Why does America hate welfare so much?

Question

It's not just welfare but other programs designed to help people. I know welfare, food stamps, setion 8, and other programs all have problems because I have seen both extremes. I have a friend who is a single mom and had her food stamps reduced because she got a minimum wage job at Wendy's. Now she struggles even more to feed her son because she is actually trying to do something to help herself. Isn't this just encouraging her (and people in her position) to just stay at home and not work at all because the quality of life would be better?

I also know people who have a section 8 apartment, receive welfare checks, and get like $400 in food stamps. BTW, these people are also unemployed, and their children dress better than mine (I'm a middle-class military man). Obviously, this is wrong but wouldn't it be better for America as a whole to change assistance programs and redistribute some of these funds. I don't care if they only gave these families enough money to only buy Ramen noodles to eat every night at least they would eat. I grew up in a section 8 apartment and my family has used welfare and food stamps before and I have seen how they can help people. As a result, I grew up to be a hard-working person and I can appreciate that I had finacial help when I needed it most...Now I want to return the favor.

My biggest problem with people's gripes about assistance programs is that we are going to find ways to waste tax dollars anyway.

I have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom as an aircraft electrician and I spent my first month making buildings from the ground up (eventaully these buildings will be the Iraqi military bases). We give other countries jobs. They worked at our Exchanges. They made our food and cut our hair. We have stimulated their economy. We spend money on their military training. We give them aircraft. We teach the military discipline.

Then we frown our faces when we use our taxes to help our own people. What kind of sense does that make?

I'm not saying welfare and assistance programs are perfect, because I know for a fact they aren't. I'm just saying if we are going to use our money on something, why not our fellow Americans?

Answer 1

most the people are workers and are taxed , to pay to does on welfare.

many are able to work and won't, the past 50 years to be on relief

wefare  was an embarssment. today there is no shame.

plus the middle class making 30k don't get the same benefits.

Answer 2

because all the higher class citizens get to much and the lower class citizens get about right and that leaves the government officials with a middle class paycheck and they think they don't deserve that so they think if you can't get your life together then you shouldn't get money to blow on c**p.

Answer 3

i think because it can be said that once the welfare lifestyle was introduced, American society has suffered, and it's not the isolated incident here and there that are examples of fraud.

like everything else, welfare programs should be administered and audited on a VERY local level.  

most americans are just like that single mother you talked about. she's not the only one who struggles - regular people struggle JUST exactly like her.

PS:  quite a lot of americans are sick and tired of seeing aid going overseas to a bunch of ingrates, too.

Answer 4

Because at least 80% is wasted on useless, lazy freeloaders.  

The 10% that really need it are genuinely worthy of our government's help with the approval of all citizens.

Answer 5

Our welfare system right now is easily abusable.  It offers no incentive for people on welfare to actually go out into the world and get a job.  People just sit in the system all their lives taking my hard earned money for doing NOTHING and not even going out to look for a job.  I would have no problem for it being used on honest people who have fallen on hard times that are actively searching for a job, but let's be honest, why work when you can get free money?

Answer 6

American taxpayers hate welfare because we are the ones that have to pay for it. All of us know welfare bums that don't like to work and brag about a new video game they played all day while we went to work.

Answer 7

One of my biggest gripes is the illegals that have access to it

most people say they are illegal so they cant get it that's wrong all they need is a baby born here and they are in there like swim wear

My other gripe are the welfare queens that do not try to make anything of themselves and then teach their children how to bilk the system

these people make me sick

I know there are people on it who really need help and I don't knock them for that but there are so many more that are just leaches

so many of them are that people on the outside looking in cant see people as individuals but lump them all together

Answer 8

Its just wrong to take money from someone and give it to someone else. Period! Its anti-liberty.

Answer 9

The problem with welfare in its current state is that it is encouraging growth of population at the lowest and most uneducated sector of our economy.  children that grow up in that environment are 80 percent more likely to repeat the steps of their parents.  The Hispanic population is set to push whites into the minority by 2010 not because the rich and well educated people are having multiple offspring, but because the poor and uneducated ones are able to produce them and survive at the minimums.  

  Welfare is the the epitome of "the road to h**l is paved with good intentions."

All other political issues stem from how well our economy is doing.  Want strong national security, better health care, reduced oil prices, more international influence?  Improve your economy.  China and India are not canvasing the world blowing up anything that moves with a minute sign of aggression. They are building their economies.  They could sell our children poisoned laden toys and we wouldn't even hesitate to buy them.  

   The point is this, the reason Americans hate social programs is that in their current state, they are eating away the dream like a cancer.  

Answer 10

America does not hate welfare at all. It is needed on a SHORT TERM basis for some.  

What we hate are those who make a carreer out of it, and the politicians who create vote buying programs.

Put simply:

Most of the people pull the cart most of the time.

From time to time some folks get sick, down on their luck and have to ride in the card for a while. These folks are ok when they resume pulling after getting back on their feet. Our system is set up very well to take care of them.

Some people make a career out of riding in the cart. They live to have some one else carry their weight. We are tired of these people and tired of pulling their weight.

Answer 11

I don't like 60% of MY money going to a drug-addicted welfare recipient.

I would prefer much lower taxes and actually CHOOSE to donate to a charity.

Studies show that taxes lower GDP. Charity is dependent upon GDP.

Answer 12

Certain welfare policies need better regulation and reform to fix the problem.  But, I'd also say that corporate welfare and corporate bailouts are way more disgusting than this -- at least taxes are going for the poor, rather than the poor-working class paying for the rich's losses.

Answer 13

The American welfare system is being abused and taken advantage of daily. It is rarely used for what it was designed for during the depression, and people who truly need this assistance are suffering because of the lazy bad apples (and illegal immigrants) who are sucking this assistance dry. It needs reformed ASAP!  

Answer 14

There are a lot of us working class people paying for all of these programs that we are not benefiting from. Money that we can not afford to pay right now. Because I work, my kids can't get student loans or grants, until after they are 25 years old. It's not fair. I don't make enough money, to support myself, and send all three of my kids to college. I am still paying off my student loans. Its not fair that the working class is shouldering the burden of everyone. The people that didn't ever work, their kids get free college. My kids don't get that opportunity. It's crazy!! Many of the people I know are losing their homes, they can not afford the sky rising taxes, the rise in gas, the rise in utilities, and the cuts in their wages. We are at a breaking point. The poor don't understand why they have not got the programs they need, and the rich don't pay for it.... it is left to the middle class to foot the bill. The middle class is shrinking. We need to change what and how things are funded in this country.Maybe  we should stop spending billions of dollars overseas, and started taking care of our own people first.