Regulate the Welfare Abuse

Millions of Americans are enrolled in the welfarequalify to receive the help.  Here is an example from
system; a program designed to give a boost to thethe news; a father and mother are both working
poor and needy families to help them make ittwo jobs to make ends meet, they have a son who
through the year while they got back on their feet. has a chronic illness that can not be treated because
Unfortunately, it has now become a way of life forthey don’t have the money for pay for it.  The
many.  Many argue that welfare is now destroyinggovernment would not help this family in any way, so
our culture and creating dependent people whothe married couple had to get a legal divorce so that
learned to abuse privileges that come with living inthey could say their son lives with and is supported
America.  Welfare has become a target forby a single mother and she doesn’t have enough
gluttonous mothers and others who have no valuesmoney to pay for the bill.  By the mother being
or willingness to obtain a job.  This definitely makessingle and having a child she was able to receive the
an impact on the needy families and people withhealth care.  This situation completely makes no
disabilities who deserve to receive aid from thissense.  Basically what the government is doing is
program.  Mothers who sit around waiting for theallowing people to cheat the system just so their
next check to come in the mail and are not willing tochild can receive treatment.  What is wrong with this
do anything to help themselves or their familiespicture?  You would think that the government
should not have the privilege of receiving governmentwould be willing to help the family instead of putting
assistance.  That is why there should be enforceablethem on Medicare which would go against their
guide lines that are met to regulate how long peopleultimate goal of decreasing the governments’
stay on the welfare system.responsibility for yet another dependent family.  The
            In earlier times of American historygovernment needs to re-evaluate and enforce their
there were no welfare programs to help aid thegovernment assistance system. 
needy.  All America had depended on the charity ofIn Clinton’s reform, “PRWORA permitted
churches, and sometimes private organizations tochemical drug testing.  This allowed states to deny
help the poorest families.  It was not until 1935 whenbenefits to adults convicted of drug felonies, and
President Roosevelt signed the Aid For Dependantallowed states to terminate benefits to illicit
Children (AFDC) that a program was put in effect bydrug-using women who violated program
the government.  This was a bill containing therequirements or who simply failed to find
original provisions of the welfare program:employment” (Pollack 2024).  From the beginning
The bill allowed $18 per month for one child and $12of this reform, some states began to implement their
for each additional child.     The bill expanded onstate welfare programs to help illicit drug and alcohol
the infrastructure of state programs that had beenabusers to receive treatment to able them entry into
set up as        ‘widow’s funds’. the work force.  The state of California developed
Only single mothers received funds.  At this time,the “Cal-WORKS” program where “each
just about           50% of those receivingcounty receives a portion of a 63.5 million dollar
AFDC were children supported by widows, 17%funding pool designed to help persons receiving
were             children with an incapacitatedwelfare benefits remove alcohol and drug-related
father, 21% were supported by a woman who hadbarriers to employment” (“California
  been abandon by her husband and just 2% ofCounties” 1).  Not only is the state of California
children on the welfare rolls were    supported bytrying to help drug abusers, but the “Governor of
women who had never married (Snyder 1).Illinois, Jim Edgar has proposed to reduce welfare
This bill continued to stay in effect until 1996 whenprogram spending by 2.5 percent in the states fiscal
President Bill Clinton negotiated with Congress to passyear that begins July 1.  He also is suggesting setting
the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Actaside 3 million dollars in new money toward the
which drastically changed the program.  The programestablishment of a drug screening and assessment
replaced AFDC by calling it the Temporary Assistanceprogram for welfare beneficiaries” (“Illinois
for Needy Families (TANF).  TANF was very similarConsiders” 4).  If Edgar’s proposal is
to AFDC but limited the receipt of benefits to fiveapproved, the state will require welfare recipients
years and with few exceptions made recipientswho have substance abuse problems to undergo
responsible to find work as soon as ready, or notreatment.  The good part, state officials believe
later than two years after coming on assistance.  Billthat beneficiaries will get off the public assistance
Clinton’s reform was criticized by many becausetreadmill and provide for themselves.  The bad part
they believed it was too much like AFDC and wouldwould be for those beneficiaries who would have
have no effect on a change.  Statistics show that:their benefits gradually decrease and have no
There were 2,032,157 families receiving TANF cashintentions to cooperate with the rehab programs. 
benefits in June 2003, the       most recentWelfare programs have proven beneficial in helping
month for which data is available.  The totalpeople and families that are in need.  Because of the
represents a 0.3 percent    decrease from Marchprogram’s abuse, new state regulations were
2003 and a 54 percent decrease from August 1996,needed.  Statistics show that the reform program
when        TANF was enacted.  A total ofimplemented by Bill Clinton back in 1996 is working. 
