I really don't get it. If you've ever actually been in a "less fortunate" community, I'd guess a solid 80% or more of people on goverment assitance programs are there because they made bad choices and/or dont want to do anything for themselves and just sit around b@#$ing and whining about their welfare check being 5 minutes late. They aren't they poor people who have "just had some bad luck" as they are often portrayed. I wouldnt mind giving these people assitance in education or job training so they can make something of themselves or unemployment checks for a couple months (not years), but why should my tax dollars go to welfare and stuff like that for these people? Its dead wood that society needs to drop.
210583
I honestly think liberals in general think government should be there to protect the weakest among us. While that is a noble goal, I think we can see from example that it rarely works out that way.  A good example is the so-called "Great Society".  Here we are in 2006, and poverty is still as big an issue as it was in the 1960's.  We could have handed every poor person in the country a check for a million dollars and spent less than the trillions of dollars we've wasted on failed government social programs.
513050
YES IT IS A SHAME WHEN THE MONEY THEY ARE WASTING AGAINST PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO BETTER THEIR SELF WHEN IT COULD BE USE FOR SCHOOLS, AND THE POOR,  BUT I DO AGREE WITH YOU. AND FOR THE ONES THAT THINK POVERTY IS CAUSE BY IMMIGRATION, NEEDS TO SIT BACK AND LOOK AND REALLY THINK ABOUT IT.
479931
I live in Texas.  Born and raised.  Damn proud of it too.  People don't care who is living here as long as they can manage to do their best to take care of themselves.  We don't even mind welfare if it is truly needed.  Come down, get a job, be friendly and hardworking.  We will welcome him with open arms.
654929
Because it's been 30 years, when are they going to take care of themselves. This is capitalism your work contributes to your success, there shouldn't be handouts. As much respect as I have for these brave Americans I along with the rest of the American public should be held accountable for their welfare.
497791
It seems to me that the welfare system is not set up for people to succeed.  I was on welfare to go to college.  If I had a test and would not be able to make an appointment, they would not reschedule me.  Instead, I would have to go down the offices on a morning that I can go and wait all day until they had a cancellation so that they could fit me in.  If there were no cancellations, I would have to do the same thing on another day until they could fit me in.  If I didn't get in within a certain amount of time, my benefits were suspended.  As a full-time college student, a full-time/part-time (depending on my school schedule) employee, and a single mom, I did not have that kind of time nor could I afford to not have their help.\n\nAlso, for every dollar that I made at my job, I would lose more than a dollar in benefits.  When I'm not makin much at my job, the loss of benefits really hurt.\n\nPlus, though I was in school, I was supposed to take occupational classes.  If not, I needed all my profs to sign a sheet saying I was in their class - that I was on welfare I did not want everyone to know.\n\nI ended up graduating and getting a great job and I'm definitely paying the system.  I think that if someone is working hard to get off welfare that the system should work with them and that if someone is just abusing the system that it should be harder for them.  Just my opinion.
53191
The poor in this country live quite well. While there is still a lot to be done to help these individuals, they themselves should be doing a lot more. Being poor, in my opinion, is a choice in most cases. Not so in most of the world, where conditions force billions of people to live many times below the American Average poor person. Work and resources are not available even to those that work very hard. In America, however, there is so much opportunity that to be poor is very hard for me to understand.
160559
no, those people are just trying to make better lives for themselves. it's not like they are going to come here and live off of welfare the rest of their lives like some americans do. we should give them temporary citizenship so they can pay their taxes like all americans, then everybody wins
314419
The largest group of welfare recipients, by a huge margin, are children. Would you put them to work instead of going to school?\n\nAlmost all the remaining welfare recipients are the disabled and the blind. Just what work do you propose that they do?\n\nYou want Social Services to take the children from their parents? Now that's a brilliant idea when the system is already unable to take care of the foster children in its care.\n\nYou want to have the government set up a system of day care for the children of the poor? Just where do you think the money is coming from? Just how much money do you think we currently spend on welfare recipients per person? The average benefit nationally is less than $400 per FAMILY per MONTH.
