Work or Welfare: What Pays More? - Real Time Economics - WSJThe report, by Michael Tanner and Charles Hughes, is a follow-up to Cato’s 1995 study of the subject, which found that packages of welfare benefits for a typical recipient in the 50 states and the District of Columbia not only was well above the poverty level, but also more than a recipient’s annual wages from an entry-level job.
Think this is already up around here somewhere on the forum - slightly different tiele and not under academia.
The official term for welfare is Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The keyword in that title is temporary.
"There is a 60-month limit on the receipt of Family Assistance benefits funded under the federal TANF program (the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (ADC) program), some Safety Net Assistance (SNA) or the Child Assistance Program (CAP). Additionally, a payment for regular maintenance needs under the Emergency Assistance to Families with Children (EAF) for the month of December 1996, or any month thereafter, are included in the 60-month count. Participants in CAP are also restricted to the 60-month lifetime limit."
Temporary Assistance | OTDA
So no, welfare does not last forever as some would like to think.
You are assuming people care about the expiration of welfare? Seriously? You think these people give a rats back side about when it ends and are doing what they need to get quality jobs and move ahead? What is the time restraint on food stamps? Section 8 support, oh and he didn't even mention the 11 million people on disability we pay for permanently tax free.
Do you have any evidence that welfare is indefinite?
Also, disability is not welfare.
The official term for welfare is Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). The keyword in that title is temporary.
"There is a 60-month limit on the receipt of Family Assistance benefits funded under the federal TANF program (the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children (ADC) program), some Safety Net Assistance (SNA) or the Child Assistance Program (CAP). Additionally, a payment for regular maintenance needs under the Emergency Assistance to Families with Children (EAF) for the month of December 1996, or any month thereafter, are included in the 60-month count. Participants in CAP are also restricted to the 60-month lifetime limit."
Temporary Assistance | OTDA
So no, welfare does not last forever as some would like to think.
And as is well known, populaces who make the decisions that tend to leave them in poverty are also likely to plan their behavior in line with five-year plans for personal improvement.
But, if you are a recently laid off low-skill worker, why would you go back to a crappy position and try to work your way up in this economy, when you can reasonably say to yourself that you're just going to wait until the economy (and employment) improves enough for you to make more working than on welfare? Especially if you have five years - why would you reduce your living circumstances?
Do you have any evidence that welfare is indefinite?
Also, disability is not welfare.
And as is well known, populaces who make the decisions that tend to leave them in poverty are also likely to plan their behavior in line with five-year plans for personal improvement.
But, if you are a recently laid off low-skill worker, why would you go back to a crappy position and try to work your way up in this economy, when you can reasonably say to yourself that you're just going to wait until the economy (and employment) improves enough for you to make more working than on welfare? Especially if you have five years - why would you reduce your living circumstances?
I disagree that disability is not welfare. Its certainly not in every or even the majority of cases, but I have seen cases where I call it just that. In fact I've seen one close enough in my family to make me puke. Also I asked how long do food stamps last? I've never gotten a food stamp so I don't know? Is it not permanent or indefinite? I know there are welfare services that have time limits, but there are some that don't - or at least I've never heard that they do. How long does the govt obamaphone last? How long will obamacare give away health insurance to people that can't afford it? It looks to me like more welfare distributions are indefinite than not?
So, do you have any evidence that welfare is indefinite?
Food stamps do have a time limit.
"SNAP already has strict time-limits for unemployed workers. Able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs) may only receive 3 months of SNAP benefits during any 3 year period, unless they are working in a qualifying job training program." (SNAP (Food Stamps): Facts, Myths and Realities)
I've seen people get food stamps a LOT longer than 3 months. Try $700 a month for 4 years and I was trying to turn him in. When they started scamming unemployment they finally lost it. They'd claim family members were unemployed and just stop paying them to gather 99 weeks of free income. They owned 3 I've cream franchises and just moved them store to store while under reporting their income today o taxes.
So, do you have any evidence that welfare is indefinite?
In this age of heightened economic challenges, more people are seeking food stamps due to unemployment. This requires paperwork and an interview, but is not as difficult to accomplish as it might initially sound.1) That's anecdotal evidence so it really doesn't count and 2) No system is perfect, there are always going to be those that abuse the system and get away with it.
1) That's anecdotal evidence so it really doesn't count and 2) No system is perfect, there are always going to be those that abuse the system and get away with it.
