...The Welfare System Orsola Nelson May 16, 2012 Kaplan University Human Services and Social Policy – HN300-01 Michelle March The Welfare System got its start in the 1930’s under President Franklin D. Roosevelt following The Great Depression. It started with The New deal but it was not until 1935 when individuals saw welfare for them and their needs. This was the start of The Social Security Act of 1935. In this act provisions were setup to include Old Age assistance and benefits, unemployment compensation, aid to dependent children, maternal and child welfare, services for crippled children, child welfare, public health work and vocational rehabilitation (National Center, n.d). The Food Stamp Program started in 1939, but was ended because there was no longer a widespread food surplus or unemployment. However, the program resurfaced in 1961 after reports, studies and federal proposals in 18 years showed a need for the program to continue (USDA, 2012). The next set of welfare programs came during Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency in the 1960’s. President Johnson had The Great Society that was like President Roosevelt’s New Deal. The Great Society included the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 which aimed at attacking poverty in America. The Job Corps, Head Start Program, Medicare, The Peace Corps, Omnibus Housing Act, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act and The National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities were all created in 1964 under Johnson (U.S. History...
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...Running Heading: Welfare Fraud Welfare System In America and Its Effects on Society February 22, 2013 Why does poverty exist and why do people end up being poor? Welfare in the United States is referred to the federal government welfare programs that have been put in place to assist the unemployed or underemployed. These social policies and public reform have been consistently at the forefront of American minds. Welfare reform has been a major controversy in the realm of social policy. This is very much debated by Americans as legislators are looking more closely at this topic. Many people agree with it and others don’t. How many really understand the purpose or the intentions of the welfare system? Welfare agencies across America have a goal to strengthen and support individuals and families by promoting cost effective and comprehensive services that foster independent and healthy families. INTRODUCTION Welfare was first introduced in 1935. When the Great Depression hit, many families suffered. It is estimated that one-fourth of the labor force was unemployed during the the Great Depression era. With many families suffering financial difficulties, the government stepped in to solve the problem and that is where the history of welfare as we know it really began. Under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Social Security Act was enacted in 1935. Welfare in America has become a debatable subject since its formation. What is welfare? Welfare is when an individual receives government...
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...Running head: A BETTER WELFARE SYSTEM 1 A Better Welfare System Seminar 2: Developing Learning Tools Ottawa University Nancy Hindle Teresa Martinez February 24, 2012 Abstract Welfare programs have been established to help the poor survive. Even in the 1930’s, when welfare programs were in their infancy, prominent members in government expressed concern that welfare programs may inadvertently promote abuse of the system. The work ethic of that generation was completely different than it is now. It was embarrassing to be on Welfare. It was humiliating to stand in line at the market and present food stamps to pay for food. In today’s society, there are many people that do abuse the welfare system. Today, there is no shame in expecting taxpayers to pay the way for those who refuse to work. They refuse to take a job because it isn’t something that they want to be doing, yet, they walk around in name brand clothing, fingernails done, hair done, driving new cars while on state assistance. Lawmakers have put the Welfare Reform in place, but concepts are not working. Lawmakers are constantly making changes to the systems in order to keep people from abusing the systems, but much more work is needed. If the abuse continues, the welfare system will be jeopardized because there won’t be any funds available to continue to run the programs that need to be in place for those that actually...
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...Welfare is also known as a social and income assistance from that is a safety net that provides funds for Canadians that are unable to receive income. In Canada, the welfare system is a multi billion dollar government system that transfers money and services to Canadians that deal with many needs such as poverty, homelessness, unemployment, immigration, aging, illness, workplace injury, disability, and the needs of children, women, gay, lesbian, and transgendered people. The major welfare system programs include Social Assistance, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Employment Insurance, the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan, Workers’ Compensation, public education, medicare, social housing and social services. Programs are funded and delivered by the federal, provincial and municipal governments. While most applicants should view the program as a temporary bridge to uplift themselves through their lives, and for some applicants it may be a long term requirement that may be needed throughout their lives. When applying for these resources its important when putting information such as income and assets in a truthfully way such as marriage states or legal name upfront. Following the approach of their provincial or territorial counterpart, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) has adopted similar terms and conditions of social assistance programs. Funding for social assistance activities is provided by INAC to First Nations communities...