422888
I had a long post here, but I decided to change it. There were lots of details about my personal situation, but now I am going to cut to the point...\n\nYou should report these people to the organizations that are providing these services. As you said, there are people out there who really need help. And it isn't right for these volunteers to be wasting their time... Especially when they could be spending it helping out someone who needs it worse.\n\nYou may want to make sure they know if you want to be kept anonymouse. I have made people mad at me before when I reported them for wasting benefits. But it isn't right when there are people like me, no car and working hard to keep a job, further my education, and raise a kid who really need help but are getting little or none while others, such as the family you mentioned above, are taking more than they need. \n\nThere is enough in this country for everyone to live comfortably, if they would just all do and take their share. Keeping life going the way it should is a balancing act. If there is too much on one side, there isn't going to be enough on the other.
645035
More people will milk the system...I have generations of welfare recipients...I think job opportunity and economic equality is more reasonable....but when do governments reason....lol
215856
No, you are not too sensitive about this. I believe that everyone needs help sometimes, whether they are fortunate enough to get it from their families, or from the state. The key is: being able to pull yourself out of a bad financial situation and give back what you have recieved ( maybe not in a literal sence, but, you know??) Maybe it would be a good idea to start denying these people help. I am sick of seeing and hearing about welfare parents, I could die. I mean, some of these people drive NICE vehicles, are draped in expensive jewelry, wear very nice clothes, and pay for thier food with an EBT card. Sickening. I would like to see them get off their lazy a*s, wake up at 5:00am, and go to fu**in work like the rest of us. I'm with ya on this one- totally.
174401
They are hoping you will change your mind about even trying to  get something.  If your white and not connected to the  neo nazi group of today it takes longer than that. Everyone just about gets turned down the first time, they really are hoping you will just go away instead of making sure that on;y people who need it will receive it. Some people will get it the second time, so if you signal hang in there. If your like my family you might as well hire a lawyer.  It took my brother 2 almost 3 years to get it. He had diabetes and at first the circulation in his feet were so bad he was in a wheel chair sometimes and couldn't walk far no matter what time.  He was on it slightly over 6 months when he got a job at the airport because his feet had improved.  They werent giving retroactive checks at that period either.  My family has never received welfare, that was the first time anyone had gotten social security and it took that much work. If it wasn't for families like mine instead of the gang bangers and priveledged parasites like you see all over L.A. especially the marinas,) there wouldn't be social securty.  Somebody has to work and actually pay taxes.  As you can tell I have no respect whatso ever for todays ugly little cults .  It has no value whatsoever for decent middle class people, except to be exploited by them.
263779
This is a horrible idea. First of all, the government doesn't "give" anything to anyone, taxpayers do. So, for each of you who think this is great, go tell your neighbor, parents, or friends that you'll be taking $100 away from them every month to give to some kid whose parents should be taking care of him anyway. \n\nIf this is some welfare experiment, it is sure to backfire and it will only help those who refuse to help themselves. If you can't afford to have kids, there is a very simple solution... DON'T.
346352
honestly, this system is a two sided coin.\n\non the one side you have the single mom and others like her that are doing everything they can to get out of the system while on the other hand you  have those that see it as a way of avoiding responsibility while living the commercialized, materialistic life that America has so long endorsed.\n\nThere are certainly things that could be better about the system but the fact is there currently are not enough people with the heart to work for reduced wages to police the system and make sure that all that apply are using the funds wisely.  Can we fix the problem without hurting those that are actually in need?\n\nThink about it, if we make the process more invasive, meaning longer, you dissuade those that are perpetrators but also those that are truly in need.  the time spent going through the more invasive process is time that could be spent looking for a job or earning income.\n\nKeep the process as it is and anyone with time and patience has access to government funds.\n\nWhat is the final answer?  Is there only one answer that will solve the problem of abuse to the system?
