Among persons who call themselves "conservatives," there is a general idea that people who receive welfare are lazy and don't deserve it. That belief gives motivation to their wanting "government" to withdraw from providing assistance. Embedded in this thinking are a host of related topics and notions that need attention. That is the purpose of this article.
"There is no one program called “welfare.”
The word “welfare” refers to a number of different government assistance programs that provide help to Americans struggling with poverty in distinct ways. SNAP/food stamps, unemployment insurance, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), tax credits for working families, and Social Security are just a few programs under the welfare umbrella.
Many people who complain the most about the 'evils' of welfare are actually receiving it themselves—in some form or another."
Under the Topic: Poverty in America
Solution Policy: Poverty in America should be illegal.
Outcome: No individual or families will live in poverty in this nation. To accomplish that requires detailed rules that are legislated by Congress and enacted into law by the President.
1. Identify and describe poor persons and groups.
2. Identify and explain the drivers that create impoverishment.
3. For each "driver," develop corresponding processes to mitigate and prevent their occurrence.
3.1 Managed the economy to produce the required amount of work with appropriate characteristics that match the workforce.
3.2 Assist individuals with support for professional development.
3.3 Ensure equal opportunity for all to engage the workforce and to advance on merit.
4. For the population segment that is constrained by disabilities, establish an appropriate scale of support and economic and social participation.
5. In the rare instances of individuals who suffer from mental and physical disabilities needing more complex assistance and intervention, address the needs with appropriate structure and rules to guide desirable behavior and outcomes.
6. For the entire system, engineer a balance of consequences to ensure progressive development in an improving economy to produce a good life for all citizens on merit from their participation.
Do this Mr. President and Congress. This is your job. Before you dismantle and amend legislation, get your story straight with the American people.
(See the corresponding slide about the Myths of Welfare.)
For citizens reading this, you will now be one step or more ahead of the administration.