Welfare Reform

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America’s government is defined as a democratic republic, but socialist programs have become more popular since World War II. One of the longest lasting and most controversial socialist programs is the U.S. welfare system. Welfare provides aid for many different types of people, but its aid for the unemployed needs to be reformed. The U.S. welfare system originated in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, when many families struggled financially and needed government aid to survive. Afterward, welfare grew into a collection of programs that provided financial aid, medical insurance, and housing assistance. The programs do provide necessary aid, such as aid for the disabled, the elderly, and the unemployed. Due to controversy, welfare …show more content…
Generations of families rely on government aid. This has produced a culture of laziness that is accepting of people who choose not to work. The concept of providing aid for the unemployed is not absurd because people do struggle, but the amount of aid is a problem. A potential solution is to remove the option for people to live comfortably off of government aid for long periods of time. A limited period of higher financial aid will allow people to continue their lifestyle and search for employment. However, the higher financial aid will not allow people to live comfortably for an extended amount of time. Once the period is over, the amount of aid will drop to a standard amount. This standard amount will only provide enough aid to keep a family healthy. Hopefully, removing the ability to live comfortably off of government aid will encourage people to start working. Along with financial aid, unemployed people also receive food stamps from the welfare program SNAP. However, food stamps have evolved from coupons to EBT cards. These cards are given a certain amount of money every month and can be used to buy any food item. SNAP needs to be designed like it was in its beginnings and provide enough food stamps to keep people healthy. Also, returning to food stamps will make it obvious to everyone that a person is not paying for their goods and encourage …show more content…
The amount of aid and food stamps an unemployed person uses will be accessible information for any curious person. Making these records public will not allow people to take advantage of the government for very long without consequence. Friends, family, and peers will start to look down on people who take advantage of welfare. Hopefully, the shame felt from taking aid from the government for extended periods of time will encourage people to take pride in themselves and their work. Welfare is necessary to maintain the well-being of U.S. citizens, but unemployment programs need to be reduced. A reduction in the amount of aid unemployed people receive will encourage people to work, reforming food stamps will reduce the misuse of government aid, and making welfare records public will discourage people from relying on government aid. These changes to welfare will reduce laziness and encourage people to make a positive impact on their community and

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