I have a HUGE problem with Welfare. Any program that is designed and operated to provide complete support for someone without requiring them to work to improve their lot in life is a problem with me.
The Welfare program was designed and implemented to be a stopgap aid program for the less fortunate. It has turned into a source of life long income for too damn many people.
You should be requried to do SOMETHING to get a check for the rest of your life.
Check your facts....the US spends 16% of GDP on social programs. And that does not include the new healthcare benefit that is coming.
Those social programs include
- General retirement and disability insurance
- Federal employee retirement and disability
- Unemployment compensation
- Housing assistance (new home tax incentives)
- Food and nutrition assistance
- Other income security
Spending on the poor is 5%.
The other income security.
- TANF is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family program(18$ billion). Before 1996 this was known as “AFDC”. It’s probably the program that most people think of when they think of “Welfare”. It gives money directly to people to spend.
- SSI Disability is the collection of all SSI accounts(44.5$ billion). It is disability insurance paid to people who cannot work and have no other income
- Foster Care covers both Foster Care and Adoption services(7$ billion)
- Child Care Enforcement is only the cost of enforcing Child Support minus the Federal Share of Child Support Collections(3$ billion)
- The biggest expense is Tax Rebates. There are a number of tax credits mostly targeting the poor(70$).
- Other Non-Direct Welfare are programs that help the poor, but unlike TANF they do not give money directly to its recipients(12$ billion).