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...Recognizing a Faulty Welfare System by Educating the People of Our Society As a society we are lacking the education needed to fully understand the welfare system. This naivety about the welfare system has caused it to become the least effective assistance program designed for the people of our society. Instead we have found it easier to generalize that the system is only for people who are lazy and choose not to work and therefore causing us to neglect the system. According to an article written by Elizabeth Anderson, “Survey research shows that most welfare recipients endorse the work ethic.” (2004) I know what you are thinking, how does a valued work ethic play a role if a person chooses not to work? The response is that everyone has to have a starting point. If we can believe that the majority of welfare recipients are willing to work then together we can review the current welfare system and make the changes that will benefit all the parties involved. If we can sift through the flaws and support the need for assistance we can effectively create a system that will produce results and potentially lessen dependency. So where do we begin? It all starts with an education. To support a need you first have to understand it. The goal of the welfare system is to provide cash assistance for low-income families with dependent children. The benefits a family can receive were outlined in 1996 when a law was created to design a new welfare program called Temporary Assistance...
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...Rebuilding the Welfare System Tyeisha Atkinson SOC320: Public Policy & Social Services Instructor: Ingrid Sanders November 13, 2013 Rebuilding the Welfare System Welfare is a very controversial topic that has divided this nation since the start of it. Welfare is an institution supported by the government to help those who lack in many different areas of their lives. “The largest increase in the share of the US population on welfare in the past 35 years occurred between 1960 and 1970.” (Deavers, & Hattiangadi, 1998). Welfare aims to help people and prevent poverty from increasing by enduring access to resources and reduce social suffering. Welfare programs include but are not limited to health care, education, SSI, housing, unemployment, food stamps and child care assistance. While this program is a great help to those who receive assistance the misuse and abuse of some obtaining benefits as well as a weakened government system has caused the welfare system to collapse. In earlier years, more Americans were working to provide for their families. Up to 1870, more than half of the Nation’s adult workers were farmers but as the economy grew so did jobs. Development reshaped the workforce. As life happened, people began to need assistance in different areas. The States and the Federal Government realized that the only way to make sure that people would not lose all that they had worked hard for over the years was to engage in insurance programs. In the US, social...
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...1930’s, the federal government officially funded families and individuals who were in need of aid because of their insignificant incomes. The United States welfare system was initially created in order to support families who were down on their luck and required guidance in order to build their income once again, eventually reducing the poverty level. Originally, the welfare system was in the hands of the government which agitated many Americans who pleaded for a reform. Being a controversial topic, the United States welfare system will consistently be in the headlines and in need continuous amendments in order to fulfill the needs of every underprivileged family. Before we discuss in which ways the welfare...
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...Maribel Lizbeth Romero Mrs. Vetters ENG 12 4 Nov, 2014 America On Welfare Many Americans believe that living on welfare is a good lifestyle but there are others who disagree. For instance, if a woman went to the Department of Human Services with her five children and told them her husband had deserted them, when in fact he lived with his family, some people in society would think this is illegal. Unfortunately, there are numerous similar situations that are reported each year. Many take undue advantage of the welfare system. however, the welfare system addresses many of the problems that the lower income families see everyday. But in today's society there are nearly 48 million people, that is almost one out of every six Americans, who receive food stamp benefits depend on this program alone have quadrupled in just a decade. Indeed it has this program and others such as two score housing programs,a score of nutrition...
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...A failing Welfare System Some people will say that welfare is a hand out; others will argue and say that the program is a life raft. But there are always two sides to a story. On one hand, we have people who need the assistance, and on the other there are individuals that find ways to manipulate and basically pilfering from the system. Certainly, the welfare system is in place to help individuals and families who are in need. So, should there be a massive overhaul of the entire system? Speaking from a bystander viewpoint; there should be some form of revision within the program because some departments may need more adjusting than others; merely excluding millions from the program is not the solution. Although, this may seem to be a viable...
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...The Welfare System The welfare system is run by the government that runs different programs that was originally intended to help the unemployed or underemployed (Welfare Info, n.d.). It went from just helping those two groups and branched significantly into helping low income families, disabled, and single parent families be able to live the best life possible. Some of the programs include "Medicaid, Food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start, Work Study, and Medicare" (Welfare Info, n.d.). Another very commonly known one is Social Security which is mainly for seniors when they retire. The history of the welfare system is quite interesting. Many years ago before the Welfare system had even began; the colonies actually imported the British Poor Laws (Welfare Info, n.d.). This basically separated those that could work and those that couldn't work due to their age or health. During the 1800's the US tried to continue work with the government so they could better benefit the poor but it wasn't until President Franklin D. Roosevelt the Social Security Act began in 1935 (Welfare Info, n.d.). With this act, it was able to launch programs to help many more people than just the elderly or those that couldn't work because of health reasons. During Bill Clinton's Presidency, he signed the "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act" and with this, the federal government...
