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No, I did not intend to say "all". This is why when I made that statement I was very careful not to use the word "all".
But ultimately, there are a lot of people who have become dependent on the system. Talk to any social worker you can get a hold of and the will tell you about how it's always the same people coming in for help and that it passes from one generation to the next.
I speak from first hand experience having worked in various organizations to try to help uplift poor people out of perpetual poverty. One of them you might recognize: Habitat for Humanity.
I also have many friends who are social workers. All have told me the exact same observations. There are many people who are trapped in perpetual poverty because of the fear of getting off the system. What's worse is they pass it onto their children, which is why social workers always see the same people across several generations coming in to apply for benefits. This is also why teenage pregnancy among poor people is insanely high. So many children grow up not seeing any other route to live their lives except get pregnant and apply for social benefits.
In order to solve the problem of poverty, we must recognize all aspects of it, regardless of how politically incorrect these aspects can be.
Again, trust me when I say I am as liberal as one can be. I do not hate poor people who remain dependent on the system forever. I have nothing but love for them. And sometimes, acts of love can be perceived as something else. I understand that.
I don't have all the answers. What I do know is the current system clearly does not work. People in perpetual poverty continue to be dependent on the system and they pass this onto their children and their children's children. It is a cycle that keeps repeating itself. If you can't recognize this fact, then how can you even begin to talk about how to help poor people?
Added by edit.
And to be clear, I am more than willing to put 30-40% of my income into helping uplift people out of poverty if I knew it would really achieve this goal. But again, the current system clearly does not work. Most of what causes poverty is ignorance and the lack of motivation. Unfortunately, there is no system in place right now to tackle either one of these major causes of poverty.
I think the system also keeps people who would like to get off the system trapped. If you make income above the income limits you lose benefits. You'd have to go from 0 to 100 to make up for the benefits you lost. Instead of tiering the numbers, and weaning people off, there are cut offs.
I think the system also keeps people who would like to get off the system trapped. If you make income above the income limits you lose benefits. You'd have to go from 0 to 100 to make up for the benefits you lost. Instead of tiering the numbers, and weaning people off, there are cut offs.
Weaning or easing people off of the benefits by decreasing it rather than having cutoffs the way the system is right now is definitely one way of approaching it. Just thinking out loud. At the same time, perhaps give people credits or some kind of additional benefits if they attend classes to learn things like compounded interest and how to make smart decisions. There are certainly a lot of things we as society can do to help improve people's psychological conditions that cause them to remain tethered to the system in the first place.
But again, we run right up to a brick wall. There is simply not enough political will for the people in charge to make the changes for the better. They simply enact simplistic temporary solutions that solve nothing in the long run. Liberals keep wanting to extend and increase benefits while conservatives keep wanting to cut benefits. Neither side has ever taken any meaningful approach to help people at the psychological/mental level.
Cut the cozy welfare benefits and create an environment for economic growth and jobs.
And pay wages that are a better draw than government subsidies. These days, it pays more to be on the "system" than to work an entry level job at $7 - $8 an hour. Our system also rewards single parenthood.
I worked at a retail store for quite a few years, and was in management, so I did hire employees. Often, they were "welfare to work" applicants needing to meet their work requirement in order to continue to receive food stamps, etc. I learned after a while to avoid those applicants. Once hired, they rarely showed up for work. The reason? The Department of Social Serviced never checked to see if they were actually working the job, the workers only had to show that they were on the "payroll". If the case workers had called, I would have told them they were not showing up for work, and were calling out "sick" and doing very little in the way of work when they did bother to show up. But they never bother to check.
I had one girl who did show up for work and did assigned duties, that is until she was approved for a subsidized apartment. Once approved, all work ethic stopped, and she called out sick repeatedly until we let her go, and then applied for unemployment benefits (which I'm sure she received.)
These people are scam artists and know how to work the system. It's disgraceful.
I have pretty much worked full time and received some type of assistance over the last 13 1/2 years.
I am beginning to understand why some just sit home and collect. I get up at 5 am, schlep the kids to school and daycare. Bust my butt all day long at work, just to come home and put in more time to do homework, fix dinner and do household chores. I have tried to climb up above poverty wages and every year I become closer and closer to making minimum wage. So what good was working hard?
Unemployment is $430 a week. I make $600 going to work. I qualify for food stamps of about $300 a month if I only receive unemployment. I spend $50 a week driving to work.
Is being this tired, stressed and miserable worth working 40 hours for $45 a week?
