their feet so we don't have a ton of people living on the street.

However there need to be much stricter guidelines in place so it isn't going to people who choose to be lazy or drug addicts.