Myths stereotypes surrounding welfare / welfare recipients

[waggy]

Educate yourself on this - it stopped being food stamps a long time ago. It's SNAP.

changing what they give people and the name does not change what it is.

 

[Oldgamer]

Sorry had to work and didn't get a chance to revisit this thread I posted. I have a break now so I am responding. I skimmed some of what has been posted. I agree you cannot "blanket" all people who are on some type of welfare or government assistance as lazy moochers, who are simply scamming the system. The majority of people who are on assistance truly need it. Are there improvements to be made to the system? Yes, and we should work toward that. Should we shame these people and make them feel worthless because they need the help? No. We should be helping these folks and giving them a hand up.

Each state works differently with regard to welfare money and food stamps, some states have severely cut the amount of assistance, and yes some states require you to work or physically go to several job interviews on a daily/weekly basis. If the employer offers them the job they cannot turn it down. It is not a matter of simply filling out a form saying you went to x,y,z interviews to such and such company. In some states they also require some type of re-education classes, while others do not.

I personally feel they should offer basic educational or re-educational training for people, particularly if you have an industry where there are great many layoffs, and those jobs then become almost obsolete.

I agree with what one of the posters said, disabilities come in all forms and many of them can impede a persons ability to get or even maintain a job. Someone can look "normal" so to speak and have many physical or mental issues that make it difficult to work.

I feel one needs to "put the shoe on the other foot", and try to see the perspective of the person who has to go through these situations. Judging people and criticizing does nothing but hurt our fellow Americans who fall on difficult or hard times.

 

[JEDIYoda]

Facts ? Lol.

The OP, while well-intentioned, is distorting the true facts of how this stuff works.

They try to make out like if you are on welfare you have to "work" for the money, which is ridiculous. In my state this consists of writing on a piece of paper the places you've applied to........ which are always beauty parlors, small businesses, places that usually aren't hiring anyway. If they do happen to get an interview it is intentionally bombed.

That is not "working", that is scamming the system.

You have not backed up at all anything you have said!

The OP has backed up everything that he has commented on....

 

[IBMer]

changing what they give people and the name does not change what it is.

Actually it does. It used to be that people knew you were using food stamps because it wasn't just an easy ebt card.

 

[nehalem256]

Actually it does. It used to be that people knew you were using food stamps because it wasn't just an easy ebt card.

I remember when I first started using those automated checkouts and wondering if my debit card was an EBT card.

 

[Allimt0808]

Housing aid should only provide the bare essentials.

You should not be able to get housing aid and live in a 'house'. Not aid which provides a brick house so you're safe, that's close to good schools for the rat kids, and close to shopping centers so you can walk to work. Those are all conveniences.

That's the main issue here... We have people on disability with multiple kids, living in houses paid for the government, getting cash aid, getting 90% of their food for churches so they can sell their EBT cards, I mean the entire thing is screwed.


Government aid should never provide a living that's better than what you could get on minimum wage.

Also, if you're accepting aid you should not be able to vote - period.

I'm going to try to address these one at a time...
1. So poor people deserve to be less safe? Further from schools? Why so their children can have even LESS opportunity to break the cycle? Further from employement opportunities? Sure, that makes sense... Make it HARDER to have gainful employement... Do you hear yourself?

2. 90% of their food from churches. Is this a real statistic? Or is it something you just kinda sorta made up? Oh, you just made it up. Ok, well the truth is, as was posted with references IN THIS THREAD is that stores commit 93% of welfare fraud. Not the people receiving it. Here is what I know from personal experience. In my area (a major metropolitian city), when I was unemployed but somehow still not "poor enough" to get benefits, I went to a lot of these churches. All of them had very strict limits and the food was awful and about as non-nutritious as it comes. The most important part of this is that food pantries are extremely strained at the moment. Most are giving out ONE weeks worth of supplimental food (a box of mac n cheese, a few canned goods and a gallon of expired milk and a loaf of bread). Selling your Food Stamps is a federal offense and is punishable with jail time as well as a life time ban from the program.

3. People who recieve aid can't vote???? From Wikipedia, "When the country was founded, in most states, only white men with real property (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote." Is this what you are aiming for? Why shouldn't poor people be able to vote? Why should people who have fallen on hard times be able to vote? The millions of seniors who depend on Medicare shouldn't vote?! A disabled veteran shouldn't be able to vote?! So if I lose my job in October of 2016 and am receiving unemployment while I search for a new job, I should not be able to vote in the Presidential election of 2016?! As I mentioned earlier, those found guilty of selling food stamps are fellons and therefore cannot vote anyway. Other than those people, who shouldn't be able to vote and why? Your statement is broad and includes probably millions of a people you didn't mean to but it makes you sound ignorant. Please explain further.