439451
Biggest bunch of ignorant answers I've seen here on these boards, that facts are over 70% of the homeless population in this country suffer from mental illness to some degree, the other 30% are transitionally homeless, someone who was living check to check and had the bottom fall out when they lost their job and couldn't find employment before being evicted from their homes, some homeless people actually do work and return to "normal" society in less than a year with the appropriate social services assisting them, as far as the Explosion of homelessness in the U.S. over the last 30 years thanks Ronnie Bonzo Reagan for cutting mental health funding to the bone in the early eighties, you other idiots need to get informed or stay the heck away from answering questions you know little about
381390
it is very bad now\n\nmy father lost his job during a strike, he had broken his hip 7 years ago, SO he could've just applied for welfare, BUT my dad went to therapy and got back in shape, and he continues to work hard \n\nbut, i know someone who had a back problem, and QUIT his construction job, applied for welfare, and now he gets the following\n\nFREE HEALTHCARE, FREE PERSCRIPTION DRUGS, FOOD STAMPS, $550 A MONTH, AND HE DOES NOT PAY FOR CAR INSURANCE OR GAS, THAT IS ******* REDICULOUS\n\nwe need another welfare reform now, abolishing welfare for illegal aliens, lazy people, or people who fake disabilities\n\nit should go for REALLY disabled Americans
642002
Less fortunate? Look they come here and give so called "cheap labor", which by the way is $10-12 tax free (I don't call that cheap), then they send all that money back to Mexico where the exchange rate benifits them so they live like Kings over their shambled surroundings. What pisses me off the most is not that they came here and jumped to the front of the line of all those waiting poor and hungry to get in legally, and not that they don't pay a dime in taxes, and not that they feed off the well-fare system, and not that some of them refuse to learn English, and not that they bring their crime rate with them, but what pisses me off terribly is that they come here and demand things from OUR government like we owe them ANYTHING, and they use our humanity against us, saying we stole land from them? I'm not racist, and I'm not Anti-immigration. I'm anti-illegal immigration, and they shot themselves in the foot with the way they acted recently.\n\nContrary to belief of those who don't work construction or landscaping, Americans CAN BE hard workers. In fact I lost a tooth because two "cheap" laborers wouldn't do the work and I was working right along side of them, told them if they don't keep up with me they don't get paid. So they fought me and even though I lost a tooth, I sent one of those little F***ers running like a little girl. We do work hard and America would not be where it is today were it not for hard working citizens. If Americans are so lazy, then why is it that America is an economical giant and Mexico is still a primitive almost 3rd world country with lazy idiots that kick back and drink all day(ok that was a stereotype, sorry I probably just ruined my credibility)?\n\nAnyway don't say Amercians are spoiled. You might be spoiled, but most of us are not.\n\nHere is a better analogy: If your company was struggling to pay your paycheck, do you think you could run to another company and get them to give you full benefits and a nice paycheck without filling out an application? Hell no you wouldn't. And as for the less fortunate, if you really want to help them, go down to your local soup kitchen and cook dinner for the guys. They'll really appreciate it. Take care of people at home first, and when no American is sleeping in the cold, then we can start looking at helping foreigners.\n\nHere's something else-- Do you want another crowd of people to die senselessly a bloody and painful death? If not I would suggest  you support border control, because at anytime, one of those terrorists could come in unbeknownst to the nation by hopping the border.\n\n\n\n\nI think we've beat this issue death. None of us are listening to the opposite arguement, and it's not going anywhere. I don't know where you got the idea that there are just as many Americans working tax free. Have you ever driven by a parking lot with a bunch of Americans sitting there waiting to get work? I don't thinks so. You can't possibly live anywhere near one of the large cities where immigration is a problem. If you did you wouldn't be saying things like that, because they're just not true. I live right here in the heart of it. I live in a neighborhood, and I think that me, my next door neighbor, and one Mexican family down the street are the only legal households in the entire neighborhood. When we have problems out here, they will beg not to call the police, because they don't have papers. That means they don't work on a social security number or they wouldn't be worried about it. You don't need a social security number. The majority of them just get picked up, paid cash and dropped off. And most of them will tell you life is good back home in Mexico. I gotta give it to them for live in such tight quarters for a year at a time-\n\nAmerica has come way too far to say we're lazy, dishonest, and government dependant. That's not true at all.