With 21% of the United States population assisted by welfare in 2016 (“Welfare Statistics”), one could imagine the strong demand and impact of the welfare system. One out of every five people you pass on the street receive aid from the United States welfare system. The United States welfare programs began in the early 1930s during the Great Depression to provide aid to unemployed Americans with a temporary dole during the economic failure (Costly). Ever since, federal welfare has played an important role in many Americans’ source of income and their lives. Although many Americans rely on the benefits welfare provides, the welfare system should be entirely rebuilt because many people assisted by welfare abuse its benefits and purpose, as well …show more content…
Therefore, by working a minimum wage job full-time 40 hours a week for 48 weeks of the year, for example, one could make just under $14,000 without taxes.In 2012, a family with two children, ages three and seven, earned a total of $41,292 in one year, solely from welfare programs (Ye Hee Lee). House of Representatives member, Glenn Grothman, goes on to say he would have “subtracted the $6,634 figure from the total, because school aid may not apply to single parents in general...”. This, however, still provides a total of about $35,000 per year. With a $21,000 heftier paycheck, families can survive off welfare paychecks, rather than getting minimum wage jobs. And let's face it, if you were given the option to make $21,000 more without working, why wouldn't you? Another reason welfare may discourage work is that even “a family of three with any income over $1500 a month is not officially poor. And even that is not poor enough to qualify for TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families]” (Hahn). Consequently, those families have the ability to discontinue their low-wage jobs in order to qualify for TANF and other welfare programs, to make a much larger income, as