Windy said:
How would you like to give someone a chance to live like you?
How would you like a chance to live like them?
Its great on welfare; give it a go for two years of your life?
Do you want the executive life instead of living on welfare?
Would you like the opportunity to change places with people
in different circum stances?
No offense to you, Windy...But I think its a bullshit question...
I am currently looking out of my back window at the projects...the same faces every day sitting on the stoop...no job...no schooling...the only thing they have more of is kids.
It not that they HAVE it easy; it's that they see there is no reason to leave the situation they are in.
Where they live behind me, they only have to pay their phone bill(no cable allowed, but that rule has been subverted very easily). They have to pay for food and clothing. They buy the food with food stamps given by the taxpayer. They have cell phones(I don't have a cell phone!) and cars that are worth more than mine. At the end of the month, they might have 10 bucks left.
Now let's say they get off of welfare and start working...Mortgage payments, day-care because they are at their job, travel expenses to and from work, buying their own food, clothes, appliances...paying for water, heat & electric, etc...At the end of the month, they might have 10 bucks left.
So where is the incentive to leave? You would THINK that it would be a matter of pride; welfare used to be a "scarlet letter" in society. An old boss of mine in 1990 said his parents had nine kids and both parents worked two jobs...They flat out REFUSED to go on welfare...they were too proud for handouts...That's not the scenario anymore.
People on welfare, just like almost every other group of people today, are portrayed as "victims"...they're put down by the "man". So instead of picking themselves up by the bootstraps and doing something positive, they say, "Why should I bother?...I'm not going to do any better anyway". And they'd lose that "victim" status.
Of course, I'm generalizing, but I think I got more of a grasp seeing as how I've lived less than 100 feet from welfare recipients for my whole life...
Also, I don't believe you're question is valid because there would be a change, most likely negatively, to live like you're on welfare for a couple of years compared to the way you live now. Sarcasticly, some would say that going on welfare would be a step up, but you know in reality, that's not the case. Wefare was created to HELP you get back on your feet, not as a way of life, as some use it now.
I'm not a big fan of Clinton, but I LOVE the welfare bill he signed...The people who I've seen for 25 years had FINALLY got no choice but to take that first step. Sometimes, you're never going to learn to swim until you get pushed into the pool.