Have you ever known anyone on welfare or been on it?

[Captain N]

Unemployment isn't welfare. It's insurance, and No I wouldn't take a job paying less than what unemployment paid when I was in that position.

Yeah I saw that someone responded to you about that before I finished my own response. I also agree that unemployment isn't welfare but there are people out there who believe that getting checks for not working must be living off the government. That's what the person who originally commented about being paid more than them working was getting at I think.

[God Save The King]

I haven't been on it in my adult life, but my mother was on it while I was her dependent (and is still on it). I support the idea, but not the implementation. She's currently allowed to have more benefits due to recent changes, but it requires sitting at the welfare office all day, and she has a disability that prevents her from doing that, so she's stuck where she is.

It's a net for when people hit rock bottom, and is designed to help them reestablish their lives and begin contributing back into the economy, find work, and so on. Welfare should be a system that allows for education, training, while supplying the basic needs, and then you can re-enter the workforce and contribute to society. Even most republicans, if they think about the long term gains, could admit that supporting someone in the short-term for long-term benefits is better for the country than letting them drain resources and die in a ditch.

The issue with the system's current implementation is that it forms a sinkhole for the poor. The implementation, along with outside economical factors, make it neigh impossible to escape the welfare pit. The core of the issue is three pronged.

First, welfare provides a basic sustenance, tax free, which usually is higher than minimum wage would make if you have a family. Meaning welfare provides more than 40hrs/wk at $7.25/hr. Choosing not to work allows you to take care of your family, better yourself, etc.

Second, welfare opens up subsidized housing, utilities, groceries, and so on.

Third, the second you start making a taxable income, all of the above benefits vanish. You pay taxes, which means you generally make less than you would on welfare. You now also pay full price for housing, utilities, cell phone, internet, groceries, etc. So all your living expenses go up. Now you can no longer afford to live, so you quit and go back on welfare.

The issue could be fixed in many ways, provide a universal income, increase minimum wage so that it is a livable wage, or allow welfare to work on a sliding scale. As an example, welfare provides up to $1000 a month, and decreases $0.01 for every $0.02 you make, so you'd need to make $2000 to get no welfare, but if you only made $1000/month, you would still get $500 in help.

[kamuimac]

You're just BEGGING Karma to lay you off with an injury or illness that makes it impossible to work. Or have it target someone you care about.

there is this thing called INSURANCE - if only people could buy it

oh wait they can - if they are not usless scrubs working usless jobs

they should have learned in school instead party hard.

wrong life choices should have severe consequences.

[Grapemask]

I was on government-assisted disability for a while because of my crappy spine.

I would strongly suggest anyone who said they've never been on it and are against it to do more research. Or I don't know, break your life and get on it for awhile. Welfare - in the US at least - is not even remotely the picnic its conservative detractors insist it is.

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there is this thing called INSURANCE - if only people could buy it

oh wait they can - if they are not usless scrubs working usless jobs

they should have learned in school instead party hard.

wrong life choices should have severe consequences.

Also, everything about this is wrong, presumptative, and mostly disassociated with how the real world works.