Real Welfare Fraud Reform
"From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."
Karl Marx- Communist
"Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for a lifetime."
Confucius- Very wise Chinese philosopher
"If you want to have self-esteem, you must take esteem able actions"
Anonymous
When I hit bottom and began the long slow journey of coming back
many said I should apply for all "the government assistance programs"
available, especially being a single mother. I did not, letting these
people know that "I made the mess and I'll clean it up!" With the help
of "Human Angels" I worked two full time jobs and a third part time
job. Was it easy? No, but the respect from others I received along with
the self-respect and self-esteem I was feeling made the days of little
or no sleep worth it. Not too mention the example I set for my son.
What do Welfare/Food stamps/Entitlement Programs Really Accomplish?
- Increased Dependency- Welfare has created
dependence not independence and trapped many of our children in a
vicious cycle of poverty. This is truly sad and need not continue. But
"political correctness" and politicians who have lied to and convinced
the poor with the "class warfare" game in order to gain voter blocs
need to be taken to task including those who out of fear do not speak
up! These politicians care nothing of innocent children suffering and
have the unmitigated gall to wonder why they turn to lives of crime.
SHAME ON THEM AND THERE LIES to these people!
- Discourages Education and Life skills- Getting
what many in low income areas perceive as "Free Money" from "the
government" sends the message that one need not have any education or
job skills to find ways to "pay the bills." It sends the clear message
that "someone else will take care of them." This is part of the reason
so many young people turn to "gangs." Gang members understand
psychology too, and they are able to convince these vulnerable children
that "they" will provide everything they lack at home. They convince
these young people that having an education or job skills are not
needed. Again THIS IS PART OF WHAT WE CAN THANK THE WELFARE SYSTEM FOR! How many of these children could have been the person to have come up with a cure for cancer?
- Enables Irresponsible Behavior, i.e.; Drug and alcohol addiction-
As discussed above Welfare teaches no sense of responsibility. No hard
working responsible tax paying citizen should be paying for anyone's
addictions. We discuss the possible solution below. Yes by all means
help someone who desires treatment, but don't supply them the means to
stay in the throes of their addictions. This is commonly known as
"enabling bad behavior."
- Encourages Women and Families to have Children they cannot support-
the "Welfare State" actually has encouraged irresponsible behavior of
young teen women and indeed many adult women. Welfare has also enabled
the fathers to walk away from their responsibilities.
Big Bold and "Not Politically Correct" Solutions
- Severe Penalties for those committing Fraud and those that aid and abet in Fraud-
We have untold BILLIONS of our tax payer dollars supporting those who
do not actually need assistance. There are many ways this happens. One
of the more known ways is; a family member or trusted friend is asked
to put material possessions in their names. How many of us have been in
a grocery store limited in what we can afford, only to witness the
person in front of us pay with food stamps, clad with the latest
I-phone and Nike's. Then outside watch these FRAUDSTERS get into a
brand new SUV.
- A One Year Limit on receiving assistance and reduction in benefits-
Until we make it MORE attractive to seek (any type) of employment,
i.e.; flipping burgers, washing dishes, picking our fruits and
vegetables than it is to collect government assistance, real reform
will not occur. Following will be suggestions that will also help those
in that one year limit.
- Must supply (Irreproachable) evidence of seeking Employment-
Any number of business people and managers will assure you that they DO
NOT receive phone calls to validate as to whether a person who is on
some form of assistance has indeed legitimately sought out employment
from them and if turned down, why. The WHY part is vitally important
as, many intentionally come in to apply "looking and behaving less than
appropriately" for an individual truly seeking work. (This is also where true lawsuit abuse reform needs to happen.)
- Must supply (Irreproachable) evidence of "expenditure reports"-
Any casino employee will assure you that one of the busiest days of the
month is when welfare checks come out, lottery ticket sales will also
increase. THIS IS FACT! If receiving assistance from the TAX PAYER (every half penny needs to be accounted for) and with legitimate receipts of their own, not fake ones from other people.
- ALL checks and Food Stamps MUST be picked up in person and subject to "random drug testing"-
Many Welfare/Food Stamp recipients are drug addicts THAT IS A KNOWN
FACT! If a person receives our tax dollars they should be subjected to
on site random testing. If they test positive they are not given the
checks and referred for treatment to a reputable facility. This would
be incredibly helpful to the children of these addicts as well.
- If no "provable" form of education, Must either complete high school or get a GED-
Not only would this greatly help with seeking employment but, would go
a long way in building self-esteem. This would be a wonderful example
to teach children as well
.
- Churches/Community Centers/Private Business need to step up to the plate-
We need to get back to basics and "take care of our own backyards."
Churches need to get out of the business of being in business, worrying
more about how big and fancy each church is and worry more about
ministering to those in their respective communities. Our churches,
community centers and senior centers could "partner" together to
provide childcare at little or no cost, through volunteer programs for
parents and (especially single parents) attempting to escape from the
throes of poverty. It has been proven that our seniors and our young
children are mutually beneficial to each other in so many ways. HERE AGAIN THOUGH LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL ENTITIES NEED TO GET OUT OF THE WAY
with their stifling regulations for good hearted individuals who want
to be of service. Private business can be very helpful in coming up
with Apprenticeship programs in their communities. Good people need
only be given a chance to prove themselves, and they will be the most
loyal employees you will find.
- Our Governors and State Legislators need to share ideas and get on the same page-
We must stop the "partisan" bickering and look at real reform in all
states. Until we are able to elect true "common sense reformers" to
Washington, we will need to rely heavily on our Governors and their
respective legislatures to work on the solutions we require, thus
enabling the "taking back of our states rights." As our states are
facing budget deficit issues, with no predictable end in sight this is
an issue that must be addressed, as uncomfortable as it may be. Great
creative solutions always come from our individual states, NOT
Washington bureaucrats!
- A possible Public/Private Association that takes the "bureaucracy" out of the equation-
This is also an idea worth looking at. Taking Welfare completely out of
the hands of the bureaucrats and putting into the hands of a privately
run management system chosen by the individual states. GET WASHINGTON
completely out of the way!
- No more Welfare assistance for pregnant teens/those who already receive assistance-
Our "welfare state" has encouraged teen pregnancy. If a minor child
becomes pregnant it should be the responsibility of the father, parents
or other family members, NOT the taxpayer. If the father will not step
up, legal action should be taken. If a woman or family currently
receives Welfare and they choose to have more children those children
WILL NOT be covered by the welfare system. If grandparents (and there
are many) are asked to raise the children of their children they should
receive the same tax breaks such as "head of household" tax credits as
the parents would have received.
In closing, all though most of us do not mind giving
folks in need a "hand up" we resent the never ending "hand outs." Our
politicians ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE have enabled
the "Welfare State" to get out of hand. Neither seem to have the
"political will" or "political courage" to act on what needs to be said
and done, thus actually enslaving so many of our citizens, as well as
"redistributing" the hard earned monies of those in the middle and
upper middle classes. We currently have an estimated 37 MILLION + on the welfare/food stamp rolls. We simply can no longer afford this!
Independence,
responsibility, self reliance, self sufficiency, which is the true
American way, will bring about real opportunity. NOT reliance on
Washington.
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