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Do government entitlements actually help people, or keep poor people poor?
It has always been my opinion that government assistance programs are designed not to encourage poor people to rise out of poverty, only to maintain the status quo of the individual. Through programs like Medicaid, Welfare, Food Stamps and WIC, all of which a single-mother can utilize at one time, most of the basic necessities are provided to them, and traditionally, the moment that single-mother gets a job, many of those entitlements are cut down, or cut completely out. This either forces that same single-mother back into the same situation, or struggle more, either way, she remains in poverty. Wouldn’t funds used for government entitlements be of better use to that single-mother to try and make the standard of living more bearable in terms of promoting job growth via lower taxes on business and incentifying more competition in areas where government assistance is high to better their quality of life?
@ Jon J - You are right that Medicaid goes to help mostly children, but many, if not most, of those children live with single-mothers just like the one I described. The problem that I was focusing on is that the government spends just over 50% of the federal budget on government entitlements that mostly go to "benefit" the poor, yet it doesn’t seem that many of those poor people are able to rise out of their poverty. Perhaps a new approach is necessary, as opposed to just vilifying rich people for being rich.
7 Answers
- Anonymous1 decade agoFavorite Answer
They do nothing but keep poor people lazy and dependent upon the government
- megLv 71 decade ago
They improves the standard of living of the people who are poor but since in rich countries poverty is relative there will always be some people with the lowest incomes so you can never get rid of poverty. It use to be mostly old people who were considered poor and since we increased social security benefits it is now single mothers with young children and for the most part it is the cost of child care that makes the poor even if they have a job so job growth would not do nearly as much to help them as government paid daycare.
The vast majority of entitlement go to the old not the poor, even the means tested ones. More than half of the money spent on Medicaid is for old people whose social security benefits do not cover the cost of nursing home care and people with serious heath problems who reduce their income to qualify since they can not pay and can not get insurance. Children on average only cost about $1000 a year.
- HumblebragLv 51 decade ago
We should have the poor, struggling families jump through a million hoops because some people might take advantage of the system. Also corporations will use the extra tax money to create awesome living-wage jobs... instead of enriching themselves or creating more crappy part-time walmart jobs. Have I summed up your view of reality succinctly?
- 1 decade ago
You are pretty much right on. Some people really need assistance, and I have no problem giving it to them. But there should be more common sense when dealing with govt. programs.
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- Anonymous1 decade ago
Most entitlements go to the elderly and children on Medicaid.
I can honestly say that I don't believe giving someone food stamps keeps them from trying to better their lives.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Anytime it's easier to take the handout then work, the whole will suffer. Give a man a fish and his family will have one good meal. Teach that man how to fish, he will feed his family daily.