I agree that there are a lot of people who abuse the system, I agree that there should be some reforms... But you sound like you would take the millions of people who rely on this system and dump them off a cliff. It is a fact that our economy depends on people who are willing to do crap, minimum wage jobs. Why is it so awful to insure these people can feed themselves/their children or that they have access to safe housing?

 

[MomentsofSanity]

I'm going to try to address these one at a time...
1. So poor people deserve to be less safe? Further from schools? Why so their children can have even LESS opportunity to break the cycle? Further from employement opportunities? Sure, that makes sense... Make it HARDER to have gainful employement... Do you hear yourself?

2. 90% of their food from churches. Is this a real statistic? Or is it something you just kinda sorta made up? Oh, you just made it up. Ok, well the truth is, as was posted with references IN THIS THREAD is that stores commit 93% of welfare fraud. Not the people receiving it. Here is what I know from personal experience. In my area (a major metropolitian city), when I was unemployed but somehow still not "poor enough" to get benefits, I went to a lot of these churches. All of them had very strict limits and the food was awful and about as non-nutritious as it comes. The most important part of this is that food pantries are extremely strained at the moment. Most are giving out ONE weeks worth of supplimental food (a box of mac n cheese, a few canned goods and a gallon of expired milk and a loaf of bread). Selling your Food Stamps is a federal offense and is punishable with jail time as well as a life time ban from the program.

3. People who recieve aid can't vote???? From Wikipedia, "When the country was founded, in most states, only white men with real property (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote." Is this what you are aiming for? Why shouldn't poor people be able to vote? Why should people who have fallen on hard times be able to vote? The millions of seniors who depend on Medicare shouldn't vote?! A disabled veteran shouldn't be able to vote?! So if I lose my job in October of 2016 and am receiving unemployment while I search for a new job, I should not be able to vote in the Presidential election of 2016?! As I mentioned earlier, those found guilty of selling food stamps are fellons and therefore cannot vote anyway. Other than those people, who shouldn't be able to vote and why? Your statement is broad and includes probably millions of a people you didn't mean to but it makes you sound ignorant. Please explain further.

I agree that there are a lot of people who abuse the system, I agree that there should be some reforms... But you sound like you would take the millions of people who rely on this system and dump them off a cliff. It is a fact that our economy depends on people who are willing to do crap, minimum wage jobs. Why is it so awful to insure these people can feed themselves/their children or that they have access to safe housing?

You redeemed your thread necro with a hell of a great first post!

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

It's because I grew up in a welfare environment. I know the saturday night conversations amongst parents, I know exactly how the system is abused and how it all goes down.

I know it based on my personal experiences, not due to any media anything.

The neighbor across the street had three checks under false names and all her kids were on too. The father was a cook on a merchant ship. They made more than anyone on the block.

 

[michal1980]

the single mom is better off earnings gross income of $29,000 with $57,327 in net income & benefits than to earn gross income of $69,000 with net income and benefits of $57,045.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-11-27/when-work-punished-tragedy-americas-welfare-state

 

[TechAZ]

I'm going to try to address these one at a time...
1. So poor people deserve to be less safe? Further from schools? Why so their children can have even LESS opportunity to break the cycle? Further from employement opportunities? Sure, that makes sense... Make it HARDER to have gainful employement... Do you hear yourself?

2. 90% of their food from churches. Is this a real statistic? Or is it something you just kinda sorta made up? Oh, you just made it up. Ok, well the truth is, as was posted with references IN THIS THREAD is that stores commit 93% of welfare fraud. Not the people receiving it. Here is what I know from personal experience. In my area (a major metropolitian city), when I was unemployed but somehow still not "poor enough" to get benefits, I went to a lot of these churches. All of them had very strict limits and the food was awful and about as non-nutritious as it comes. The most important part of this is that food pantries are extremely strained at the moment. Most are giving out ONE weeks worth of supplimental food (a box of mac n cheese, a few canned goods and a gallon of expired milk and a loaf of bread). Selling your Food Stamps is a federal offense and is punishable with jail time as well as a life time ban from the program.

