The social welfare system in this country has gone from being a government life-line during tough economic times to a racket which all players (including the US government) are benefiting from. Indeed, helping the poor has simply given way to rampant corruption which pervades the social welfare system. Although most people tend to believe that social welfare was and is a good idea, it is often hard for them to look in the mirror when the ugly TRUTH is staring back at them. This is when one is forced to see the system for what it is and not what it is supposed to be.

In today’s less than stable economy, there is no doubt that social welfare is needed. Those who are elderly and have spent their lives working and contributing to this great society definitely deserve welfare subsidies, if needed, to help meet their needs. Moreover, those who have found themselves casualties of the current job market brought on by economic woes should be eligible for assistance as well until they can stand once again. Also, those who are truly mentally or physically disabled should be rendered any relief social welfare can offer them. However, the current system is hampered by flaws and tainted with the stench of fraud. It has occurred to some in this country that the welfare system should be retooled and refitted if there is any real interest in having it to perform the way it was meant to. Please know that it should have never become a way of life for generations in the cyclical form. American society definitely has it all wrong. Can social welfare be useful? Yes. Can wasteful spending and fraud be driven down to a fraction of what it is today? Absolutely it can. However, tax payers and law makers must have the fortitude and desire to see the system stripped down and rebuilt with a different purpose.

What if social welfare was meant to benefit those who really need it? This would exclude those who simply would prefer it. First, a look at who should qualify as the needy must be re-examined. Social welfare should be reserved for those who are under-employed but put in an honest days work. Many poor working class people struggle everyday in this country to simply make ends… never mind having them meet. Many of them work low wage service industry jobs such as McDonald’s and Walmart. Nevertheless, they are attempting to pull there own weight. It seems that these are the people who deserve all of the welfare subsidies such as housing, healthcare, childcare, and food stamps. At the very least, they are paying into the system they could benefit from. Moreover, because they work, they would require less help than those who are able to work but do not and still receive benefits. One could even sweeten the deal so that this idea is more palatable to tax payers. How about attaching some sort of progress incentive to the social welfare system for under-employed Americans? Please notice that I said AMERICANS. This program would not apply to those who are undocumented. Only citizens of this country and those who are LEAGALLY residing here would be deemed viable candidates for this program.

Low wage earners could receive welfare benefits to help subsidize areas in their lives where they need the most assistance. However, to maintain eligibility, they would have to enroll in college or a program at least part time that will allow them to acquire viable skills to become candidates for gainful employment. If participants fail to enroll and or maintain a passing standard set by their perspective institutions, their eligibility status will be immediately terminated, thus cutting off all benefits formally received. This way there is at least a serious incentive for people to put themselves in a better position for more earning potential instead of tax payers endlessly pouring financial assistance into the lives of those who attempt to do nothing. How long will this society reward those who are undeserving? How long will America continue to allow useless eaters to feast on her good will without requiring much of anything in return? A large portion of this nation suffers from the rotten disease of entitlement. Far too many people here in this country feel that something is owed to them without having to labor for their desires. The “current” social welfare system is nothing more than an enabling mechanism. Instead of paying out more benefits to those who choose to continue to repopulate while already being on the system, there should be an automatic cap the first time benefits are applied for.

Moreover, there is a contention that if things were done as they were decades ago concerning social welfare, many abusers would be dissuaded. For instance, decades ago paper food stamps, which resembled Monopoly money, were used to purchase food. Also, people who used to receive medical benefits were expected to visit county clinics when seeking a physician’s care, and if things were serious enough for hospitalization, the county hospital was the designated place for surgery and extended care. Moreover, housing paid for through social welfare was something that no person would want to permanently make his or her home. The apartment floors were made of cold concrete. The walls were made of cinder blocks, which incidentally made it difficult to hang pictures or posters, and there was no central air conditioning.

Tenants used window units to keep cool on warm days. The point is these residences were not made to be comfortable nor permanent housing. They were supposed to be temporary lodging which prodded some sort of motivation to acquire more comfortable living conditions. However, with the invent of welfare debit cards to shop in grocery stores and to even use at ATM’s, it is no small wonder that the stigma of riding the system, for those who abuse it, has been removed. Furthermore, those who receive medical benefits are able to visit most doctors’ offices and hospitals just the same as those who pay their own way. Also, many of those on housing benefits are being allowed to move into working middle class neighborhoods through programs sponsored by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other government sponsored programs. This has fanned the flames of resentment by some who spend a large portion of their hard earned salaries to pay mortgages on homes they have invested everything in. When others are allowed them same privilege at a fraction of the cost due to housing subsidies, hard working home owners began to worry about the value of their investment.

Moreover, what kind of incentive is one given to get off of social welfare when they can receive an apartment with central air / heating, carpeting, a garden tub in the bathroom, and a nice garage along with other amenities? The answer is none what so ever. When those on social housing are made to be comfortable and are able to obtain the type of living quarters a normal working person is able to afford, it often kills the motivation to become self-sufficient. In reality, if the average person could receive a nice place to live for little or nothing, how many would refuse the opportunity? That’s right. Very few would decline it. However, social welfare is not a bad thing if restructured in a way that those who are on it are accountable for improving their own personal situations, save those who are elderly and or disabled of course. After all, who would object to a little social accountability? In the long run society would definitely benefit more than it does today.