How do you feel about people on government assistence?

by free2beme 53 Replies latest jw friends

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  free2beme

  For a long time, before working with people in this situation, I would have answered this question with ...

  "I feel for them and I know how degrading it must be, to come to this point in their life to have to depend on the government to sustain them"

  ... Once I got up close and personal with these people, I have learned that my answer only applies to a small group of those on government assistance. Why do I say this? Well from my experience, those on government assistance are more often about taking advantage of the system, then they are about actually being in need of help. I would like to mention, that some do need it and use it to move to a level where they no longer need it. That is not the majority, by any means or warped way of looking at it. Here is a normal government assistance situation. They lie, cheat and often hide what information might be true to qualify. They will often be people who not only want the assistance, but they will expect it and think they deserve it for some god-ordained reason. If you think they show up to get this assistance with a thankful attitude, you couldn't be further from reality. They show up with a "you expect me to do what to get this?" I don't want to fill out paperwork! I don't want to disclose information that might damage my chances! I don't want to be told no, even if I should be told no! It's sad really, that for the most part Americana's invision people on this assistance as a homeless mom getting to a better place in life, from a government assistance program and would defend it as a more positive way of dealing with the people. All the while, not knowing what is happening with these people. It might be a negative comment, but I think government assistance should be "ONLY" about finding ways for these people to become productive members of society. Job training (real job training), Education, and limited amounts of assistance to get people to a point that they realize this is not the end of the road that you sit at for years, but a small amount of time that gets you going in the right direction. Oh, I could go off on this for hours, but I need to get some sleep, so that I can get up and go to work and pay for all those on government assistance.

  Does anyone else realize how broken this system is?
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  AlmostAtheist

  I used to work at a bank that distributed food stamps. Some of the worst of the bunch came to us because the best of the bunch simply got theirs mailed to them. For whatever reason, it seemed that the majority were in the "screw the system" category.

  Then I heard on the radio about an elderly couple that were hoping to be able to meet their winter heating bills this year. Both in their 70's, she works 16 hours a week for $5.15 an hour. They applied for food stamps and got them -- $10 a month. (They were probably honest on their application.)

  When a family member applied for assistance, he was practically told to lie by the interviewers. As a JW, he wouldn't do it. Ultimately, he got very little. If he'd've taken their hints, he'd've had his slice of the pie.

  Just rambling. I don't have a solution, just agreeing that it needs one.

  Dave
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  GentlyFeral

  I used BE on government assistance. At that time it paid about $2/hour. I think it's less now.

  Gently Feral
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  avishai

  As a person on SSD who worked his A$$ off, I dunno, I've met a lot of folks on PA who need it.
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  Lady Lee

  I realize that the system works a little differently in Canada than in the US. But I have a few things to say on this issue.

  Right now due to health problems I am on assistance. Society is far to willing to beleive that the majority of people on assistance are just using the system. That's what the media and the system wants you to believe. But believe me, it isn't the truth.

  The majority of people on assistance are children. A woman has a couple of kids and her husband walks out leaving her to find a way to support herself and 2 small children. He dodges the system and she can't get him to pay support for the kids. She can't work because she can't afford daycare. She has to turn to assisatance to help out. That's 3 people on assistance, two of them are children. One study I found stated

  Children live in families which receive social assistance, and in 1998 37.1% of social assistance recipients were children. http://www.ccsd.ca/factsheets/sadis98.htm

  Ten people lived in an institution until the government decided institutionalization was too expensive. So they decided to put them back in the community. They have no idea how to pay the rent or budget for food or bills. Soon after they are on the street with no idea how to care for themselves.

  A person, like me, gets sick and can't work. While I wait and hope to get on disability or for the doctors to figure out a diagnosis and either a cure or a treatment I am stuck in limbo with a new assortment of medications every few months hoping that this particular assortment will improve things.

  A woman who has worked all her life gets sick and winds up in the hospital. While she is in the hospital she isn't working so the rent and the bills don't get paid. The bills pile up and services get cut off. By the time she is ready to be released she has no home to go to. And no job. Depressed, alone and still recovering she winds up on assistance.

  A couple with 3 children and who work have a fire in their home and they lose everything. They have to reapply for all their papers. They are stressed and worried. Out on the street with no place to go and no family to take them in they lose hope of ever getting back on their feet.

  A really common scenario is the woman who was abused as a child. She left home early to get away from the abuse. Unable to find work she turns to prosititution. She already had tried drugs and alcohol to drown out the memories. Every man she has been involved with has beaten her. She has no hope that the world is a safe place where she can learn the abuse doesn't have to damage her for life.

