A short story. I'm sure you may have heard similar accounts. I have a friend raising a young daughter alone. The child's father died at age 33. The mother works very, very hard every day to make ends meet- and they just barely meet. She doesn't make a great deal of money and could most definitely use some stamps for food. There are times they have gone hungry because they haven't had the money for food after paying household bills and other expenses. I have given or loaned her money at times to get some groceries.

 

This woman has three sisters. All are extremely , extremely lazy. One just had her second child and would rather smoke weed than eat, although she doesn't miss any meals, if you know what I mean. The other two are sorrier than the other one. They prostitute for pill money, and sell or trade their food stamps for pills. Both girls have Hep C and have three children between them.

 

My friend is working on her BSN degree in the fall and hopes to eventually move into hospital administration. In the meantime, she could use some help in the form of government assistance, particularly for groceries. At one time , she got all of 50 or 60 dollars a month, which was eventually reduced to nothing(I guess that 8 or 10 dollars an hour is just too much money to warrent any assistance). Her sisters , on the other hand, each receive hundreds upon hundreds of dollars a month to sit at home, eat Funyuns, and create more children.

 

Don't get me wrong. I am a big-time advocate for our government helping mothers and children. I believe it should help them out. As we all know , there is big-time abuse of the system when it comes to welfare. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I favor government handouts to those truly in need, like my friend and little girl. She busts her butt to make a good life for her and her daughter and still it's a struggle. She would actually be better off financially if she stayed at home and received the government assistance. However, she has too much self-respect and wants to be a good role model for her daughter and so she refuses to do that. Her sisters have all the meals and pills that your money can buy and no bills to speak of.

 

My question to you- How do you feel about food stamp/welfare program? Would you keep it but give it a tune-up , give it a complete overhaul, increase/expand it, or would you completely eliminate it and just let my friend and others who are in even worse shape just fend for themselves the best they can and if they starve to death or end up homeless, so be it. What do you say- expand, overhaul, or eliminate? Thank you.

Just a friendly reminder to discuss the issue, NOT THE POLITICS of the issue.

Just a friendly reminder to discuss the issue, NOT THE POLITICS of the issue.

 

Exactly. This is one that could easily get sidetracked the wrong way. Just wanted to know how you feel about food stamps and feeding those who are truly in need. Undoubtedly, the abuse is a big problem and one that probably can never be completely eliminated unless we just do away with the program all together.

I think the program definitely has its place. I just hate when women will have multiple kids to maximize the benefit and more often than not the father still lives with them unreported. There are definitely those in true need like your friend.

Major overhaul. Should be short term or hardship only. A widower with kids may need them. Someone who has lost their job may need them. But currently there are many who do not need them that use them.

 

I would be in favor of providing actual food rather than food stamps.

i am all for the government helping out those in need of temporary help.

 

Completely against those who make it a way of life.

 

 

 

My grandmother lived through the Great Depression, when there were no social programs to support families. She used to say that people were always ready to help each other out. Overly simplistic I realize, but I can't help to wonder how much better society would be if we depended on each other rather than the government to make it in life.

Probably a major overhaul and much more strictly regulated.

Too many people making government assistance programs a way of life instead of a temporary crutch until they can find a way to be self sufficient.

Overhaul. Pretty much in agreement with what's been posted so far.

A lot of the times the people that are meet the requirement for government assistance/food stamps live better lives than the ones that are just short of it which sounds like where your friend is.

I speak as someone not familiar with the welfare system but is it possible to create a sort of sliding scale in terms of government assistance once you meet a certain threshold you get X assistance and once you meet the next lower threshold you get Y assistance? Or is this what we already have? I already know you get more help if you have more dependents/children in the household but that's about it.

Certainly a strong and unbiased evaluation is needed. More really need and use it probably than abuse it. Don't have the data, though. I am not in favor of taking anything away from children, even if their parents are not worthy (not willing to work) of assistance. You just cannot punish kids for what their parents will or will not do IMO.

 

Not easy to solve that one at all.

Certainly a strong and unbiased evaluation is needed. More really need and use it probably than abuse it. Don't have the data, though. I am not in favor of taking anything away from children, even if their parents are not worthy (not willing to work) of assistance. You just cannot punish kids for what their parents will or will not do IMO.

 

Not easy to solve that one at all.

 

I agree. We hear a lot of noise about people abusing government programs (or even non-government really) but I'd imagine they are the minority and that many people are using it as the program was intended.

I agree. We hear a lot of noise about people abusing government programs (or even non-government really) but I'd imagine they are the minority and that many people are using it as the program was intended.

 

I agree. We hear a lot more about the abuses but I suspect that it is a minority.

Certainly a strong and unbiased evaluation is needed. More really need and use it probably than abuse it. Don't have the data, though. I am not in favor of taking anything away from children, even if their parents are not worthy (not willing to work) of assistance. You just cannot punish kids for what their parents will or will not do IMO.

 

Not easy to solve that one at all.

 

I agree. Kids should never be punished. The parents are doing enough of that already. I've known of many cases where the parents will take and trade the money on the food stamp card for half its value in cash and then buy drugs with the cash instead of milk and food for the kids. Despicably sick.

Overhaul. It has its place, but many depend on it because they can.

 

If you have folk choosing to quit going to work because they're better off doing side jobs, then there is a serious problem. I've seen it more than once and that's one too many times.