Does welfare encourage people to have children who otherwise couldn't afford them?
Most people in my community that have 3 or more kids (minor children) are on every handout they can get, they work very little. They are the ones that try to work under the table, and often refuse to be legally married so they don't get a cut in benefits. Yet all the more educated, responsible working families I know generally stop at two, very few have more.
Before Social Welfare programs began prior to the 1930s what were the reasons people lived in poverty?
The same reasons as today. Lack of education, inability to get decent paying jobs, etc. Shorter life spans left children to raise and support themselves. The only difference was a lot of people didn't realize they were poor because all their neighbors had the same problems. One of the things that helped was there was a strong middle class and middle class families helped their less fortunate family members. The middle class has been eroded over the past years due to sending jobs overseas and other economic problems. I say the Republican party loves poor people. That's why they have created so many of them.
Do you agree with Trump’s budget plan to greatly increase funding for the pentagon and greatly reduce domestic spending?
A few years ago I would have had a problem with this since the Pentagon’s budget is already pretty big and there are a lot of domestic programs in the nation that I believed needed further assistance to get to all whom they needed to.But after the 2013 $85 billion sequestration (a little government shutdown) that was supposed to initially send federal workers into a furlough for 22 days as Obama bemoaned in depressingly emotional verbiage that “babies were not going to eat”. Then there was a revision down to 16 days furlough, then 11 days, then 6 days, and by the end of the battle over sequestration FAILED to create more than a few days furlough in only a handful of bureaucratic sectors and departments I really began wondering where all the money goes under ordinary running of the government. And I know I can’t be the only one. By story’s end some folks were never even furloughed a single day. And I know I can’t be the only one.I want you to think about that amount - $85 BILLION.President Trump has asked for a 3% across the board budget reduction - basically 11 days worth of budget to be cut from every department and bureau at the federal level over a years time - so . . . less than a day a month. SO it’s a bit overemotional to claim that domestic spending will be ‘greatly reduced’ as you put it. Match that with the 30+ days of shutdown in January and how little anything was even effected and I can safely say, “YES” I agree with Trump’s 2020 budget plan to cut, but not necessarily increase DoD funding at this time.So, a big thumbs up on cuts and a little thumbs down on increasing DoD spending.Hope that is taken as a well-thought out opinion,Tom
Why do so many people in this country bash welfare?
I live in the state of Washington. It appears from what I have learned is that a person has to be severely ill, single jobless mother taking care of kids because pops has disappeared, or elderly to get assistance. Most times benefits only last 6 months of a persons entire life. Many times people build a stigma around social services so that people would rather starve themselves and their children than go out and get on "welfare". Europe seems to be the one that gives free hand outs. They have a motto that says that a person can work if they want to. No one questions it and they have nice mass transportation systems, better educational systems, and some of those countries are ranked ahead of us on quality of life. Why are so many Americans complaining? How do you cheat the government to get lots of money? The amount of money I have seen from the lists and college classes looks like just enough money to live out on the streets with for food and clothing. Should we defund it some more?
Has welfare "oppressed" blacks and minorities any more than the poverty they experienced before welfare came?
First of all, race has nothing to do with it. It is a question of incentives. The term “on the margin” is sometimes used in economics to refer to a decision made at a particular moment in time. For example, if a part time job flipping burgers at McDonalds will earn someone $X and welfare will also bring in $X it may well make sense “on the margin” to go on welfare instead. However, long term this decision may be harmful. Unlike welfare, flipping burgers provides both valuable work experience and potential for advancement. A good fry-cook can become a shift manager, then a store manager, then a regional manager. Managerial experience can lead to a career outside the fast food industry. Many of the managerial skills overlap with other industries. Twenty years at McDonalds could lead one to a decent living if you have the will to succeed. Twenty years on welfare and you are still on welfare. Do you understand?
What would happen if the welfare state in America was eliminated?
Desperate people do desperate things. If your children are hungry you will steal for them. If your only choice to get money for shelter is to take it you will do just that so you don't freeze to death. The ranks of the working poor would become enraged. These are the people that are working enough to maybe pay for some things but get assistance to pay for food, child care, utilities, or are getting training so they can get off assistance. Eliminating this type of help would result is a mass of people far greater than the middle and upper classes becoming disenfranchised. The last time this happened it gave birth to the Progressive Movement, take that and add the 1960's along with much more rioting and that will give you a idea of what it would look like.I don't see social safety net programs as a hand-out, I see them as insurance for my own safety. Desperate people do desperate things and I would rather balance the budget in ways that don't result in canceling my safety insurance policy. " The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." ~Thomas Jefferson. Id rather be on the side of the people, all of the people instead of being a tyrant that didn't know when to stop taking.Oh and just to really hit home why this country was founded in the first place please indulge me one more time as I turn to Jefferson yet again:"Experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor."
Why Do Democrat Candidates Want To Increase Taxes?
They want to increase taxes on people making more than $31,850. "... Democratic budget they'll be voting for would allow income tax rates to go up on individuals making as little as $31,850 and couples earning $63,700 or more. " The Associated Press http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gSu1R... "Democrat budget voted for by Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton would raise taxes on individuals making as little as $31,850 and couples earning $63,700." http://blog.heritage.org/2008/03/14/morn... "on individuals making as little as $31,850 and couples earning $63,700" http://washingtontimes.com/article/20080...