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I must admit to being confused. What, exactly, is meant by ‘career welfare recipient’? It is not entirely clear, especially with the limits that welfare recipients have. What is the age (of our children) where we are expected to work now? Eighteen months? I remember it was five when my girls were little.
‘Career welfare recipient’, to me, indicates someone who lives solely on money from the welfare department throughout their lives – or, at least, the entire time their children are growing up.
I keep thinking, wondering if I know anyone who fits this description. I can’t think of anyone, though.
Why?
Because we all do things to earn money. Welfare recipients have to work at some point, or at least volunteer (work for free) until they find a job. School is another option. All of these situations indicate to me that welfare recipients are earning money in one way or another.
Yes, they still get MaineCare (and sometimes food stamps). Food stamps, by the way, go down as you begin to earn money, and continue to do so. Do not think that, because someone uses a food stamp card, that they are getting much. At one point, we were getting $11.00 a month. A friend was getting $16.00. Tell me this: If you cannot afford to feed your family completely on your income, how do amounts such as these help?
Don’t think that, because a recipient purchases a new outfit, she is receiving cash benefits. She may have gotten the new outfit because her financial aid package for college included living expenses.
Most of the recipients I know, even given that they always have MaineCare, do not always receive food stamps and cash benefits – though they may at times. This is because they work.
Yes, you can work and still receive minimal benefits. But that does not constitute a ‘career welfare recipient’.
I know families with two working parents, with not bad pay. They cannot afford the full amount of childcare that they need to pay, so one of the parents must call in at times to stay home. This seems to be happening more and more often, with the parent making the least amount staying home.
Now tell me, if these fairly ‘well off’ parents cannot afford childcare, how will a single working mother afford it without help from the state. Society wants her to work, she does, then they complain because she needs help with childcare. What else can she do? She does what she must. She works, but this is still not full benefits, so how can she be considered a ‘career welfare recipient’?
To me, ‘career welfare recipient’ =
Someone who collects full benefits until a.) her children are grown, or b.) She dies. Career meaning work. Business. Income.
Even under the above circumstances, she wouldn’t live a very fruitful life income wise. Poor is poor, and welfare recipients are poor.
I am willing to bet that most so-called ‘career welfare recipients’ aren’t. People thinking that most recipients are, are simply wrong. They likely do not know the full situation.
Shannon Buck
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I know several, maybe dozens of people that receive some sort of welfare every month for years. One is a niece of mine that has received state support for more than four years already. She was a single mom at 15 and two years later was pregnant again. She was counseled by everyone imaginable, family and state family practice but she would not listen. Now she is married and both are unemployed and make comments that everyone owes them, how do they figure that? Neither has ever contributed one thing to their community or country. If I know of people like this, then I’m sure there are many more in this country of handouts. By the way I’m very close to this family, so my information is correct.
Posted by Roy Taylor, Sr | Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 9:40 amNo one has said that there is never a situation such as this. That does not mean that it is quite as wide spread as people tend to believe. There are people who take advantage of all situations… welfare, education, insurance… even disability. But not everyone does. And those who do not, should not be made to suffer.
Posted by Shannon Buck | Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 9:59 amwelfare has a 60 month lifetime cut off. unless there is a seriously oustanding situation that can be overruled.. thats nationally. So I don’t know how you can say people can make a lifetime career out of welfare when 5 years is the max they can receive it in their entire lives.. accumulative. if someone is one welfare for 2 years, gets off and works for a year, loses their job and goes BACK on welfare its all added together.. once they hit the 60 month mark they’re cut off indefinitely… The drug testing definitely needs to happen.. As it stands right now when someone is receiving welfare they are required by law to be actively participating in either school or job search which is SUPPOSED to mean going out and applying for jobs DAILY and for every job they apply at or drop off a resume at they’re supposed to get someones signature as “proof” they were actually there.. those signatures are supposed to be turned in weekly to their case worker to prove they’re actively looking for employment. if you’re in your 3rd trimester of pregnancy up until 3 months post partum you’re excused from that part of the program. The only other way to NOT participate in job search is to be enrolled in a job specific training provided BY the state or full time enrollment in college.
I’m not sure how people can even survive on that little of income anyway. Where I live a family of 5 would receive $270/ mo. If this were MY family, 2 of my children are from a different father and if I were on welfare the state would intercept my child support payments due to being on welfare as part of a “pay back” plan. My rent alone is $800/mo what good is it to be on welfare? $270 won’t even feed my kids for a month much less provide shelter for them..