That simple, anecdotal evidence FLEW IN THE FACE of what you presented as fact - which was therefor wrong. I really have to wonder why you'd come on and post lies to defend welfare?
You do know what "anecdotal evidence" is right? Your strenuous assertion doesn't change what Mr. Invs said which, incidentally was right. Someones personal experience doesn't, in the overall scheme of things mean squat, and even if it's true, in a system that large, there will always be some cheaters, but that's not enough justification to suspend the entire system.
Now, for the record, I'm not defending welfare, per se. In theory I support the concept, but in practice i recognize it needs work.
That depends on your state and what your benefit is, but you are creating a strawman, as I explicitly was pointing out that long-term planning (ie: past 5 years) is not a hallmark of our poorer populaces, and that for those workers who can convince themselves that better economic conditions will result in better employment within the 5-year window, choosing welfare over lower-paying employment is still a rational choice. When you are able to respond to that, please let me know.
That simple, anecdotal evidence FLEW IN THE FACE of what you presented as fact - which was therefor wrong. I really have to wonder why you'd come on and post lies to defend welfare?
In this age of heightened economic challenges, more people are seeking food stamps due to unemployment. This requires paperwork and an interview, but is not as difficult to accomplish as it might initially sound.
It turns out, you just have to claim to be looking for work. In fact, we have a problem with people illegally pushing people to take food stamps whenever they sign up for any other government aid program.
I am not creating a strawman. The original argument was over whether or not welfare was indefinite.
The facts that I posted were correct. You have no actual evidence to back up what you are saying, thus you go to anecdotal evidence. Call me when you have actual evidence that welfare is indefinite.
On a state level, the work requirements are different.
On a national level, there are work requirements.
"The Federal government provides assistance through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). TANF is a grant given to each state to run their own welfare program. To help overcome the former problem of unemployment due to reliance on the welfare system, the TANF grant requires that all recipients of welfare aid must find work within two years of receiving aid, including single parents who are required to work at least 30 hours per week opposed to 35 or 55 required by two parent families. Failure to comply with work requirements could result in loss of benefits." (US Welfare System - Help for US Citizens)
Don't you love it when leftist result to "call me" and "can't prove" when they can't do it either. FACT is people are living off social services of this country; I've given 2 distinct and personal examples. You can claim some rules in one place but they don't apply to the reality.
We have people who were once addicted to pain meds (not ongoing) living off disability, we have small business owners living off food stamps and unemployment insurance - I've seen both first hand and even tried to get both stopped to no avail. These events are not temporary. So your claim to society that welfare is temporary is absurd, false and lying in the worst political order.
http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/theworkversus.pdfOn a state level, the work requirements are different.
On a national level, there are work requirements.
"The Federal government provides assistance through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). TANF is a grant given to each state to run their own welfare program. To help overcome the former problem of unemployment due to reliance on the welfare system, the TANF grant requires that all recipients of welfare aid must find work within two years of receiving aid, including single parents who are required to work at least 30 hours per week opposed to 35 or 55 required by two parent families. Failure to comply with work requirements could result in loss of benefits." (US Welfare System - Help for US Citizens)
Moreover, as noted above, the "work activity" requirement is often satisfied by activities other than actual work. Less than 42 percent of welfare recipients are engaged in some form of work activity (though some of those recipients are engaged in more than one such activity). As Figure 3 shows, job training, continuing education, and even job search all meet the law’s requirement for "work."
However, actual work participation under this requirement varies widely by state. Some jurisdictions, such as California and the District of Columbia, use their own funds to continue benefits for recipients who do not meet federal work requirements. States are also able to exempt up to 20 percent of their recipients under "hardship" exemptions.
From one of the Cato sources (updated look at welfare packages)
"There is no evidence that people on welfare are lazy or do not wish to work. At the same time, however, the evidence suggests that many are reluctant to accept available employment opportunities."
"Many welfare recipients, even those receiving the highest level of benefits, are doing everything they can to find employment and leave the welfare system. Still, it is undeniable that for many recipients— especially long-term dependents—welfare pays more than the type of entry level job that a typical welfare recipient can expect to find. As long as this is true, many recipients are likely to choose welfare over work."
That's the point of the article. The nuance of these "long-term dependents" is either accurately conveyed by Cato or not, but I think overall it's a minor point either way.
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