Welfare: A Hammock to a Trampoline

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Recommended: United States welfare system and its effects

Psalms 30:6 “When I felt secure I said, ‘I will never be shaken’” (New Living Translation). The goal of welfare is to help individuals afford the basic necessities of life, however, it has become apparent that throughout the generations people have become too comfortable and secure being on welfare and thus are not striving for self-sufficiency. As with all government run programs there is a budget for welfare services, and with more and more people applying for welfare and fewer returning to self-sufficiency there is simply not enough money to go around. Putting time limits on welfare is a hot topic that has been debated for years. Some believe that “families already in distress may fall into the abyss” (Deborah), while others see the lenient district laws regarding welfare as the cause of the generational cycle that welfare has become today (Deborah). However, by evaluation the current welfare system and systems of the past, it clear those time limits are beneficial.

To start, on August 22, 1996 congress passed a new law requiring welfare recipients to work in exchange for time-limited services. This program was the first program to show significant results in decreasing welfare caseloads and dependency (Deborah). Under this reform caseloads decreased by more than 2.8 million families, or sixty percent (WASHINGTON). However, in 2009, Obama replaced this law with the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. As of 1989, the annual cost of welfare has increased by nearly three-hundred percent and with Obama’s new reform this number is only expected to increase. The 2009 Stimulus package is opposed by many anti-poverty groups since it give states more lenience in requiring recipients to have jobs in order to receive welfa...

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Works Cited

Deborah Simmons, THE WASHINGTON TIMES. “Barry seeks to enforce lifetime welfare cap;

cites budget, cycle of dependency.” Washington Times, The (DC) (2010): 6. Newspaper

Source. EBSCO. Web. 16 Jan. 2011

New Living Translation. Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1996

‘Overview of the Current System’ 2002, Congressional Digest, 81, 7, p. 198, MAS Ultra – School Edition, EBSCOhost, viewed 20 Jan. 2011

Rector, Robert. “Breaking the Welfare Cycle.” National Review 49.11 (1997): 18. MAS Ultra – School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 20 Jan. 2011

Stossel, John. “Hurtling Down the Road to Serfdom. (cover story).” Human Events 66.8 (2010): 1. MAS Ultra - -School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 1 Feb. 2011

THE WASHINGTON, TIMES. “Dialing back the welfare state.” Washington Times, The (DC) (2010): 2. Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 28 Jan. 2011

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