Public Assistance Pros And Cons

Public Assistance: The Never-ending Debate

There has always been one topic that stirs up deep emotions in people no matter what side of the debate you belong on. People receiving public assistance has both its supporters and its critics. The program started to do something good to help the American people. Those on the side of public assistance feel that the program does do well but more it needs more help. Those who are against the program have many reasons as to why the program fails or why we just need to get rid of it all together. The division on the issue of public assistance often depends on if they have ever received assistance before. There are many views of public assistance that are misguided. There are also ones that continue being

Public assistance was created to help people in need of assistance. Throughout the history of the United States there have been programs to help those in need. Programs such as the Freedman’s Bureau of 1865 which helped slaves transition to a life of freedom after the Civil War. During The Great Depression the start of the largest public assistance program began due to the efforts of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The New Deal instituted programs such as Social Security, Aid to Dependent children, and Unemployment insurance. According to government programs and funding the governments overall spending increased from 4.7 billion a year in 1932 to 8.2 billion a year after most of the New Deal programs was enacted. In the 1960s President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Great Society. In a speech at the University of Michigan President Johnson spoke of the opportunity to, “move not only toward a rich society and the powerful society, but upward to a Great Society.” (qtd. National High School Debate Topic). This program updated the Social Security Act creating Medicaid and Medicare. They added other programs with the Food Stamp Act of 1964. Also, programs like Job Corps to help people find jobs. Over the years they added or updated many of the government programs. The most recent adjustment to these programs is “Obamacare”. I do believe that at one point or another we have all known someone who has

The biggest one that I have benefited from being the Pell Grants Program. I know that many of today’s students would not have been able to receive an education without the assistance of the program. I have known many people who have made use of public assistance programs. It is difficult to not have met at least one person who has made use of public assistance programs. I know several people who are currently collecting Social Security. Either in the form of SSD, SSI or Medicare. There are many people in my life who are collecting social security due to retirement or disability. They have also made use of programs such as Head Start, Unemployment insurance, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). I myself had used programs such as Head Start, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP), and problem. All these programs have led to a long-term debate over what role the government really has in supporting this