Welfare

Thank You for accepting this debate, I will begin with an opening statement: Welfare, when applied appropriately, contributes to the over-all well being of society. When welfare however is given to those who aren't attempting to improve their situation by trying to find a job, welfare becomes detrimental to that society. Those Who deserve it, and Those Who Do Not: There were currently 4,300,000 people on welfare as of October 15, 2012. [1] Of those 4,300,000, 50% will leave it in less than a year, 70% percent will leave it in less than two years, and 90% will leave it within five years. [2] This means that either that person or family has found a way to get benefits elsewhere, or they have found a job. The problem is that 45% of those who left it will return to it within a year, and 70% will return to it in five years. [2] This means that at least 70% will inevitably come back to it within five years,and instead of welfare rates gradually going down, they gradually go up. It is like Ronald Reagan said, "We should measure our success by the people that leave welfare, not how many people are added." Trends show that families who come back to welfare after being on it for a short period of time,will come back to it for increasingly long periods of time. [2] 75% percent of those on welfare are women, the primary reasons being that they either had a child out of wedlock, or they divorced. [3] This is where we find the fork in the road.Those who deserve it include: Disabled Citizens who cannot work, Those with children who have special needs and the parent cannot afford to pay for them, Disabled War Veterans, Those currently putting forth applications for jobs, and those who have jobs but still need extra help to support their family($1,000 or less) [1] Those who do not deserve it include: Single mothers who have had pre-marital sex and have multiple children because of this, Those who aren't currently looking for work and have no job, those who abuse it by buying unnecessary things such as tattoos, piercings, expensive clothing, etc. (the money should be going to the children and food anyway, not the adult's wants.)The next problem with welfare is...Welfare Fraud:Welfare Fraud: The intentional misuse of various state funded welfare programs. It may consist of withholding certain information or providing inaccurate or false information to receive benefits. The most common types of welfare fraud include failing to report additional income, failure to disclose information regarding household family members, or supplying false information about an inability to work. There have also been instances were people feigned illness or injury to manipulate the welfare system. [4] This unfair misuse of the welfare system is yet another reason for why welfare is detrimental to our society. One may argue that it is unfair to take tax payer dollars and put it into this program, but it is even more unfair when the money goes those guilty of fraud. There are several examples of this: In 1977, Linda Taylor was accused of using 14 different names under to apply for welfare, obtaining about $150,000 dollars in benefits. In 1981, Dorothy Woods manipulated the government for $300,000 dollars by claiming to have 38 children, which she didn't. [4] The Philosophy Behind Welfare:Many consider those who oppose welfare to be heartless, cruel, and rich. [5]The truth is, welfare is an extremely misunderstood concept. The welfare we know of today in America is detrimental, not because the theory behind it is astray, but because of how it is put through the system. $.09 of tax dollars go to welfare, [6]which is enough to anger many working Americans, especially when their own pay isn't much more than what those on welfare receive. Another alarming fact is that average hourly wage equivalence for people receiving welfare in Hawaii is $17. Much higher than minimum wage, and to those who do nothing. [1]I remind you that when I mean nothing, I am referring to those who are capable of working, or have landed themselves in these situations by dumb decisions. How Is This All Detrimental to the United States?: $1 Trillion comes from tax payers and goes to those who apply to welfare through the government. It seems unfair that in addition to paying for actual people who need welfare, tax payers pay for those leeching off the system. The government should promote the welfare of the people by getting them to find jobs, instead of letting them work as welfare addicts. http://www.youtube.com...[1] http://www.statisticbrain.com...[2] http://www.urban.org...[3] http://bcn.boulder.co.us...[4] http://www.spamlaws.com...[5] http://answers.yahoo.com...[6] http://myesoteric.hubpages.com...