Welfare. It's a word that makes most people cringe. What flashes into your mind when you hear it? An image of a women with many children? A drug addict? A family that has illegally entered our country? A man in a dirty "wife-beater" lounging in his tire-strewn yard with a beer in his hand?
What words come to mind? Lazy. Taxes. Fraud. Those words have entered many welfare debates. It's not at all surprising when you consider how effectively our opinions have been shaped by political speeches given by men seeking election. Welfare is the perfect red herring. It has been painted as the biggest offense in our country and the reason for most of our economic woes. We have been led to believe that if those 'lazy recipients' would get off their butts and get jobs then our tax burden would be lessened and all our lives would dramatically improve.
When the topic of welfare enters a conversation I tend to be quiet for a long time. I like to listen to the thoughts and opinions of others and I try to latch on to what is most important to the speaker. Are they upset about the employment status of the recipient? How many children the person has given birth to? The tax burden on society? I realized a long time ago that the subject is too close to my heart to get into a fair debate. Having grown up on welfare and then spent some time "on the dole" as a single mother this is a rather personal topic to me.
The people I have encountered with the strongest opinions have not spent a single day on welfare. If I can locate the one point that is most important to the speaker then I will try to share a relevant statistic or fact that I hope will shift their opinions. This is rarely successful.
One day I had discussion with a man who had strong opinions. I listened while we complained bitterly about his taxes. He talked about the welfare mom who "Has child after child to increase her monthly check." I listened for a long time before I asked him if he was aware that statistically welfare families have an average of 2.5 children just like the rest of the population. He looked at me blankly for a moment and immediately dismissed what I said. He continued on his tirade for several more minutes. Facts had no place in the discussion because he had personally seen a women with four children using her food stamps. I guess that settles it.
The average American has deep-seated opinions on this topic but few take the time to research or read relevant articles. Rhetoric and lying politicians have superseded facts and it couldn't have happened without the assistance of the media. I won't overload you in this single post. My plan is to take on this subject one piece at a time in future posts.
I maintain that Americans should be proud of our welfare system. I have personally spent some time in Honduras and have witnessed extreme poverty. There is no safety net there. If parents don't work then the children go hungry. Families live in small homes (or shacks) with few- if any- amenities. Some families live at the dump in cardboard boxes. For the parents who can find work there are few childcare options. It's not uncommon to see a 7 year old balancing a baby on her hip while her parents are working. The government of that country has no visible concern for it's citizens.
And we are ashamed of our Welfare system? We are ashamed that we provide food, clothing and a place to live for those who need it? We are ashamed that we provide a means for babies to get vaccinations? We are ashamed that we make sure every school child has a hot lunch?
Yes, our system has flaws. I don't argue that some people have found ways to defraud the system. I also concur that we have all witnessed stereotypical welfare families who (insert welfare offense here) in front of your eyes. It is my firm belief that those families represent the exception and not the rule. You have also witnessed many more Welfare families that were using the system as it was intended. Those families are inconspicuous and nothing would alert you to their presence. I will share my story throughout this blog and I suspect it will surprise you. I am looking forward to revealing it all and I hope you will stay tuned.
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