Has welfare ever helped anyone, seriously?
492042
My family and I get food asistance and my kids get medicaid.  OUr family would starve to death with out it.  I am unemployed and my wife is on maturnity leave right now if it were not for the food stamps we would have no food.  I do think that the welfare system needs some major over hauling.  i think there are far too many people out there that rely on it as income and do not want to get on their owm.  that is wrong.  Welfare should be a temporary fix the help get you through when i find a job again i plan on discontinuing the benifits we are receiving.\n\nC.H.
79267
Yes. Too many people that are ripping off the government using the welfare system. Also, welfare is not a permanent solution, but is a helping hand until you get on your own two feet.
1118708
Yep, welfare's the way to go.  Just make sure you don't live in my state.
884655
Kinda hard to answer...welfare in Canada?  US?  UK?  Germany?\nItaly?.....????\n\nOk...in the US many states have enacted a 2 year maximum benefits policy and after that the person has to work on some sort of community improvement program...I agree with this as long as affordable child care is available.  Also, some states have welfare rules set very low...if you work at mcdonalds, you don't qualify, even if the cost of living is so high in the area that you have to live in a tent at a KOA or national park (ie. Georgia or the Sun Valley area of Idaho)...this is getting too extreme.  The question is...is it worth it to society to pay a little to single parents working at underpaid jobs and have kids taken properly cared of, or let them go as they will and have latchkey kids running wild and ending up in prison later.  I think that the welfare system in MOST of the US is too stringent and more money should be allocated for it...if we can afford a trillion dollars for Iraq, we can afford a hundred million more for struggling and working single parents.
718271
No. I think if they are on welfare, there must be a reason why they are on it. If they are on the system, they should do whatever it takes to get out of it. I would really like to see my tax dollars being used for people who accualy need to be on welfare as oppose to ppl who take advantage of it.
241585
You bet your shotass, Paula! I hear you and feel your pain! We have been over taxed and abused by the Empire State for years. Serious welfare reform is needed. Gov. Pataki started the workfare program, but more needs to be done. There are some people that can't work, and should be given assistance, but all able bodied and capable persons should indeed earn their keep!\nPS - Don't listen to the liberal drivel from those pinheads above. It's liberals like them that have allowed the welfare in NYS to get out of control the way is now. Get off your high horses, pinheads. Your programs are the reasons people write things like this, you self righteous windbags! Have a nice day!
584430
I'm sorry, I have to tell you I disagree with this charity.  Yes, they do use the donations to help people, but they do not do anything to solve the underlying problems.\n\nMy grandmother saved a child through this charity when grandma was 20 years old.  My mother saved the three children that were born because of it.  When I was 20, all of those children had grown up, and had starving children of their own.  I now had nine children to save.\n\nAll nine of those children have now grown up, and had three babies each.  You, my friend, now have 27 starving children to save.  It never ends!\n\nYour money will be better spent on a charity that provides books or educational material to people so they can learn to help themselves.\n\nSIL International has been rated #1 Educational Charity for the second year in a row by Smart Money Magazin Full story and rankings:\nhttp://www.sil.org/sil/news/2001/smartmoney.htm
238933
if they did would that do away with homelessness? no it would not. there are people that give money to help fight homelessness all the time. yet it's still around.why not just give everyone a home to live in ? why ? because that would be to easy...yes i know, where is all that money going to came from?   how about some of this money that the tax payers pay in everyday that gets wasted on stuff that doesn't help anyone.....churchs do their part in helping with the homeless, so lets not take away the help that they do have. because i don't see to many others trying to step in and save the day.
428580
No, but until hard working Americans start standing up for themselves and demand that politicians cut the hammock/saftey net, then nothing will ever change. \n\nSeveral years ago, Americans were ashamed to go on welfare. Why? Because it should that they couldn't take care of themselves and therefore needed handouts. Back then, Americans prided themselves on their independence. It was that independent nature that built this country and made it great. \n\nWelfare is simply socialism at its worse. Humanity loves the idea of socialism, but has yet to find a way to make it work (or others while under it). \n\nOf coures I agree that those incapable of working should be cared for, but those are very rare cases and should be only conducted with great scrutiny. Everyone else, get a job. You don't work you don't eat. If you consider that statement harsh, complain to the Bible(or more specifically, Paul the apostle i believe). \n\nThe last motivation for a lazy man is hunger. For many this is the only motivator to work. When you take that away, they will do nothing, except complain about not being given more. \n\nAnd while I understand that the government isn't fair, the government should strive to be. Liberty and justice are our founding principles for governing each other. How far have we moved from these principles? How would our founding fathers look upon us? Would they marvel at how a lazy person can live for years off of the wealth of others or would they be ashamed at our inablity to defend justice. \n\nAnd what's worse, welfare only hurts the people who it is trying to benefit. They become grafted with even more dependence on the government and upon the taxpayers at large. Over time, this dependence atrophies the individuals will power. \n\nThe only solution for our government is to slowly exit the welfare game. To set a cut date five years from now and to lower the expenses on welfare until they are none existent. \n\nWith expenses being lowered, the new found money should be invested in two ways. \n\n1. Cut taxes. Don't play favorites. Do it across the board and don't play the class card. To do so would not be fair and class warfare does not lead to justice.