Welfare - Who Does It Benefit?

Welfare: Who does it benefit?

What happens if someone was to lose their job? What happens if there is not enough money at the end of the month? What happens if someone does not have enough money to feed their children? Luckily, there is a program that can help these people that fit in these categories. The name of this program is called The Welfare Reform. Being on welfare is nothing to be ashamed of. Many people feel that welfare benefits the poor, but that is not true at all. Welfare benefits those who are in need of it. In today's economy, millions of former CEOs, presidents of companies, and business owners are now suffering severe pay cuts. Now, they may not be able support their families financially like they use to. They might have to turn to being on welfare to help their families. This example shows that welfare not only helps the less fortunate, but it helps everyone in need. My primary focus of this paper is to illustrate how welfare helps everyone, and it is nothing to be embarrassed about.

Welfare Reform: The Untold Story was a very informative article about the use of the welfare reform. This article discussed the problems with the welfare legislation. It talks about how some people are abusing the welfare system. Also, it talks about how the welfare system has helped other major programs. A program that has been helped by the Welfare Reform is the funding of child care. It talks about what prompted the need of the Welfare Reform. It provides data on how long people are usually on welfare. The article talks about how minimum wage, child support, and a rise in income tax credit have benefited the people on welfare. The article also explains why numerous people on welfare got off the program. It talks about how welfare has affected teen pregnancy. Finally, it gives the reader the advantages and disadvantages brought by the Welfare Reform.

Robert Cherry stated that, "But the strong economy and funding provisions of welfare legislation led almost all states to enhance child care funding, provide tax subsidies to supplement wages, and to fund educational initiatives" (Cherry 79). In this statement alone can answer my soul purpose of the paper. That purpose was does the Welfare Reform benefit the poor? This statement gives the answer as yes, but while doing so; the Welfare Reform has helped millions of people who are not poor. Another great point Robert Cherry made was, "During the economic expansion, the vast majority of welfare leavers found paid employment" (Cherry 81). This explains, while the economy is doing great; there are numerous people that are on welfare who are getting off. To go a little further, if the economy is not doing well, this is what caused people to turn towards welfare. Once again, this has supported the idea that welfare does not just benefit the less fortunate.

Has the Welfare Reform benefited the poor? Yes, but while the reform was geared toward the people who fit the poor profile, however, it has benefited the very people who look down on welfare. Single working mothers are a group that does not fit the poor profile, but the Welfare Reform has helped them tremendously. Robert Cherry supported my claim by saying, "Today, if a single mother with two children earns $13,000, she qualifies for an earned income tax credit (EITC) of $4,000 at the federal level, and $900 at the state level in a number of states"(Cherry 81). With the tax credit, which is a part of the Welfare Reform; their yearly income has risen to over $ 17,000.

The book Evaluating Food Assistance Programs in an Era of Welfare Reform: Summary of a Workshop gives information that many Americans do not know about. The book talks about the different programs that are within the Welfare Reform. It also talks about the work requirements that come with being on welfare. It also discusses the funds that are set aside for welfare. To elaborate on the different programs, the book not only gives us the names of the program, but the book goes in detail pertaining to the programs. The book talks about the research that was needed, so that there could be improvements for welfare.

The editors discussed a program called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. "PRWORA emphasizes welfare to work concept, including time limits for assistance, strong work requirements, a performance bonus to reward states for moving welfare recipients into jobs, and increased funding for child care" (Evaluating vii). This shows that welfare does not mean taking care of lazy people. It is also saying that the states would benefit from those on welfare. This program gears to help people work, and to take care of themselves, so that is why there is a limit for assistance. The Food and Nutrition Service serves an enormous part to the Welfare Reform. The editors stated, "Today, the Food and