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Nobody should think of welfare as being TANF. There are a lot of welfare programs, and TANF is just one of them. What about SSI and Section 8? What percentage of federal welfare money goes to each of those three programs?
To get Section 8, you have to be on a waiting list, and qualify in various ways. It's almost a career to become qualified and remain qualified.
Your kids can get SSI if they have disabilities, such as being retarded or whatever. In some places, people cultivate their kids' dumbness to be able to live off it, and avoid any programs that could improve their kids' academic skills, for fear of becoming disqualified.
The time limit of TANF doesn't mean much if TANF is only a small fraction of federal welfare money.
College students and unemployed grads can't make a career out of being on welfare, because they don't have time. Careers are a big investment of time and effort. Being a college student, or a job seeker, is temporary, and not worth the investment in a welfare career.
For instance, I was once like you - underemployed shortly after college graduation. I took the first job that offered me benefits after months of applying at the height of the recession and moved across the country to one of the most expensive regions to take the opportunity. A few months later, I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. And STILL there were no benefits available to me. I had to work full time through a cancer diagnosis even though I wasn't making enough to stay afloat, and I am still working to get out of debt and fix my credit.
Are you able bodied? Because at that time, I was working 3 jobs: my full time paid job, dealing with the insurance company, and, you know, fighting cancer. If you're not making it, take another job. If you have health issues that prevent that, I feel for you because I know there is truly little support out there for young people dealing with serious health issues - especially early in your career with little savings, little sick/vacation time, and often no real support. Otherwise, find a 2nd job or freelance - I've been freelancing since shortly after ending treatment (though I'm not so great at finding clients and grad school and job promotions have eaten up most of my time).
For instance, I was once like you - underemployed shortly after college graduation. I took the first job that offered me benefits after months of applying at the height of the recession and moved across the country to one of the most expensive regions to take the opportunity. A few months later, I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. And STILL there were no benefits available to me. I had to work full time through a cancer diagnosis even though I wasn't making enough to stay afloat, and I am still working to get out of debt and fix my credit.
Are you able bodied? Because at that time, I was working 3 jobs: my full time paid job, dealing with the insurance company, and, you know, fighting cancer. If you're not making it, take another job. If you have health issues that prevent that, I feel for you because I know there is truly little support out there for young people dealing with serious health issues - especially early in your career with little savings, little sick/vacation time, and often no real support.Otherwise, find a 2nd job or freelance - I've been freelancing since shortly after ending treatment (though I'm not so great at finding clients and grad school and job promotions have eaten up most of my time).
No, I'm able bodied more or less. I do have a vitamin deficiency that landed me in the hospital a few months ago, but I let it get serious. I can control it by taking medicine and nutritional supplements. I didn't have health insurance at the time, so I'm still getting bills from that hospital stay. I was also diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder; it's a mild form of Autism that mainly affects a person's ability to interact with people, so I sometimes find working with other people a struggle, but I think I'm doing okay. I just have to get used to being misread and misjudged pretty often. It's really not as bad as I would have thought, but some days are a lot worse than others. I seem to have an especially hard time when I'm tired. All of this, though, is probably not worse than the normal pressure a new professional feels to adjust and get into routine. I can make it on my own, but if I did get assistance, I would prefer it to be in the form of training and job skills or maybe health insurance, not just money.
Since women who choose to have children without a means to support them get government assistance that helps them make it in society, why can't we have some kind of system of support for the college students who took out money to pay for degrees and can't find jobs? I would like to have a check for a couple of hundred dollars each month to supplement my already meager income; I could use it to pay for more classes if I didn't need it for basics. I'm sorry, but to me this makes as much, if not more, sense as the welfare system. The college students at least tried to better themselves.
My answer is harsh for me. NO, I do not believe unemployed college students should be supported by welfare and it is absolutely not the same as women having children. The student made the decision to go. You know the costs and if it's affordable. You know what the field in your major looks like. You have sufficient facts to make a go/no go decision. I was angry at my niece for choosing an expensive university and leaving the bill with a not well-off family member (long story and not going there).
I had a friend when I was younger who kept getting pregnant and having abortions. I thought she needed to be sterilized (she was smart with a good job, just didn't care about the abortions). She was not using birth control. She could also afford having abortions and a child. Someone addressed this on the first page, I won't get into it again.
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