How America's Welfare System Hurts the People It's Supposed to Help

At around $700 billion a year, federal spending on welfare programs such as housing assistance, food stamps, and disability payments is bigger than the country's military budget.
Yet for all the money-and good intentions-spent on welfare, it routinely leaves recipients with meager prospects for improving their situation. Worst of all, because the system is so poorly designed, beneficiaries routinely turn down job opportunities that will cut their benefits.
That's the message of the richly researched new book, The Human Cost of Welfare: How the System Hurts the People It's Supposed to Help, by Phil Harvey and Lisa Conyers. The authors interviewed hundreds of welfare recipients all over the country to provide an inside view of how welfare actually works and how people navigate an endlessly complex and contradictory set of programs. While appreciative of the reforms to welfare in the 1990s, the authors say the time for new changes is well past due. Under both Republican and Democratic presidents, work requirements have been dropped while programs have been vastly expanded.
"One of the worst things aout the welfare system is that it induces this psychology of fear of earning too much," says Harvey, the head of DKT International, which provides family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention around the world, and Adam & Eve, the adult-products catalog (Harvey is also a donor to Reason Foundation, the nonprofit that publishes Reason TV). "The prospect of having all your benefits cut off...or a significant part of your benefits cut off makes people look on earning income as risky."
Co-author Lisa Coyners of The DKT Liberty Project traveled the country to talk with welfare recipients in a wide range of personal and economic situations. To a person, she says, they knew not to earn over a certain amount in order to protect their benefits. "It was actually frightening for them," she says, "taking that extra hour of work or taking that raise [if] they would lose their benefits."
Harvey and Conyers propose a series a reforms, including changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which is broadly popular with lawmakers, that would allow welfare recipients to effectively "top up" their wages so that becoming upwardly mobile isn't blocked by serious, short-term reductions in living standards.
The Human Cost of Welfare is reminiscent of Losing Ground, the 1984 book by Charles Murray that explained how Great Society welfare programs inadvertently created incentives for people to stay on welfare. Like that earlier book, which is widely credited with spurring welfare reform under Bill Clinton, The Human Cost of Welfare, shows how programs designed to help individuals end up perpetuating the very behavior they seek to improve. With its scores of original interviews and empathy for people who want to be in greater control of their lives and its sensible, workable reform agenda, The Human Cost of Welfare is a must-read for anyone interested in making government more accountable and improving the lives of the poorest Americans.
About 18 minutes.
Interview by Nick Gillespie. Cameras by Meredith Bragg and Joshua Swain. Edited by Swain.
Go to reason.com/rea... for links, resources, and more videos.
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[@hipcat13]

Another example of how gov't effs things up is this....when I was on unemployment for a while, I learned that they will deny you benefits if you decide to take a class or get training. Seems to me you'd want to encourage people who have lost their jobs to go to school to make themselves more employable.

[@jourdainsolis808]

Yeah! I was shocked to find out that I didn’t qualify for food stamps while I was in college. Going to school full time while living in poverty was not easy

[@hipcat13]

@@jourdainsolis808 Yeah, I bet! Ramen noodles everyday!

[@jourdainsolis808]

hipcat13 it totally disenchants people from pursuing higher education because you create barriers to people’s basic needs. It only widens the wealth gap and reinforces generational poverty.

[@MRSketch09]

Yeah that makes too much sense though?

[@SM-pv4sn]

They don't want you to get off welfare when you're on it. That's not the purpose of a government department. Government departments are set up primarily to self-perpetuate. It makes sense, who goes to work with the goal of making their career obsolete? They are there to expand their budgets, their headcounts, their prestiege. The more people on welfare, the more prestiege and wealth that department can capture. Show me the incentives, and I'll show you the outcome.

[@willowclay3137]

If you can't afford to feed yourself than don't keep multiplying!!

[@workingshlub8861]

amen....we should be giving people who DONT have kids because they are not financially ready tax breaks...

[@tcerv1599]

get a $160.00 month raise and lose $1000.00 worth of benefits. This is what welfare does to the people.

[@stayswervin554]

so your back at square one

[@brabham74]

If you demand money, for no work, then you are the worst thing humanity has ever seen.

[@VueiyVisarelli]

Naw, bro, I can think of _much_ worse.

[@christianrodier3381]

I have seen this abuse of the welfare system when I lived in California.

[@JosephMuin]

@jfsfrnd probably because he said he lived in California.

[@derekziebarth8568]

More the reason mom's have no excuse to abortion

[@Lurker1979]

I have also noticed this about earning to much. I knew a family who were on welfare and they always had the mind set that they could not make a lot of money. It was sad to see.

