Drug test for welfare recipients

[rebelcowboysnb]

I know the court that has heard it bought that reasoning but I don't know how high up in the system it has gotten...

 

[SierraView]

I didn't read every page of this thread. I just wanted to say the food stamp program needs a fix and should be made to work more like the WIC program. My daughter has a friend whos family gets food stamps. In this family is 2 parents and 3 teenage children and every member in this family is over 300lbs. I'm not saying they are everyone on food stamps, they are one family and I'm sure there others.

What really bothers me about this is 2 and a half yrs ago my husband was laid off work for the first time in 20yrs. We learned a lot having to live on unemployment for a year. Hard times for sure. I have 2 daughters in college at the time, our income went from 100k yr to 18k yr. Obama gave a nice little $25 a week bonus to max unemployment benefits. This bonus made us make to much to quality for food stamps. I would be at the grocery store buying rice in bulk and cheap meat if I had enough. It really bothered me to see people on food stamps with carts loaded down with junk food, soda, and the most expensive meat they could buy. I've talked to some people that get food stamps and they are getting almost $700 a month. Even when I didn't have to worry about money I never spent that much a month on food.

The whole system to help people in need is seriously messed up.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not going to read it all either. This subject has been discussed many times on here. I'm sure the normal culprits will say the same things we always say.

I don’t think we can fix the problem because we can’t agree what the problem is. Some people hear welfare and think of ”welfare queens” living off the system and milking it for all they can. I have a relative that would fit that description. Others think of people that really need the help through no fault of their own and get back on their feet after getting help through that rough time. I could introduce you to a different relative on the same side of the family. As long as we have a majority of the people that think of one or the other instead of both when they hear “welfare’, we can’t fix the system.

From what I’ve seen there are people that live off of the system and consider it an entitlement. They teach their kids to live off that system. That needs to stop. But we have to have help for those that really need it. As long as you put the rules down on paper on how to qualify, you give people a chance to find loopholes. If you make those rules too loose, there are a lot of loopholes. If you make them too tight, you get a tremendous bureaucracy and a long time between applying for and actually getting the benefits you desperately need while they check your eligibility.

I’m not smart enough to come up with the details. I’d like to see the system change to where the benefits are less than the minimum wage. Make it where people are better off working but they really don’t have to dig through garbage cans to survive. But it would take a comprehensive approach. How do you handle where someone might be able to get a job but by the time they pay for day care, they are better off on welfare than actually taking the job. Like I said, I can’t handle the details.

 

[mom'sfolly]

One of the biggest barriers to getting a low paying job vs welfare is the whole issue of childcare. Someone with small children, making minimum wage is not going to make it. They can't afford decent care for their children and work. It makes more sense for them to collect welfare, and take care of their children; then to work and not have someone safe to leave their kids with.

My kids are getting past the need for daycare, but if my husband had died 4 years ago, and I had had to go back to work, my income level would have dropped by about 80%. After school care would be about $400/month for both kids (based on the local YMCA aftercare program). Assuming a take home pay of about $1200/month, about a third of my income would have to be spent on daycare. That doesn't leave a whole lot left for food, clothing, car, housing and utilities. This isn't even assuming minimum wage...if it was a minimum wage job, gross would be about $1200/month...if you don't trust my math...$7.25/hour for 2000 hours a year (50 forty hour work weeks) is $14,500/year.

Sometimes the barriers to work are not a visible as you might expect. I actually do volunteer work with someone who has an assault charge against her, for defending herself from an abusive boyfriend. Because of the conviction, she can't find a place to live or a job. I suspect she and her child are on welfare...she has a great work ethic, a great kid, and could go far. However, she couch surfs, does many hours of volunteer work, and is home when her kid gets home.

And just try getting a job without a phone, a permanent address and access to the internet. I live in a town without bus service. It would be a two mile walk, each way, in heavy traffic for me to get to the library for internet access.

I've also done volunteer literacy work, and the number of functionally illiterate is high. I've even seen it in postings here. If you cannot write a sentence without spelling errors you will have a hard time getting a job. Your application will hit the trash pile before the first paragraph is read.

The amount of fraud in welfare is actually quite low. In any thing, school, business, marriage, church or welfare you will always have people who don't play by the rules. The goal is to keep the levels of cheating as low as possible.

 

[SierraView]

I don't see how it's possible to support any children at all on 1 minimum wage job. I suppose if you did without TV, phone and a car you might be able to. But then you might as well try robbing a bank because the worst that would happen is you go to jail and then you would then get TV and phone so you'd be ahead. lol

 

[chickened]

Gee wiz where do I start? Birth control for pure medical reasons is not the major use for the pill and as a RN you should of known that, nice try tho. Hormonal contraception "the pill" is for preventing pregnancy but yes it can be used as a treatment. Did you know that MEN invented birth control? .http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blthepill.htm Good food and nutrition are essential to women's health also, should the government supply 3 meals a day and only let women provide those meals? Listen to what you are saying... Seeing as you are having a hard time keeping focused on the thread topic my comments about birth control are directed at welfare queens and if you consider your self one then that is not my problem and if you are not one then you are worrying about nothing. My sister is an RN and makes almost 50.00hr. you are telling me you cannot make it on that?

Viagra does fix medical conditions and I think if it is prescribed by your physician then it should be covered but not as a recreational drug.

You obviously have not read many of my threads I bash deadbeat men also... an equal opportunity offender.