3. People who recieve aid can't vote???? From Wikipedia, "When the country was founded, in most states, only white men with real property (land) or sufficient wealth for taxation were permitted to vote." Is this what you are aiming for? Why shouldn't poor people be able to vote? Why should people who have fallen on hard times be able to vote? The millions of seniors who depend on Medicare shouldn't vote?! A disabled veteran shouldn't be able to vote?! So if I lose my job in October of 2016 and am receiving unemployment while I search for a new job, I should not be able to vote in the Presidential election of 2016?! As I mentioned earlier, those found guilty of selling food stamps are fellons and therefore cannot vote anyway. Other than those people, who shouldn't be able to vote and why? Your statement is broad and includes probably millions of a people you didn't mean to but it makes you sound ignorant. Please explain further.

I agree that there are a lot of people who abuse the system, I agree that there should be some reforms... But you sound like you would take the millions of people who rely on this system and dump them off a cliff. It is a fact that our economy depends on people who are willing to do crap, minimum wage jobs. Why is it so awful to insure these people can feed themselves/their children or that they have access to safe housing?

1. If you are unable to provide for your own shelter, you do not have the "right" to a nice neighborhood. Why should you?

3. I'm with whoever suggests that people on gov't assistance shouldn't be able to vote. There are enough dumb people who vote, we don't need more who made bad choices and ended up needing gov't assistance. Sure some people just fell on bad times, but that should be temporary and I don't feel bad about rare exceptions. If someone is on the gov't cheese, they do not need to be involved with the direction of this country.

 

[sandorski]

True Fact: ObamaStamps were created to prop up the Government Motors Cadillac division.

 

[Steeplerot]

Very sad, Reagan was a racist old lying fuck trolling the southern strategy.

Now this lie is repeated as it fits a arrogant out of touch segment of the populations racist bias against fellow Americans. Now like a giant fat maggot on shit it has grown wings to become the basis of the "gubbumunt dependance lifestyle" conspiracy theory.

A bunch of arrogant racists who live in a world of bullshit. Ahh, conservatism

 

[nehalem256]

1. If you are unable to provide for your own shelter, you do not have the "right" to a nice neighborhood. Why should you?

Actually if you think about it. What makes a neighborhood "nice" or not? The kind of people in it.

So if people on welfare always seem to live in "bad" neighborhoods maybe that is saying something about the kind of people on welfare?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Some other myths and arguments concerning welfare recipients:

1) Welfare rewards people for doing nothing, destroying their dignity and character.

Fact: A study by the Cato Institute claimed to prove that welfare paid better than work (at least, low-wage work) therefore logically no one would choose to work if they could go on welfare! The study, however, was later shown to be terribly flawed and statistically innacurate. See analysis of flawed report here: http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-flawedcato.htm

2) Another myth about people who are poor or are on welfare benefits is that they do not pay taxes. They do in fact pay taxes.

3) Welfare recipients commit a lot of fraud, at the expense of American working people.

4)Supporting welfare is a burden causing financial hardship to working class Americans.

1) Your point - or lack of here - makes no sense. Your entire statement is based around a semi-flawed study. All that means is that a study needs to be done but with those flaws taken into account. A flawed study does not disprove the study

2) You're right. People on Welfare don't pay taxes. They TAKE taxes. It's a double whammy. In addition to not contributing to the taxes, they are also taking from what has been contributing. This results in an overall negative amount going in to taxation

3) ...Ok? Anyone that is human is capable of fraud, there is plenty of it all forms of wealth, I have never heard the claim that it only belongs to the lower class

4) Supporting welfare is supporting the concept that you do not need to work in life. That is the hardship on the people that do work. We are trying to provide for a successful nation for the next generation, instead it's larger and larger (and only grows) batches of people that shake their heads and go "Naw, you handle it".

It's like any restaurant that says "PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE BIRDS. They will become dependent on it" And it's true. Unless you are one of the few people that feel shameful filling out a welfare application such as myself - than you will only grow dependent on it. I shutter at the thought of having to go on support, but I know it's there for that reason if it ever arrises.


And once again you are missing the most valid point of government handouts, depndencies, and other such problems. You can sit here and say it only costs the government x% of our yearly budget, but what you CLEARLY cannot see is the dependency is what eliminates the ever-growing amounts of NOT contributing to PAYING OFF said budget. What is the point of ANY budget if it cannot be paid because your citizens are abusing handout programs? derp derp.

