Do you believe that the Welfare System is currently functional or should it be changed?



My humble opinion, it should be of limited duration.  Instead of food stamps just hand out MRE's.  One per meal, three meals a day per person.  AFter a month of MREs you should have enough motivation to do just about anything for work.

WTH?

Scrap it or at least put a 2 week cap on it. A 2 week (or 2 month) cap would DRASTICALLY reduce the budget for this bloated mistake of a program.

It's a hand up, not a handout...

edit: With the exception of handicapped people, etc... I'm not totally heartless.

It should be entirely eliminated.


It's not the proper role of government.

It's not rocket science, either.

ended.

<- the only dignified response I can give.

it is a god awful shitty mess... when you subsidize something, you get more of it-this simple fact is lost on politicians.

+1 for it being completely eliminated.

I watched a documentary about this in Japan..........no such thing,if you can work you get off your ass and go to work.

I believe the same sort of thing should apply here.........get off your ass and go to work!

Depends on how you look at it.

If you think that 'hand outs' shouldn't exist, then you probably despise welfare.

If you're in the other camp that thinks welfare is a 'necessary evil' then...well, it's better than it used to be since they overhauled it back in '96.

I think it needs to exist mainly because handicapped people may need some assistance, and I'm not heartless. I also don't mind giving money to single mothers who are working, but still below the poverty line. And I think reduced price school lunches are good too.

Now, I don't believe in giving welfare to people that can but are unwilling to work though.

End all welfare now.  Too much fraud.  Private charity will pick up the slack.  

It is simply not the proper role of government.

Quoted: End all welfare now.  Too much fraud.  Private charity will pick up the slack.

Quoted: Quoted: End all welfare now.  Too much fraud.  Private charity will pick up the slack.

+1

I hope of course that the matching reductions in taxes would accompany this...

We're already the most charitable country in the world-by far.  I can't stand hearing the usual arguments from the bleeding heart libs on welfare/healthcare-"if the gov doesn't, then who would?"  If we were't being taxed to the hilt, leaving the government to handle this stuff, private charities would be handling these tasks with aplomb.

Do you believe that the Welfare System is currently functional ?

Put an immediate stop on the program.

Quoted: Do you believe that the Welfare System is currently functional?

That depends on what you think it was meant for...

Quoted:
Do you believe that the Welfare System is currently functional or should it be changed?


Both.

It is currently functional.

I support the notion of a safety net, but not one of unlimited duration. I would support the notion that CITIZENS are born with a right to 2 years of welfare, so if someone looses their job, there is a safety net of maybe 50% of what they were earning. If after the 2 year time period, that person has not found a job or is otherwise not able to work, I am willing to let them and their children starve to death. After consuming a certain amount of this endowment, it takes 10 years to build it back to the full 2 years. I support an extension to this program for those people who are really not able to work--the permantly disabled, retarded people, the seriously aged, and maybe a few more.

Noncitizens are simply not elegible. States that enable noncitizens to obtain welfare would loose all federal monies.

Ok heres MY opinion...

1.) It should be given only to people who work 40 hours a week. I am not going to give you stuff to sit on your bum and play with the system...

2.) Handicapped people and people who can't work for a legitimate reason or was unfortunate enough to have sextuplets can get it.

3.) YOU MUST BE A CITIZEN OF THE U.S.A. ( If your not GTFO )
Come back and do it the right way and LEARN ENGLISH! Also if you become a citizen keep your culture but you are not Spanish-American or African American or Indian American... YOU ARE AMERICAN

4.) Housing should not include furnishings, electricity, or amenities. ONLY WATER. The rest you have to pay.

5.) Must refill out forms every month and must take care of the property. It's not a handout people... It's a generous helping hand to get you back on your feet. Not a permanent solution. Most other countries wouldn't give a damn about you...

You are LUCKY. YOU LIVE IN THE U.S. It may be hard to become something out of nothing but in America it can be done. Hell look at Oprah. Make something of yourself it's very possible...

I do not mean to offend anyone who is under this program... my best wishes of you and hope things get better off...
j0hn

P.S. - I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN if you don't like it........
THEN KISS MY ASS.  

Quoted: Do you believe that the Welfare System is currently functional ?

It's perfectly functional for the recipients.

If it exists at all it should be a purely state function.  And even then it should be extremely limited and hard to get.  The only exception would be those who cannot function normally in society due to some sort of medical/psychological condition.

Completely removed.  Let the state or county or even city give free handouts to their lazy (with budgets that actually have limits, you'd see a big difference).  As for the disabled, well, as long as it's confirmed by a certified doctor that isn't going to get paid any extra for "disabling" them, then that's fine.

Honestly, I don't really know. I'd want to do some more studying of exactly what goes on under the current system before making any radical changes.

I do have an idea that might replace it - Government work camps:

Under this system, there are no direct transfer payments of any kind. Instead, anybody who feels that they are unable to cope with getting and keeping a job and home in the real world can voluntarily go to a Government work camp. Once you are admitted there, you get your basic needs taken care of - decent shelter, 3 meals a day, medical care, etc. In return, you are required to do whatever type of work they assign you to. You can get various types of basic education in your free time there. You can leave anytime you want, with some limitation to keep people from stopping by for a few hours for a meal or anything like that. Keep the sexes separated - don't want people establishing families in there. If they want to start a family, they have to leave and establish themselves in the real world.

May not be practical, and there's lots of tricky details, but it's at least worth talking about IMHO.

In Wis. the welfare is limited to 5 years.  Whether you stay on all 5 in a row or 2 here, 2 there a couple moths later...  5 years.  Then you are done.  Wis. has 1 of the highest "paydays" for recipents also.  

Quoted: In Wis. the welfare is limited to 5 years.  Whether you stay on all 5 in a row or 2 here, 2 there a couple moths later...  5 years.  Then you are done.

 Does this include all forms of welfare like food stamps, free rent, and free medical care or are you just talking about free money?  As far as I know food stamps can go on forever.  

Mace has the right idea.
It is impractical to think welfare will ever go away completely.

I will get flamed for typing this, but in the thirties the democratic-socialist administration of FDR came up with camps to put people to work during the Great Depression. Able-bodied men reported to work camps run by military officers to build roads, clear forests, and build dams. It was called the "Civilian Conservation Corps." My father spent time working at CCC camps in Texas before he was drafted during World War II.

I would give those in need two weeks to find a job or report to a work camp.

Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to pass out free birth control products in low income areas. That alone would definitely cut down on future recipients of our government's largess.