The Shrinking Welfare Stare: The New Welfare Legislation and Families
... offer a safety net for those unfortunate people who are unable to find work. It also has a lifetime mandated five years maximum period you may receive these benefits. I do not feel the government should require a person to find an occupation without any job training programs or educational assistance. "Hated by those who administer it, mistrusted by those who pay for it and held in contempt by those who receive it" (Quindlen, A. 2002). I agree with this statement, it gives a clue that even after the welfare system was reformed most people are still unhappy with the system. Since the recession begun in March 2001, caseloads for welfare claims have began to rise. This has also affected the food banks and soup kitchens which have seen a dramatic increase in people that need emergency assistance. Some states have reported that although 63 percent of those who left welfare were working, 68 percent of those described themselves as barely making it, with less than half better off than when they were on welfare. More than half of former welfare recipients had incomes at or below the poverty level. In California, officials estimated that only 25 percent of recipients leaving welfare for work had a livable wage. The work-first strategy may have pushed people into jobs, but not necessarily into self-sufficiency (Lens, V., 2002). I feel we should train these people for careers, not jobs. So what is the solution? I feel we need to make major changes in the way we treat these people. These people are Americans and we as a nation need to be accountable for everyone in need from our nation. This does not mean give them money and hope they can survive, it means giving the tools needed so they can advance themselves. This can be done by guaranteeing jobs, increasing the minimum wage,...