 

[Incorruptible]

Very sad, Reagan was a racist old lying fuck trolling the southern strategy.

Now this lie is repeated as it fits a arrogant out of touch segment of the populations racist bias against fellow Americans. Now like a giant fat maggot on shit it has grown wings to become the basis of the "gubbumunt dependance lifestyle" conspiracy theory.

A bunch of arrogant racists who live in a world of bullshit. Ahh, conservatism

Hey moron, The US was built on Conservative/Libertarian values.

 

[Matt1970]

Very sad, Reagan was a racist old lying fuck trolling the southern strategy.

Now this lie is repeated as it fits a arrogant out of touch segment of the populations racist bias against fellow Americans. Now like a giant fat maggot on shit it has grown wings to become the basis of the "gubbumunt dependance lifestyle" conspiracy theory.

A bunch of arrogant racists who live in a world of bullshit. Ahh, conservatism

Aww, what's the matter? Still bitter over the fact that communism will never work?

 

[child of wonder]

We need to change the culture of what welfare is. I don't oppose using my tax dollars to offer temporary assistance for people to better themselves. My wife and I made the mistake of having a child when we were young and stupid. Knowing we couldn't offer the baby much of a future with only our high school diplomas, we made the decision for me to go to college. We had to use low income housing, WIC, daycare assistance, and Medicaid while my wife worked full time and I worked part time and went to school. After 2 years, I had a full time job out of college and we stopped using all government assistance.

Now more money gets withheld from my paychecks for taxes every year than my gross income 9 years ago before I went back to school. Because I can support the family, my wife was able to attend college and now earns 50% more than she did 3 years ago and that should grow rapidly.

We used the assistance temporarily to better ourselves and become greater contributing members of society and we have more than paid back several fold what assistance we got by paying higher taxes.

Too many see government assistance as a lifestyle or a goal. Members of my extended family receive a litany of government benefits in lieu of working and it's sickening.

Government assistance needs to be reformed with the purpose of temporarily helping people through tough times and into better ones, not as a near infinite reward for "giving up."

 

[unokitty]

$15.9 trillion dollars spent on the war on poverty.

Three questions.

Anyone think that we are winning?

Anyone want to guess how much it will cost to win?

Anyone think that the status quo is stable?

Uno

 

[Incorruptible]

$15.9 trillion dollars spent on the war on poverty.

Three questions.

Anyone think that we are winning?

Anyone want to guess how much it will cost to win?

Anyone think that the status quo is stable?

Uno

The war on poverty has been a failure. Welfare must be cut immediately and these people must learn to be self reliant.

 

[glenn1]

Myths stereotypes surrounding welfare / welfare recipients.

You forgot the biggest myth of all: "progressive policies actually help welfare recipients."

 

[piasabird]

Welfare is a threat to the family and children. It promotes broken families with no father.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Another huge myth: "Welfare money puts it right back in to the government"...

Well - no - not really. I find this one incredibly hilarious. If anyone targets and despises and wants to crush things like Walmart for abusing employee's - horrible worktime, crushing the small guys, etc.. etc... then why the hell would you ever support hand-outs to lazy sacks of shit that want to save money for their next tattoo? You might as well call it a government stimulus on large corporations, because that is where 90% of the welfare money is going to.

The remaining 10% goes to lottery tickets, booze, beer, etc..

Nevertheless, I never understood that gem since liberals want to bitch about large corps like Walmart - yet completely defend large welfare/foodstamps. What do you think you are supporting? People? lol.

 

[Jhhnn]

The chanting of rightwing slogans is a thing to behold - total denial.

LaLaLalalalalalalaaaaaa....

Knowledge is the enemy of faith, and they prefer the feel good self indulgence of self righteousness to knowing anything at all. Having people to look down upon means they don't have to look at themselves, at what they believe so ardently, a truly dangerous thing for small minds.

 

[woolfe9998]

Are there any statistics on what percentage of people currently on welfare are scamming the system? All I'm seeing are anecdotes and personal feelings.

 

[michal1980]

The chanting of rightwing slogans is a thing to behold - total denial.

LaLaLalalalalalalaaaaaa....

Knowledge is the enemy of faith, and they prefer the feel good self indulgence of self righteousness to knowing anything at all. Having people to look down upon means they don't have to look at themselves, at what they believe so ardently, a truly dangerous thing for small minds.

so do you have anything to add? or just ranting?