4,955,479 individuals were receiving TANFIt has succeeded in reducing the number of families
            benefits in June 2003, 0.6 percentand people on assistance.  A quote from the
fewer than in March and 60 percent fewer than inTruman Show states, “we except the reality of
August 1996.  From January 2001 to June 2003, thethe world who which we are presented.”  This
number of TANF families    declined 5 percent andphrase underlines what sociologist call agents of
the number of recipients declined 9.2 percentsocialization.  The book definition for agents of
(“Temporary         Assistnace” 1).socialization is groups or social contexts in which
Although statistics show that Clinton’s reformsignificant processes of socialization occur.” 
works, people are still continually abusing the systemThere are two types of socializations, the first is
  Recipients find new ways each year to prolongprimary socialization which takes place in infancy and
their dependency on the system.  It is not fair toearly childhood and is the most crucial period of
hard working tax payers who are giving their wellculture learning.  Children around the age of two
earned money to greedy, lazy Americans that aretend to absorb a lot of crucial information at this
able to work, but do not choose to.  Mothers arestage.  The family is the main source of cultural
the most common offenders among the many millionlearning where they learn language and behavior
Americans who receive aid from the government. patterns.  If a child is born from a mother that
Women easily cheat the program by simply havingabuses drugs and lives on welfare it is obvious to say
more children, by having more children means morethat this child will be exposed to nothing but the
money comes in the mail.  They also live withenvironment they live in.  This will start a family
partners, which according to the regulations are nottrend where everything is given for free and nothing
allowed. In order to be a recipient, mothers eligible tois achieved.  Children will have no incentive to
receive welfare are to be single and be the soleachieve anything in life because they would not have
support of their children. Drug and alcohol use are thethe right support for their goals.  The final type is
two other ways that mothers could and will abusesecondary socialization which takes place from
the welfare program.  Many problems occur whenchildhood to maturity.  At this point other agents
welfare recipients begin to use drugs.  They tend totake over the family role such as peer groups and
use their allotted money on drugs which leaves nothe surrounding communities.  As children begin to
money for taking care of their children.  Their nextdevelop into young adults, they start to be influenced
step into deceit is to resort to getting pregnantby their surroundings and friend.  Stereotypically,
because they know by having more children meansmost welfare families live in subsided homes where
more money.  Pollack states in the “Americanthere is nothing but government assisted families. 
Journal of Public Health” that, “Among 2002This point refers back to the family where there is
National Survey of Drug Use and Health respondentsno incentive to make oneself better.  No one peer
deemed “in need” of substance-abuseinvolved in the young adults life will be able to
treatment, welfare recipients were significantly moresupport or encourage higher education because they
likely than non-recipients to receive suchmay not have achieved that themselves.  Not
services….Controlling for other factors, welfareeven the school could help the young adult because
receipt was associated with higher prevalence of illicitmost teens will find school not important because
drug use” (2024).  This study shows how peoplemost likely there parents dropped out or failed high
on welfare are still abusing the system even with theschool.  So to them, there would be no need in
reforms that have been activated and put intoschool.  The point is, if more welfare mothers keep
effect.having more and more children just for the money,
To show personal experience or occurrence with thisthey are just bringing more and more future
situation would be an example my grandparentsgovernment assisted people in the world.  The
informed me of.  My grandparents have a dearchildren will not be able to see any other side of the
friend that lives next door to a woman who isworld if they are trapped within that type of
collecting welfare.  The row home she lives in withenvironment.  The agents of socialization proves
her three children and her boyfriends rents forthat the Truman quote is true that children are highly
approximately $1300. per month.  But being that sheinfluenced by their families and environment. 
is on government assistance, she only pays $24. aWithout strict regulation, a vicious cycle will continue
month.  This lady does not hold a job and also getsto grow with an increasing number of government
food stamps and subsidized electric.  She receivesassisted people.  In the reform, Clinton allowed
money from the government for her three sons. states to implement their own regulations to the
Critics on the opposing side may say that she mightprogram.  Many states have introduced into their
not have the skills to work.  This is a totally falseprogram assistance abusers.  The results have
statement.  It is a personally known fact that ifclearly shown that the programs were helping, but if
someone is looking for a job that is on welfare thenot regulated properly, many people will continue to
government will provide training and help that personabuse and find new ways to cheating the program. 
find a job.  This is a known fact because it hasThat is why enforcement of the laws that are
happened to my second cousins wife before theyalready in place need to be applied and up held so
got married.  The most ridiculous part about thethat the numbers of recipients continue to
welfare program is that the government is willing todecrease.  The welfare program was implemented
provide help for people that are capable of workingto help those who are in need of a little extra help
but are just too lazy to work.  A more irritatinguntil they can become a self sufficient individual and
situation is when a honest working family becomes ashould not be allowed to be used as a source of
victim to hard, unfortunate times and requirespermanent income.
assistance from the government but don’t