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...Breanna Shultz Mr. Karwatsky Freshman Seminar, Per. 1 23 October 2014 The Welfare System The United States is one of the many countries that has a welfare system. This program is both beneficial and a disadvantage. Some people abuse the welfare system simply because they do not want to work. If a person applies for welfare, he/she should be anonymously tested for drugs and alcohol. Welfare generally refers to government programs that provide needy people with money, medical care, food, housing, and other necessities (Garfinkle). There are many different types of welfare programs. A common welfare program in Pennsylvania is known as SSI. This is a program that supplies people who are disabled to work. Food stamps are also a well-known...
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...Some have argued that social welfare should be about promoting recipient wellbeing. However, others have argued that in recent times welfare programs are more about controlling the behaviour of welfare recipients. This essay will examine the history of welfare programs to women since the initiation of the post-war welfare state under Labour Prime Minister Chifley to ascertain whether recent development in these programs are more about providing for recipient’s wellbeing or rather about trying to make them comply with certain standards of accepted behaviour. Chifley argued that it was the “duty and responsibility of the community, and particularly those more fortunately placed, to see that our less fortunate fellow citizens are protected from those shafts of fate which leave them helpless and without hope”. He continued the labour movement would fight to ensure a future “free from want, insecurity and misery” (Chifley, quoted in Beilharz, 1994). Chifley was stating that those in need should be the recipients of welfare without them having to comply with any requirements to perform to certain behavioural standards. This approach set the scene for the expansion of the welfare state from the post-war period through its expansion in the Whitlam years until its principles were challenged by the Howard Government in the 1990s. During this time welfare benefits grew and were extended to new groups of people considered in need. The labour party supported the notion of deservedness...
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...health, we are all but useless. In this essay I seek to examine the benefits of the public healthcare system over it’s private counterpart, not only in Canada, but any country attempting to utilize their society to the fullest. I will argue that the welfare-state liberalistic approach is much better because it seeks to pool the resources of the many and regulate/distribute it to the few in dire need, hopefully resulting in a diminishing number of sick and homeless. I begin my essay by highlighting the importance and function of both the welfare state liberalist’s public heath care and the neoconservative private health care. My argument stands on the grounds that public healthcare in Canada is more tenable because it works for the common good of all people, regardless of socioeconomic class while also placing a primary focus on efficiency, instead of profitability. A viable counterargument is that most working people do not find it ‘fair’ to have their hard-earned money taken to support the lazy or poor(welfare), although in reality the vast majority of these ‘lazy’ poor people or those outside of a private healthcare system are not in the position out of free will. As we examine the positives and negatives of both systems it becomes increasingly apparent that as empathetic humans we all have a right to health and to equal opportunity to play our part in society. The welfare-state liberalist view, at its core, is a government that plays a pivotal role in the protection and...
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...Social Welfare: Pros and Cons Melissa Pugh Post University Online Social Welfare: Pros and Cons The ever-winding tendrils of hardship are impacting individuals who through the ups and downs of life; have become disabled, unemployed, or perhaps senior citizens. Social welfare is available for those who may find themselves in these unfortunate positions. While working at a Milwaukee University, Julia Doyle’s mother was killed by a senseless drunk-driving accident in 1990. Driven by determination, Doyle saw to it that justice was served however this required many requests for leave and because of this; she was terminated although she had invested ten years at the university. Julia Doyle went on to have a total of three children with little or no support from the father; deprived of many necessities, she became a recipient of welfare. She also admits to drug usage during her fall from grace. Nevertheless, for many, social welfare provokes dependency and others like Julia Doyle (Pomeroy, 2008) utilized its benefits to gain a life of financial stability. According to Flynn (2013), “Welfare is a term used to describe systems by which government agencies provide economic assistance, goods, and services to persons who are unable to care for themselves. Welfare is a form of social policy. Welfare programs serve as social safety nets.” Provision is made for member via social policy, social programs, and welfare enterprises. Upon the transfer of...
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...Welfare programs in USA Abstract This research will provide information regarding basic welfare programs in USA. Welfare state is a government that provides for the total well-beeing of its citizens and is akin to socialism. However, very few true welfare states exist. The United States is a good example of this as it provides some social insurance or entitlement programs to its citizens but does not espouse socialism. As socialism and democracy cannot go hand in hand, therefore, it is impossible for the United States to be one of the true welfare states. The United States does make efforts to provide for persons in need through a myriad of social service programs known as welfare. Welfare encompasses those government programs that provide benefits and economic assistance to no or low income Americans. It can also be defined as financial assistance to impoverished Americans which is supplied through the taxes paid by the working class. One of the main goals of welfare programs in USA is to improve the quality of life and living standards for the poor and underprivileged. Welfare help is usually extended to people groups other than just the poor and underprivileged such as the elderly, the disabled, students, and unpaid workers, such as mothers and caregivers Welfare programs available in the United States include: Medicaid, Food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Head Start...
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