Welfare?

The other day I was at a birthday party sitting with some younger women.  They were having a conversation.  It's not the type of conversation I'm used to hearing at parties, but it went something like this:

"Are you still getting your WIC?"

"No.  I can't get that anymore.  I guess I make too much money at my job now, and I don't qualify."  Then this woman who I'll call Brenda lamented the fact that she could not get financial support from the government while I sat back thinking, not understanding her point of view, and silent, because I had no idea what to say.

Brenda has a decent job, and so does her husband.  They're in their young twenties, so they don't make a lot, but they probably bring in at least $3000 a month, more than I did at that age.  As I listened I was wondering this...why would someone want to be on welfare?  Wouldn't a woman be proud that she now has a job and also has a good man, so that she and he can support their family without being dependent on social programs?  I would be embarrassed to receive welfare benefits and would be proud to be independent of the welfare system, once I got on my feet.  I would be grateful for my good fortune and eager to support myself, because isn't it beautiful when you have your own success and make your own money?  Doesn't that make you somehow more adult and more of a complete person?  When you can proudly say, "Look at what I have and look how hard I am working for it.  I got to where I am because of my own ambition and hard work." 

What happened to working hard and feeling good about the fruits of our labor?

Welfareinfo.org defines welfare programs as "state regulated programs for those who live under the minimum accepted level means as determined by each state government."  These programs include cash assistance (TANF), child support and aid with child care, energy or utility assistance, food assistance (Foodstamps and WIC), assistance in paying medical bills and help getting a new job. 

Many people, including myself, believe that the U.S. is growing into a welfare state, and, therefore, many of our citizens are buying into what is commonly known as the welfare mentality.  Instead of being happy to support ourselves, many in society have become like babies, dependent upon our mother government for sustenance.  If we can just make little enough money, we will qualify, qualify, qualify.  For all kinds of programs.  Most of our medical bills will be paid, we will get food for our children and even foodstamps to feed ourselves.  And every new child we give birth to isn't so bad, because child = money.  Welfare also means free preschool, free or reduced daycare, and free or reduced housing. 

According to Udo Hoffman in his blog "The Welfare Mentality", "The welfare mentality is the state of mind where a person is afraid of losing a “benefit” they perceive themselves having in order to gain something they do not yet understand as being a greater benefit."  So welfare recipients, he believes, don't understand that their is something better than government support?  Is this true?

It is a greater benefit to support yourself.  You have more freedom to decide.  You get to decide where to live, where to send your children to school, what you and your children eat, where and when to go to the doctor, who takes care of your child.  And people who support themselves feel better about themselves.  We are not stuck in situations with abusive, alcoholic men, and we don't have to worry about where the money will come from when we run out.

But as someone who has never accepted welfare or who has even considered living on it, I have to admit that I will always see those on welfare as "them" and me and the others who choose to work for our living as "us".  Of course there are those who experience temporary financial issues and must accept government aid for awhile.  To me this is acceptable, but the use of the goverment as a lifetime crutch is unacceptable to me.  To me, this reliance on a Big Brother, Mommy Government system, whatever you want to call it, is pathetic and promotes an unhealthy country of co-dependent babies.

But what should we do?  Welfare began as a system to help those in need during the Great Depression, so that they could get on their feet again and, in a few months or years, once again be financially independent. Even the welfareinfo.com website states that people who apply for welfare benefits cannot receive them unless they are committed to self-sufficiency in the future. So what went wrong?  Until I looked into it, I thought, like most people, that the system was irreparably broken.

But what I found out will surprise you. 

Actually, for most people, welfare is working.  Most people (90 pecent, in fact) are on and off welfare within a year, according to the Urban Institute. Some people use welfare intermittently, when they lose a job.  The smallest group, less than 10 percent, stays in the system for a long time.  And this group is the most tragic and probably the one I deal with the most.  These are the women that turn to welfare before age 25.  They are likely to have a very low level of education, and they have a hard time leaving the system. 

And these were the women I heard talking.  They are 1) minority 2) high school educated and 3) under 25.  They are the "group" so to speak, most likely to receive welfare benefits for the long term.  I, on the other hand, am 41, college educated, and white.  How can I compare myself?  I have had a job since 16, have never been laid off, and had my first child at 29.  Not a likely candidate for welfare.  Therefore, I will never relate.  But can I empathize?  Sure.  And can I impact the welfare system? Sure.  That is now one of my golas.  By motivating nd believing in the girls I teach, they may get their education.  I will continue to cheer them on as they go through school and after they graduate, so that they will not become a part of the 10 percent who can never leave the system.

And the next time I witness this conversation, I will react differently.  When one young woman bemoans her inabilty to receive welfare benefits because she got a job, I will cheer.  And she will look at me, possibly annoyed. 

And, no matter her reaction, I will smile back and say, "Good for you! You are now a successful, independent woman.  Let's celebrate!"