As for benefits from SSI I would think your husband payed into it and would be owed that survivor benefit and I do not consider that welfare for what it is worth seeing as you do not know me personally or well enough and yet you have called me a bigot, chauvinist and stupid...thank you.

Have you ever considered re-marrying? It may ease your burden.

I have been reading this thread and wasn't going to comment, but the mood I'm in today I just felt like I had to say something.

I know this was said a while back, and is not exactly pertinent to the discussion, but you are wrong.

Birth control is most definitely a health issue for women as far as something like the pill is concerned. Some women need it because of cysts, some for heavy menstrual flow, some to regulate their cycles, is believed to reduce the risks of some cancers, etc.

Some women should not carry a pregnancy due to other health issues that may be present.

Birth control is most definitely an issue for women.

I bet you feel viagra and it's counterparts should be covered, though.

I am under the assumption you are a man. If I am correct, then perhaps you ought to remain silent on a woman's health issues especially when it looks to me like you have a limited knowledge of what you are talking about. When men can carry a baby, then you can say something about contraception and health issues.

Oh, and one other thing, I believe you mentioned about women and "sperm donors" and how they can't keep a "decent man." It appears to me that you really have some issues with women, don't you? Did it ever occur to you that there are men out there that are less than decent, who think nothing of leaving their women and children behind?

But, I suppose that's somehow a woman's fault, too.

I receive social security survivor's benefits for myself and my children. You see, my husband decided to leave us behind when he made the choice to kill himself a few years ago. I guess that was my fault because I couldn't keep a decent man. He was a hardworking man, overtime, etc. Perhaps if his greedy employer decided to supply better healthcare he could've had the mental healthcare he obviously so desperately needed he might still be around. But you see, they "couldn't afford" it. I saw the way the owners live. I guess as long as the rich continue to be able to live in multiple homes, have nice fancy cars, vacations, etc at the expense of their employees who MAKE them their money, all is ok. Let's just continue to villify the poor.

My children receive CHIP and WIC, some would consider that a form of welfare.

I would like to go back to work as an RN, but to do so right now would be futile. Yes, even as an RN. It would actually COST me money to work. I would be paying for child care, and then would need to pay for their insurance. I can only imagine the difficulties that are faced by other single moms out there that are not as fortunate as I am to have an education. Someday when my oldest can help out with watching her siblings, I will go back to work.

I am not on drugs. I resent the fact that there are so many people who feel that welfare recipients are nothing but lazy, drug addicted slobs.

Perhaps we ought to drug test some of our politicians. Wonder how that would go over?

I'm sick of hearing people complain about their tax dollars going to help the less fortunate. Why don't people ever complain about their precious tax dollars funding things like corporate welfare, or endless wars or politicians salaries?

 

[chickened]

The legislative branch and the Executive branch pass bad laws allthe time and it is the law of the land until proven otherwise they have that power. The checks and balances take time. We just recently confirmed that the 2nd amendment was a personal right what did it take 200 plus years. All I do know is Federal laws trump state laws and always have.

I am not sure why they passed prohibition and it really does not matter because it was repealed. My guess was so the government could restrict it from entering the country.

The hole point of the Constitution is define the fed an limit its power. If it was interpreted the way you are trying to make it out then all laws congress makes would be constitutional an the supreme court would not have spent all these years striking down unconstitutional laws..

Besides if all they legally had to do to ban something was have congress pass a law then why did they go threw all the trouble to have the states ratify a amendment to the Constitution when they wanted to ban booze?

 

[chickened]

Very well put RR.

I'm not going to read it all either. This subject has been discussed many times on here. I'm sure the normal culprits will say the same things we always say.
I don’t think we can fix the problem because we can’t agree what the problem is. Some people hear welfare and think of ”welfare queens” living off the system and milking it for all they can. I have a relative that would fit that description. Others think of people that really need the help through no fault of their own and get back on their feet after getting help through that rough time. I could introduce you to a different relative on the same side of the family. As long as we have a majority of the people that think of one or the other instead of both when they hear “welfare’, we can’t fix the system.
From what I’ve seen there are people that live off of the system and consider it an entitlement. They teach their kids to live off that system. That needs to stop. But we have to have help for those that really need it. As long as you put the rules down on paper on how to qualify, you give people a chance to find loopholes. If you make those rules too loose, there are a lot of loopholes. If you make them too tight, you get a tremendous bureaucracy and a long time between applying for and actually getting the benefits you desperately need while they check your eligibility.
I’m not smart enough to come up with the details. I’d like to see the system change to where the benefits are less than the minimum wage. Make it where people are better off working but they really don’t have to dig through garbage cans to survive. But it would take a comprehensive approach. How do you handle where someone might be able to get a job but by the time they pay for day care, they are better off on welfare than actually taking the job. Like I said, I can’t handle the details.

 

[chickened]

I think people assume too much here sometimes.

If anyone that is on welfare and needs it and is not abusing it has nothing to worry about from me. But when anyone abuses it by god you are going to hear about it from me.

Think of it as the Law if you abide by the law it is no threat to you but if you break it it is your worst enemy.

Maybe someone will start a thread on all the positive feelings people not on welfare have about those on it and we'll see how it is going after 22 pages.

 

[chickened]

Cupman... I know what sex I am.

Strong message, catlvr976. Don't let him bother you. To assume he is a man is wrong, a man can admit they are wrong sometimes. He does like to make bigoted statements but then defend them with "I'm a realist!" I am certain that most people, even those who agree with him politically, are disgusted by his immature behavior. Don't let him discourage you, he's just a bitter old man.