I never understood why they give them food stamps which are obviously only able to be spent on food related items.. but then give them CASH for welfare…. CASH that can be spent on ANYTHING…
They should put every single welfare recipient in money management classes, home economics, and parenting classes.. and make them volunteer.. if they’re not working they can do volunteer work!!!
its just messed up on so many levels..
Posted by Monica | Saturday, June 11, 2011, 2:17 amI believe that, if you check your facts, the 60 month time limit may be for TANF, not all welfare programs. I still hold to no drug testing.
If someone is a known drug user then maybe… but there are far too many welfare recipients NOT doing drugs to be degraded like that.
As for applying for jobs daily: What jobs? There are only so many places in any given area that are hiring at any given point in time, and these places do not really want the same people coming in and filling out applications every day, week or month. Yes, filling out the applications once is necessary. Any more and you are wasting everyone’s time. People should not be punished by threat of loss of food and bill money because there are no more jobs to fill out applications for. That is ridiculous.
it is very difficult to survive on such a small income… and I would not call it “surviving” in the first place. The rates must be different in your area than mine, because those figures seem incredibly low to me.
As for the classes, I respectfully disagree. Those who need it, yes. But I was already a good parent, could manage money well, and new a ton more stuff than what my home economics teacher taught me – and I taught all of these skills to my daughters as they were growing up. Poeple should not be forced to waste their time on activities that will not teach them anything that they do not already know.
I hear what your saying, and for a few people I know these things would seem okay, but not for the majority. Don’t make everyone suffer through the crap when most of us are decent, hardworking people.
Posted by Shannon Buck | Monday, June 13, 2011, 11:47 amThere is so much more to welfare than simply foodstamps and a check. As a car salesman, I get to see young mothers on welfare bring their huge tax refunds in every year ro get a nicer car. They arrive in a perfectly running car but they are there to get something a little more cool. They generally have bad credit due to all of the loans they’ve defaulted on, medical chargeoffs, etc. But based on the number of kids they have and the money they made last year, they got a nice 3000-6000 check from the govt and they are there to use it as down paynent for their new mustang or expedition. I could ramble about that for pages but let’s move on to income based housing. What’s the time limit on that? Tipped employees hide about 90% of their income from the govt. Next time you drive by the latest govt housing, check out some of the fine rides with 22 inch chrome wheels. Since I’m typing all of this on my phone, I am going to stop here BUT as you can see, you haven’t even touched the definition of career welfare.
Posted by todd | Friday, August 12, 2011, 12:17 amAll I know is that when Ifirst tried for financial help I couldn’t get it because of the nice car the person living in the house with me had. (This person was not the baby’s father and had no financial responsibility to me or the baby.). I had to move. So that scenario is not evident everywhere.
Posted by Shannon Buck | Friday, August 12, 2011, 8:21 amAlso, if they are managing to work and make that money, they deserve whatever they can get with it. It is a possibility that what money the do receive is because the father is not pulling his weight financially. He should be.
Posted by Shannon Buck | Friday, August 12, 2011, 8:24 amAs for being denied benefits because of a non-family member owning a nice car….well wouldn’t any lawyer love to get his hands on that. There is surely more to the story. If not, contact an attorney. All anyone need do is drive by some section 8 housing to see that point regarding that is spot on. As far as people residing in government assisted housing deserving such items if they’ve earned the money to buy them…..if they have the extra cash to spend on such things, they don’t need tax dollars to buy food and pay their rent do they?
Posted by todd | Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 10:32 amAnother point to bring up is that at least one state allows car owners to donate their vehicles to low-income families. Since they are donations, I doubt they families have to pay for them… or they do not pay much. Also, a pretty decent looking used car (not necessarily an old one) can be purchased for a few thousand dollars, and paid off over time. The vehicles are needed for jobs and running errands, as well as dropping off and picking up children at daycare.
I don’t care what kind of vehicle a person has, it means nothing in the whole scheme of things. Vehicles are necessary commodities.
Ask yourself whether the person who has the car has worked her way up enough to almost not even needing help.
Another point to make here is that, just because someone os living in low-income housing does not mean they receive welfare benefits. Plenty of those women are working and receiving the child support due them. Low-income housing does not necessarily equate to a person collecting benefits.
Posted by Shannon Buck | Thursday, August 25, 2011, 2:29 pm