Welfare: Downfall Of America

4 Pages 882 Words

Welfare in America; Is it the downfall of our society? Posing this question based solely on one government program may seem simplistic. However, the amount of tax dollars spent on Welfare is mind blowing, so maybe it deserves a closer look. Both sides of the fence have valid arguments. On the one hand, Welfare (for purposes of this examination I am including unemployment under the “Welfare” heading) keeps good honest citizens from losing things they worked very hard for if they should fall on difficult times. On the other hand, there are countless people who abuse the system and cost those same honest people millions of dollars. So who is right? Do we scrap welfare and give the abusers no choice but to get a job? Or do we keep it, and let the abusers continue their laziness? I contend that something needs to be done, but exactly what? The answer lies in how much the program pays to those who are on it.
In 2000 Government spending was just under 3 Trillion Dollars. That, in and of itself, is scary. Welfare makes up a large piece of that pie. In that same year, between the Federal Government, and State Government, we spent 434.8 Billion Dollars on Welfare programs. Just about 1/6th of the total spending was on safety nets for the honest, and gifts for the lazy. I don’t mind saying that this really pisses me off. 1 out of 6 dollars that I am taxed goes into someone’s pocket that doesn’t earn it. There must be a solution to this.
I realize, as I have said, that there honest people who really need and appreciate the help. How we accurately distinguish between the honest and the abusers is tough. At first, most all of the people who start receiving some for of welfare are doing so honestly. There is a point though, where the honesty is gone and the laziness kicks in. Why does this happen? I believe the problem is two fold. First, Welfare pays too much. Second, Minimum wage is to low. These two fact...