\n\n    -if taxes are cut across the board, the economies engine would rev like it always does. With more spending, more jobs would be created, allowing those who truly want to work to find jobs easily. \n\n2. Invest more money into the military and recruiting programs.\n\nRight now the military is one of the best opportunities for people coming from poor families. They recieve great pay, the best benefits, and an opportunity to recieve a college education. But most importantly, they recieve all of those great things, by EARNING them. They recieve the dignity of earning their keep and the pride that comes from serving ones country. \n\nI could write on this topic for hours, but I won't. Instead let me say this. Socialism fails the majority of the time. It suspends the reality of competition and the necessity for hard work. When done on a massive scale you have Communism. America dabbles with socialism, but only at the cost of real, hard working Americans. If we increase our welfare programs the end result will lead us into the same perdicatment that Germany and France are in right now. Many young people are opting to go on welfare simple because it pays better then many jobs, in Germany. This is like trying to climb a mountain with a leech the size of a backpack on your back. It drains your needed energy and prevents you from climbing to new heights. We need to cut it off and demand that every capable American carry their own weight. Only then can we truly achieve the success that our fore-fathers envisioned. \n\n\n\nGodspeed,\n\n     Lightbringer
275888
Welfare has never been OK in this country. Despite the fact that some want to call us a "Christian" nation, we have never been happy "giving" people money - except at Christmas, maybe.\n\nAnd welfare has not officially been seen as good at least since Ronald Reagan forgot that, if it hadn't been for his friends who helped him out, he would have been poor. Clinton actually reformed welfare, requiring states to require people on welfare to work unless they were disabled or had small children. That's not enough for you?\n\nIf you think any of this is new, do some reading. Families used to be responsible for helping their relatives who fell on bad times. When the families didn't want to help, the churches took over. When the problems got so bad the churches couldn't or wouldn't do it, the governments had to do it. Now no one is doing it, so people freeze to death sleeping outdoors, as happened here in Worcester recently.\n\n"Then let them die, and decrease the surplus population!" Ebenezer Scrooge, "A Christmas Carol"
972731
My family received welfare when I was a child, but my mother worked 7 days a week in a low paying job and had 4 children to support. My father was of no help. He was only court ordered to pay $65/month! Now, how is that going to help 4 children?\n\nAll four of us grew up to be very productive members of society--I have a Master's degree, my 2 sis have BA degrees and my brother is a HS grad. Each of us hold professional positions, and we all earn good livings. Despite what people think who do not know any better, many people on welfare only need it as a temporary life saver, and work very hard to be independent of it.\n\nAs far as the Iraq war goes, my old BF and cousin served, but they are the only people I know with any affiliation to this war. Most of the men in my family have been in the military, however.
969518
It's a tough problem.  Almost everyone wants to help someone who is genuinely down on his (or her) luck.  But if people know assistance is there, some will rely on it and not try hard enough to better themselves.  Even FDR said welfare has a "narcotic" effect.\n\nChanges in laws change behavior.  We "reward' poverty and so we may get more of it.\n\nI guess in an ideal world, everyone would ignore the possibility of government transfer payments, or somehow there'd be a mechanism where only those who "truly tried their best" get government support.\n\nSome states have stopped raising benefits when a "welfare mother" has another child.  But then again, it's not the kid's fault.
1154889
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We do NOT need them to do the work here!! We got along just FINE without them before,and we can do it again!!!!!!!!!!! They actually COST the taxpaers MORE in the long run,in social services,etc., than it would if we paid a few extra cents for veggies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!\n\nIf nothing else,we could put these PRISONERS, and welfare people to work in those jobs!! Why should THEY get a "free ride" either???!! Make them earn their keep!!!!! These are some more people that sponge off us!!!! We actually have GENERATIONS of welfare recipients!!!!!!!!!! That is,people who have made a living off welfare,then their kids and grandkids do the same thing!!!!!!!!!!!! And we also have a LOT of repeat offenders in prison!!!! They get three free meals a day,free medical,free lawyers,free clothing,all paid for by US!!!!! Well,it's time for the "gravy train" to get DERAILED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1137315
No, I don't know aniy. A lot of people were kicked off welfare a few years ago. Are they getting back on?
529776
Not necessarily.\n\nFeedback can be useful, but is not more important than the help by itself.
651382
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.
928482
Welfare is meant to help people that are on hard times. I believe in a compassionate state where no one should be hungry, be without shelter, security, education. I do not believe in handouts to the lazy as it is a tremendous drag on society and is a major reason for high taxes. \n\nI therefore advocate a system where people that are unable to support themselves receive welfare in a different format.\n1-safe and secure housing (very basic)\n2-food vouchers (healthy food only)\n3-free access to education and job training that is of a very high caliber\n4-vouchers for consumer goods at thrift stores like goodwill and value village\n5-health care\n6-mass transportation\n\nThis spartan existence should not be preferable for people to live off so there is an incentive to get to work and improve their lives.\n\nNo one should get cheques to squander on cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, junk food and other wasteful things. Not everyone is able to care properly for their children so welfare should not be a pay raise for people. On this note, there should be excellent boarding houses (akin to those used by the wealthy) where children can be brought up in safe and healthy environments and afforded the best education. Transforming future lost generations into productive members of society.