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Essay on the "Welfare State."
by the Bestlinks Webmaster.
America's political conservatives and some more liberal as well believe President Lyndon Johnson's 1964 "Great Society" programs for the poor took the WELFARE STATE TOO FAR. The government had begun what the administration called a "War on Poverty" to provide assistance and sometimes training for individuals who were out of work. They simply had to document their household income was below the government designated "Poverty Line" and they were out of work or unable to work to earn that level of income, based on how many dependent children live din the household. Men were allowed originally to apply but generally most were women with children and no husbands in the home.
Critics started noticing people--especially poor unwed mothers actually quit working or marrying the fathers of their children else they would lose their welfare checks which were not generous but survivable. They discovered they were better off by having babies but not having adult men in their households which would disqualify the benefit checks. There were eventually cases when the children of these 'welfare moms' themselves became 'welfare moms' when they grew to adulthood and started having children of their own. While some critics said they were primarily black women on welfare, studies showed the majority of those were actually Caucasian.
They were called "welfare moms," received payments from the federal AFDC program (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) which were passed by primarily Democratic Congresses. Critics argued the unintended consequence discovered actually discouraged many people from committed marriages and work because they couldn't earn as much as their government checks paid compared to what skills they possessed close to minimum wage. And too, daycare providers for children younger than school age would take most of their earnings anyway.
During President Bill Clinton's terms, Republicans pressured the administration to take steps to reduce the phenomenon of welfare dependency with a trend seen here and elsewhere, "Welfare Reform."
America's political conservatives and some more liberal as well believe President Lyndon Johnson's 1964 "Great Society" programs for the poor took the WELFARE STATE TOO FAR. The government had begun what the administration called a "War on Poverty" to provide assistance and sometimes training for individuals who were out of work. They simply had to document their household income was below the government designated "Poverty Line" and they were out of work or unable to work to earn that level of income, based on how many dependent children live din the household. Men were allowed originally to apply but generally most were women with children and no husbands in the home.
Critics started noticing people--especially poor unwed mothers actually quit working or marrying the fathers of their children else they would lose their welfare checks which were not generous but survivable. They discovered they were better off by having babies but not having adult men in their households which would disqualify the benefit checks. There were eventually cases when the children of these 'welfare moms' themselves became 'welfare moms' when they grew to adulthood and started having children of their own. While some critics said they were primarily black women on welfare, studies showed the majority of those were actually Caucasian.
They were called "welfare moms," received payments from the federal AFDC program (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) which were passed by primarily Democratic Congresses. Critics argued the unintended consequence discovered actually discouraged many people from committed marriages and work because they couldn't earn as much as their government checks paid compared to what skills they possessed close to minimum wage. And too, daycare providers for children younger than school age would take most of their earnings anyway.
During President Bill Clinton's terms, Republicans pressured the administration to take steps to reduce the phenomenon of welfare dependency with a trend seen here and elsewhere, "Welfare Reform."
Conservatives have always said the same trend occurred with laid off people who would not seriously seek or take jobs until their Federal Unemployment Benefits were about to run out. While that jobless time might have been a good opportunity for laid off workers to gain new career skills to match newer, different jobs no longer plentiful in their communities, regulations didn't permit retraining workers who were laid off because their jobs were eliminated.
States' unemployment insurance regulations required that those on benefits could not go to school full time, but instead had to document they looked for work every week whether or not there was similar work available for which they might qualify. Fifty years later, that catch-22 situation for many workers who have aged out of their previous occupations never been resolved. Government has never seen fit to support adult workers who need to be retrained for newer jobs replacing the outdated ones.
Social Security is a complex retirement program first for the retired elderly that was created as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal back in the 1930s. It provided retirement accounts based on income-based deductions from workers' paychecks to hold until their retirement age. Currently retirement benefits are limited but can be drawn as early as age 62 but full benefits if they wait until age 70 or higher if they wait until age 75. The program also provides benefits for survivors and handicapped individuals.
States' unemployment insurance regulations required that those on benefits could not go to school full time, but instead had to document they looked for work every week whether or not there was similar work available for which they might qualify. Fifty years later, that catch-22 situation for many workers who have aged out of their previous occupations never been resolved. Government has never seen fit to support adult workers who need to be retrained for newer jobs replacing the outdated ones.
Social Security is a complex retirement program first for the retired elderly that was created as part of President Roosevelt's New Deal back in the 1930s. It provided retirement accounts based on income-based deductions from workers' paychecks to hold until their retirement age. Currently retirement benefits are limited but can be drawn as early as age 62 but full benefits if they wait until age 70 or higher if they wait until age 75. The program also provides benefits for survivors and handicapped individuals.
Current Controversies with Social Security Now some conservatives want to end Social Security payments as well for the middle aged workers without assuring first they have private retirement accounts sufficient to live on for the rest of their lives. Most lower and middle class people don't have sufficient retirement investments to survive without social security and they are worried ending the program they paid into will reduce them to unacceptable poverty. Conservatives know oldsters tend to vote more than younger people so they are quick to say they won't cut the benefits of those who had paid in to Social Security but are already drawing it.
Liberals and Democrats promise not to lower Social Security benefits because it was a promise when those workers tolerated the government to deduct some percentage of their earnings based on a sliding income scale up to a ceiling beyond which higher income isn't subject to more tax--which is above most middle class income.
Liberals and Democrats promise not to lower Social Security benefits because it was a promise when those workers tolerated the government to deduct some percentage of their earnings based on a sliding income scale up to a ceiling beyond which higher income isn't subject to more tax--which is above most middle class income.
