The Pros And Cons Of Welfare

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The way welfare works is extremely broken. It provides the extra help that some people really need while others abuse from it. To give some back-ground information, welfare has always been present and is always going under modification. According to welfareinfo.org the welfare that is currently present today, started during the great depression. In 1939 social security was modified to make various programs that provided aid to those who needed it. With the creation of these programs, it also came with new government agencies to oversee these welfare programs- so in a way it created jobs. In 1996 President Clinton made an impact when he signed a bill stated as Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The name is clear, …show more content…

Apparently, the government is spending $1 trillion a year on welfare programs in which there are about 80 programs (Glenn, 2015). It makes one wonder where, so much money comes from and if consideration is even being taken when ideas to create so many assistance programs. Also, dependence on food stamps have increased. In 1972, 11 million people were on food stamps and in 2011, 44.7 million (Glenn, 2015). The government is over extending its help. The population has grown a lot, but these many people should not depend on the government for food assistance. It is often seen at supermarkets that many take advantage of it and put unnecessary amounts of food. It takes a lot of money to keep welfare …show more content…

At this point more single and uneducated mothers were joining the work force, but “it is likely that many of these women were already working-under the table to avoid losing their benefits under the old system” (Ehrenfreund, 2016). The reason these women started working is because under the new system it provided childcare. In one year the percentage of single, uneducated mothers in the workforce rose to 12% (Ehrenfreund, 2016). These women are too scared to work a lot because they will lose benefits or prefer to work under the table, so they won’t lose these benefits. Welfare in this case is not very helpful. This proves that many people are capable of working and may remain in poverty because of the way welfare