  What about the community that has one basic businees and it goes belly-up leaving hundreds of people with no income. They are forced to move to another area in the hope they might find work to support themselves

  Oh there is one other group. Those who refuse to accept assistance. They don't want to answer to a social worker every month who wants to know what they are doing to get off assistance. You see them at the free meal kitchens and the Salvation Army shelters. They take what they can scrounge but they won't take the money.

  Yes there are the freeloaders. After working in a shelter I've seen them all. But for every one person who is ripping off the system, there are 10 who honestly need the help. We can't solve social problems by saying they are all freeloaders. People need help, counseling and support while they develop the skills to rise above their problems.
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  Eyebrow2

  I found myself on assistence for a short period of time back in the 90s. It was a safety net for me, helped me until I got back on my feet. I had some health issues, and lost my job (I don't blame the company...long boring story...)

  For most, that is exactly all it should be, a safety net. However, I have seen some abuse it. I lived in a housing project for about 9 months, and most people there were on other assistance besides housing. I knew one lady next to me that had a boyfriend that had a BMW living with her. She lied about that, although he was the dad of at least one of her kids. I thought that was wrong. I don't know how he made his money, if he had an honest job or was doing something illegal, but he was home a lot, and had a lot of very expensive stuff....I asked once what he did, never got a straight answer....

  Most of the people I knew there were pretty honest, and hard working. What scared me though, was the welfare cyclers. The family were the kids grow up, make some bad decisions, and end up in the same housing project as adults with their family. I know this one family, the grandparents, mother, and adult kids all live there in different units. So much for trying to better your life. The kids were friends of my older siblings, and had the attitude that they could always move in the projects if things didn't work out..yadda, yadda, yadda.

  I think one of the big problems we have in this country is that more attention needs to be given on how to break the cycle and make it more of a safety net, and not a way of life.

  I do believe most people are on government assistence because they need, and applied for it because they had no choice. Regarding social security....well, hell, my mom gets a widow's pension, and will get her own social security in a few years. She paid into it when she was working, and so did my father, so I wouldn't lump social security as the same as welfare.
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  DannyBloem

  How do I feel about that?

  Well, I think the system is a bit different here.
  But it really depends on the person and the history of that person. For example, if he will become without job because he is fired for some reason, then it would be logical to give him money. He worked maybe all his life for it, and payed taxes for it. They get 70% of the last salary for one year. Thereafter they get less. The are obliged to apply for new jobs. (otherwise they get less)

  For people being to ill to work, they get some money also. They worked for this also, and payed taxes. They are tested each year by a doctor to see if they really can not work, even not work part-time (then they get less money, and asked so look for a part-time job).

  People who are more then 65 years old, mostly have saved money in funds from the companies they worked for. But everyone older then 65 will get government aid, because they worked for this their whole life.

  Then there is another group, not in one of the 3 catagories mentioned above. They get the least.
  They will get around 700 us$ to 1200 us$ depending on the personal situation. You only get this if you do not have enough money on the bank etc. Lot of times people do not want to work in this catagory, and here are some difficult situations in this catagory. Single parents etc.

  But I think only a minority makes misuse of the system. Making misuse of the system is not getting this money if you do not really need it badly. Making misuse is getting this money if you do not qualify for it.

  by the way, I do not think there is anything denigrating about receiving government help.

  DB
• 

  TallTexan

  I think there's some that truly need it, many who don't. What I see are many people who DO need it don't qualify - many times because they don't lie on their applications. Here in the US we have areas where generations of family have grown up on welfare (for lack of a better word) and it's the normal way to make a living to them.

  The welfare system has created a monster where people feel entitled to handouts and aren't educated enough to understand that the money they are given comes out of the checks of people who work for a living. Many times the people working for a living don't make that much themselves, but their federal taxes pay for those who won't work. Realize, I'm not by any means saying that anyone on public assistance is a crook, but the ones that are make them all look bad.

  When I went through college, I received government grants and other government assistance for myself and my family. In the 15 years since, I have repaid that money several hundred times over with my federal taxes. To me, public assistance is for people who are down for a short period of time but who want to work and will work given the chance, and people who are physically unable to work. It SHOULD NOT be a lifetime way of making a living and supporting 10 illegitimate children fathered by 10 different men.
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  Golf

  Yeah, these people on social assistance and can't get a job, why are some working 'under' the table? Enough said.
  
  
  Golf
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  candidlynuts

  anymore, unless your a 2 income home, you probably qualify and need assistance of some sort. when i was married my ex and i both worked and still qualified for medical assitance for our kids.

  also, in the USA due to all the insane asylums (or whatever the politically correct phrase is now), shut down during the Reagan years, there is a large number of the mentally ill who are on public assistance.

  people on gov assistance are people just like any other.. some honest some dishonest.

  I try not to make generalizations about any group of people , i'm too old and know better now.