Welfare shouldn't include cash benefits

[Anonymous]

My theory is that if someone needs public assistance for necessities (clothes, food, shelter, medical) because they fell on hard times, we should help them.  We are a compassionate society.

We should NOT give them cash or FS though.  

• We should provide assistance finding a free shelter.  
• We should have a food bank that is stocked by the government where they can come for nutricious food for their family (selected by the food bank staff).  
• We should have clean, used clothing they can receive if they need clothes (selected by the clothes bank staff)
• We should provide medical help if they need it.

We need to help with necessities:  Food, clothes, shelter, medical assistance, but we should not provide for "wants":  cable, cell phone, entertainment, stylish clothes, hair cuts, etc.  If they want the extras, they should work for it.

[Mella210024]

People freaking kill me. have you talked to everybody on PA in the world or something? do you take polls when you go to the grocery store or something? Because I would love to know how you seem to know what people on fs buy. Do you follow people to the check out? Or have you heard about it or seen it. because its not everybody. you just assume it is. and you assume that they think its owed to them. did you run a poll on that too? how many people believe they're entitled. probably not. you just assume right? cuz i highly doubt anyone has told you that.

Quoting Anonymous:

 I like some of those ideas. Some I think look better on paper and would not work all that great. Cash assistance should be very case specific, if any. FS should not be a free for all. No, you should not be able to buy fifty dollar cakes and lobsters. All home lines can call 911. Lots of us lived just fine without cell phones. As far as medical, I do not mind ( I do, but I am being realistic) one oops, but if you get pregnant beyond that on mistake, you should have to pay back the bill, for the rest of your life, if needed. I am sick of entitled people believing they deserve shit they do not deserve.

[Mella210024]

And I guess when you have to go to the store, doctor , or wherever. you have to take your landline? That doesn't work. people need cell phones. what if a welfare recipient had been attacked, raped, or child stolen. how does one report it? the landline is at home. So sorry welfare recipient, that's what you get when you don't have a cell phone. just a landline that can't go with you.

[Anonymous]

You think it would be this easy ....its not. There are too.many different circumstances and your way would cost MORE. money....tax payers money.

[Anonymous]

And what makes you think those on PA aren't employed? Ugh, you are one ignorant bitch. From everything you've posted, it seems that is what you think. Not all who receive benefits abuse them.

Yes, there are people who abuse the system and it frustrates me but I don't dwell on it and get on the Internet to cry to a bunch of women about how unfair it is. How do you know that people won't just take the food and clothes provided and sell it for cash or drugs? People will ALWAYS find a way to abuse PA!! Not all, but some. That will never stop, no matter how much you try to change it.

And to make generalizations about those on PA is quite insulting to the ones working their asses off to get back on their feet. Not everyone mooches off of the government like you seem to think. No one gives a shit about your theory. Now, move along dear.

Quoting Anonymous:

It would certainly be available - for those who work.

Quoting Anonymous:

So you want to end the EIC then?

[RMC007]

So we would spend more money as taxpayers creating and implementing all the programs that you mentioned, rather than just allowing a family living in poverty to have food stamps and/or some cash benefits directly just so a few bad seeds don't buy candy with their food stamps or a non-necessity with their cash card? Great idea!

[fullxbusymom]

Who gets to constitute what junk is?  For one person it may just be chips or cakes etc.  For others that may be anything that comes in a box, for someone else that could include anything that isn't fresh. 

Also the gov't doesn't want to limit the fact that some people have ailments that maybe they can only make microwave meals because that is all they can access.  They also want to make sure kids can have a cake on their birthday or special occasion, they want to make sure people with allergies can have enough choices to work around those allergies.  The gov't wants to make sure they are fed.  What they are fed is to the discretion of the person buying the food.  The amt. is the same if they buy $200 worth of Twinkies or $200 of fruit. 

Quoting Anonymous:

What does allergies have to do with not eating junk? You do know that if you are on assistance most if the time your kids get free lunch where they are told what they can eat.

Quoting fullxbusymom:

Well I live under the rock that at the moment qualifies for FS and Medicaid. :)

We can afford our home and do still pay for it each month and NO I don't need to give it up and move to a shelter to get FS and Medical.

Nope because of a miriad of allergies the gov't can NOT dictate what people can or can't eat.  Oh and we aren't beggars in any sense of the word. 

I spend our pay check on our bills car payment, insurance, rent, medical for my husband and I, clothing for my family, school stuff for my kids, shoes, cable, internet and phone(and yes I need internet for my job), electric, heat, gas and all essentials.  No PA pays FOR NONE of the things listed above.

Quoting Anonymous:

Beggars shouldn't be choosers.  And if you are on PA, you are a beggar in the most literal sense of the word.

You wouldn't "give up your home in order to move to a shelter".  You would give up your home because you can't pay for it.  It's not your home if you can't pay for it.

If you want to PAY for your food, you can eat whatever you want.  If you want to beg for food because you cannot provide for your family, then you need to accept what you get that provides nutrional feed in your belly.  We don't need to support the food you LIKE, just the food to keep you alive.

People who get PA definitely spend it on cable TV, high-speed internet, fashionable clothes, haircuts, entertainment, etc.  What rock have you been living under?  It's not our job to give beggars fashionable clothes.  If they want them, they need to work for money and buy them.

Quoting fullxbusymom:

People aren't going to give up their homes to move to a shelter that is just plain STUPID!!

Sorry no one should tell ANYONE else what they can or can't eat.  If they qualify and want to spend it all on healthy food great, if they qualify and spend it stupidly they still don't get any more and will have to figure out what to do till next month.

Clothes they already have clothes banks that isn't anything they don't already do.

Medical definitely. 

Also they don't pay for Cable, entertainment, stylish clothes or hair cuts.  If you have your own money then you can purchase those things.  People often have jobs and still qualify for FS or Medicaid and any other bills or wants are paid for by their pay checks.