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The Pros And Cons Of Federal-State Public Assistance Programs

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Most of us enjoy receiving gifts. If you get something for nothing, I am quite sure we will see a smile planted on your face. Public assistance programs were created more than eighty years ago. The basic structure of our federal-state public assistance received a major overhaul when Congress consolidated the program into a single program in 1975. (Hansan) Each state is given the choice whether or not to participate in public assistance programs. The states are required to submit a “state plan” that demonstrates to the federal government that its proposed program adheres to the minimal standards set out in the law.(Hansan) Once the states demonstrates that they are toeing the line, then the government coordinates the funding needed to keep …show more content…

The two largest government assistance programs operating in the United States are food stamps and Medicaid. (“Measuring Poverty a New Approach”) Most of the applicants for assistance are women and children followed by the elderly (Rude). The central focus of the programs is to meet some of the daily life needs so that the individual could focus on getting back on their feet. For example the use of food stamps would take away the worry and pressure of providing food for your family and allow you to work on finding a better job or better place to live. It is important to show accountability of how the money is been used. Americans are generous and have no problem helping others in need. Regular drug screenings of those on assistance needs to be a requirement to use these programs. It will help towards identifying waste and fraud. There are those who choose to take advantage of these programs creating a misuse of …show more content…

Assistance programs were not created to be a permanent or long time option. The underlying plan was to offer help and relief in one area so that the individuals can focus on improving other areas of their lives. Problems with any program are a few will abuse or misuse the assistance programs. Individuals get on an assistance program and stop working on opportunities to make a better life. They become dependent on the assistance and calculate it into the funds they can count on each month. Proponents of drug testing state they want to try and reduce some of the misuse of funds up front. A person who tests positive might need to attend drug rehabilitation before using any assistance programs. An underlying thought is to drug test all assistance users rather than singling out testing for the two biggest programs. I believe drug screening and testing should be a requirement for all assistance programs. Instead of these programs being a pathway to a better life, they can turn into a program some individuals plan to keep using for life. The programs are not set up to be temporary assistance. Everything has a cost or comes with a price. The next issue to address is will the cost of drug testing all participants outweigh the

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These programs solved unemployment, which also resolved the issue about people not having money to support their families. Getting money to support their families allowed them to have a house and supply food for them. If the person doesn’t need all the money they could send some to family members that are

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The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 was a landmark legislation that drastically altered how the U.S. government approached poverty. Passed during Bill Clinton's presidency, the reform aimed to decrease the dependency on state support by promoting self-reliance and employment among the populace. This initiative gave birth to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. However, despite the seemingly positive intentions, the Act arguably created a plethora of issues. In fact, many have criticized the reform for its unrealistic assumptions about the reality of poverty in America.

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Some argue that the government is already doing too much for those in need, causing them to become less and less self reliant but there are so many areas in which the government struggles with setting recipients up for long term success. “ What most people seem not to understand is that even when single mothers work. They must pay either babysitters or daycare providers, and both are expensive” (NY Times, 2016, p. 2). Any reasonable parent would consider this and most likely it would cross their mind that almost all of the money they will be making that day will go straight to paying for a babysitter so it’s a lost cause. “Welfare should be not just about forcing women into the workforce, but also about helping them continue their education so that it might lead to a better job” (NY Times, 2016, p. 2).

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805 Words | 4 Pages

These programs are set out to help the people get out of the economic hardships that they are in. The government isn’t giving them enough room to grow and increase their yearly income. The government should be that support system that allows its people to grow while still giving them that extra push that they need. The government could give them room to grow and increase their income while still having the benefits. This would allow them to save, invest, and stop needing the aid the government offers.

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That is not what welfare should be used for though, it should be used as an extra last resort support system for an individual until they can get back on their feet. This is why there are so many people on the street and in homeless shelters, because the government is giving them free money. This is why it should in the end be up to private organizations and charity. This is because if it is a small group of people working with the less fortunate they can get to know them individually and try to help them off of welfare or the support that they are getting. Granted there are some things that the less fortunate should have the opportunity to have and that is health care.

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The Welfare Reform is a program that was set up to aid and provide public assistance (Opposing Viewpoints). This type of assistance aids families who are in need of funds due to no income or very little income. Over the next years, the Welfare Reform Act has been slightly changed. Some changes have been an improvement to the program, while other changes did not make an impact on the individuals who receive this form of assistance. Critics of the welfare program have insisted the programs hinders people who receive this form of support.

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It is not intended for people to abuse it and spend it on illegal activities that can worsen their health and ruin the lives of other around them. People who give their money to welfare want to see the money be put to proper use. This task is nearly impossible while they’re drugs involved. Getting people out of bad habits/harmful activities should be a large goal for welfare. The idea of drug testing welfare recipients came from the idea of not wasting taxpayers money (Cunha).

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This is not a waste of money, and should instead be considered a responsibility of the federal and state governments. Employers who test their workers foot the bill for the expenses of drug screening. Therefore, the federal government should pay the expenses of drug testing their welfare recipients, since most people on welfare receive assistance in place of a job. Also, supporters of drug testing would much rather pay to make sure people are living productive, and healthy lifestyles (“The Pros and Cons…” para 3). It is unfair for those who work hard everyday to support their families, to have to support those who are not taking the necessary steps to be

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1365 Words | 6 Pages

Anybody who is on drugs needs help to get off of them, and the welfare recipients would receive free help. The taxpayers that work for their money do not want to see their taxes go somewhere of no use. Welfare recipients that have been regularly drug-tested drug usage goes down. Drug testing welfare recipients would be beneficial to both the taxpayers and the welfare recipients. The taxpayers would feel more secure that their payments are not going to waste, and the welfare recipients

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1128 Words | 5 Pages

The state of Florida has already implemented the drug testing on welfare recipients. By doing so the amount of applicants has gone down about 48 percent. The decrease of applicants is due to the drug users that simply do not apply because of the testing. The users could apply for welfare in the future but they must refrain from the partaking in the illegal activity which is drugs. In 2013 the state of Missouri there was over 30,000 welfare applicants drug screened and they found the little to no people failed the tests.

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460 Words | 2 Pages

One of those reasons being, drug testing welfare recipients could waste taxpayer’s money. The government would use tax money to administer drug test (Cunha, par. 3). Many taxpayers do not feel like they are obligated to pay for a person’s drug habit (“Editorial: Drug Testing Welfare Recipients Doesn’t Add Up,” par. 1). In Tennessee, only one person to the 800 who applied for government assistance tested positive for drugs. In Florida, during four months of drug testing , only 2.6 % of welfare recipients tested positive, which was under Florida’s illegal use of 8%, which meant that fewer people using government assistance used drugs.

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648 Words | 3 Pages

These governmental social programs are a big help to people , they have been here for many generations and will continue to provide access to Americans who have trouble and need

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1374 Words | 6 Pages

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I am here to persuade you that making welfare harder to obtain will not only positively affect those who apply, but our nation in a wide-scale socio-economic aspect. C. Preview of Main Points: I will explain where the government gets the money to fund programs, specifically TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Personal and socio-economic benefit will be explained. D. Benefit Instead of using money to fund drug use, money will be better spent in other areas within the states. The incentives to stop

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