WRONG. These people feel nothing but satisfaction from gaming the system and getting as much free handouts from the government by doing the least amount of work. They honestly feel as if they have WON and the rest of us are stupid s we work ourselves to death AND being taxed out of our hard earned paychecks.
I see the same with slackers at my job. They think that they are so very clever for doing as little as possible but still getting paid the same as me... who is actually doing the work and doing it well. And I consider them THIEVES and I also feel sorry for them.
Wrong. I feel like I am losing an uphill battle of trying to climb a ladder but getting kicked in the teeth every time I take a step up.
And you are lucky... You get paid the same as the slackers. At my company some get all the credit for doing nothing, and the rest get no credit for doing everything. I do more work than the people making 4-5 times my annual salary.
"Speaking as a liberal, I agree with Maine. I have seen first hand how dependent people are of the system once they get used to it. People will purposefully cut their hours at work to remain qualified for social services."..................... You make a major generalization ,does it happen ,yes,but your statment alludes to "all" people and you are wrong on that assumption.Just becuase you know one person....sorry ,no.
Only because they do not get a dollar for dollar return. For instance if someone gets a $1 and hour raise, it could cause them to lose housing which is a $1k benefit every month. It is better for their employer to keep the dollar. Now if the employer wants to give a $7 an hour raise, it could be even. But then they would lose food stamps, and medicaid. So really they need a $15 an hour raise to compensate for the benefits they are losing with the raise.
No they are expecting these people to work and pay taxes like the rest of us who are paying for those food stamps. They've become too much of a burden for the working people so it's time you pull your weight.
If they refuse to work and choose to starve that's their decision.
A lot of people work fulltime yet pay no income taxes.
My pension is roughly equal to Minimum-Wage yet it is not enough pay income taxes.
Just because a person is working fulltime does not mean that paying income taxes.
And pay wages that are a better draw than government subsidies. These days, it pays more to be on the "system" than to work an entry level job at $7 - $8 an hour. Our system also rewards single parenthood.
The average SNAP benefits for Maine is $116 per month or around $4 per day, although I'm sure there are some that abuse the system I can't imagine anyone who wants to remain on that system for that amount of money.
Again, read my post. They get rides at the mercy of whoever they can. Not exactly a reliable employee who can be to work at a certain time
Are you really that dense?
You need resources to get about. Whether donated, earned or whatever. When you are dirt poor, you are stuck at home more than most people
If you have no money nor transportation, what else can you do?
Think. Just think.
Again, I live in a rural area and know poor people and homeless people. They walk, ride a bike, stay with someone close to where they can walk or ride a bike to work. Work may be odd jobs, part time jobs, seasonal and under the table. The ones that dont do this dont want to work. They are perfectly happy drawing a check because they can get all those other places they want to go. Or they really dont have the mental facilities.
I've seen illegals come here walk, then get a bike, get rides to the chicken plant, earn enough to get a car.
If someone can come here illegally from another country, not even speaking a language and manage to travel 5 to 10 miles per day one way to work, why can't a local rural person. Because they dont want to. There are resources if you really want to utilize them.
And again, they are asking for either 1. work 20 hrs a week, 2. participate in work training or 3. volunteer 24 hrs. a MONTH.
That's not asking much. That less time than the spend going to wal mart or dollar general to get minutes for their cell phone, buying groceries and all the other things they manage to get rides for.
Sorry I dont think I am dense for not being able to wrap my head around 9,000 ABLE BODIED, SINGLES WITH NO DEPENDENTS not being able to figure out how to manage 24 hours of volunteer hours a month. I cant wrap my head around the fact they cant seem to generate enough money to buy an old beater and get some type of job to better themselves. Apparently those 9,000 didnt need those food stamps after all and haven't starved.
We are reacting to symptoms though. The jobs that came back after government ruined the economy are low paying. They don't pay enough to raise a family even with both parents working.
You are right about that. There are those who are really trying and having a hard time making ends meet with two pay checks. I dont think most people have any problem with people receiving assistance when they fall on hard times and are trying to do better. Sometimes people just need a little help up and that is what these programs were intended for. But we all know those who are able to work but prefer to take the easy way by sitting back taking assistance with no intention of trying to find work or learn new skills to get better pay. And we all know those who are generational welfare recipients and dont seem to even comprehend a different way of life.
Asking those who are able to do something to try to better themselves, help themselves or contribute to continue to receive food assistance isnt asking a lot and seems to be weeding out those who dont really need help.
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