[@michiganlifepreppers540]

The definition of extortion is " the coercion of an individual through threats and/or violence to comply with a demand of property or money" Taxes= The definition of extortion. Don't pay taxes, people eventually show up with guns; kidnap you and jail you. The forceful taking of a persons property is always immoral. Regardless of how much "property" a person has. So welfare is the extortion of the people's (all of us) wealth and the attempted redistribution of wealth in the vain attempt to make an immoral action a moral one.

[@elainemarie9470]

I don't even know where to start, on the fallacies Phillip and Lisa presented here. This is definitely a politically motivated piece, to give a very skewed perspective on the welfare state. Those in power have a vast agenda to cause divisiveness among the populace, and to justify their methodologies to squeeze yet more money into their pockets. What about the trillions of dollars of taxpayer money that constantly, and magically, disappears annually? The welfare system needs overhauling, but not for the reasons given here. The true welfare system are the ones that fatten the coffers of elitists, banksters, corporations, and politicians. The money spent on warfare also needs total restructuring. With Phillip being a stakeholder of this channel, it makes little sense to have him provide an objective analysis. He is actually doing an infomercial here, where he is the beneficiary of hawking his wares. Just look at the guy... the personification of an Ebenezer Scrooge. He looks exactly like someone who has been sucking on lemons all of his life. This is the same as asking the fox guarding the hen house, to give a report on the well-being of his charges, who naturally have been preyed upon. Everything stated here has long been regurgitated for decades. And correlation is being confused with causation. This is an editorial dressed up as unbiased empirical data, designed to evoke fear via paranoia and manufactured lack & limitation models. The only reason Reason TV exists is to disguise wolves in sheep's clothing. The era of psychopaths in power is over. Follow the money trails.

[@ottoburgess1555]

one thing that bothers me about the underground economy around welfare is that it creates a population that is forced to act deceptively to survive or get ahead. it is a loss of honer. and now we have second and third generations of people that know no other way. negative income tax would very fine steps would be a far better and more efficient way of dealing with this issue.

[@slc1923]

So very wise and true. Generational welfare is such a trap and hard to get out of.

[@sTellasTar24]

People need to use welfare for what's intended. Temporary assistance.

[@spamwithrice]

Thats how its set up

[@AnimationFan-fc9sj]

+Estela Chacon The question is, if that is not how it is used, then what is the point of it? I grew up on welfare. No one was talking about getting off of it. It is a disgusting system.

[@AnimationFan-fc9sj]

There is enough generosity in society for organizations to form which could cover the cost of an unsubsidized demand for poverty alleviation *****

[@kendrasspongeasmr210]

They do. You have to work to get it and it is just peanuts. Because the requirements are so severe though if you work enough to save you dont qualify, it isnt fair. So for some families in order to SURVIVE they have to stay on welfare and keep a small job because working full time would cut off their help and still not be enough. Also, brightside, the amount of people on welfare has gone from 12 million in the early 2000's to 3 million. So its a non issue besides for the people trying to survive off of it.

[@wildec2]

I got through poverty by sucking it up and getting along with all my family members, and they helped me a lot. Now im older and live in my own house etc i have more privacy, i dont see them as much. Being able to get along and put up with other people, without letting them takeover your life completely, is a skill that goes a long way in business.

[@TklistNet1]

Update the safety net. Have a means tested financial safety net, not a safety net based on government run programs for everyone. Abolish all payroll taxes on employees and employers. Pay employees their full pay and let them choose to who and how much of their pay goes to their medical insurance, workers' compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, pension fund and long-term care fund.

[@jme92685]

Welfare is extortion of the working class and should not exist. It is intended as being TEMPORARY. Too many people take advantage and sit on it like it’s an egg they have to protect. Giving people money for doing nothing demotivates them to work and creates a class of people who are dependent upon it. Without that safety net, you’ll be more likely to get off your ass and figure it out. That’s what dawned on me and it worked. Just take it one day at a time and work hard. That’s why I believe welfare should be abolished.

[@LeandroLima81]

I appreciate the work of these authors. As I watch this, I find it amusing how early in the interview the fear of loosing benefits is suggested as a problem. Then at 8:00 the lack of accountability with housing welfare (no fear of loosing, ever) produces it's own set of problems. There's no winning.

[@slc1923]

Yes...welfare should never have been permanent, only a temporary helping hand.

[@CJinsoo]

excellent points-nailed it.

[@MRSketch09]

Good video. But with income taxes.. Federal and State, County, and city income taxes.. (seriously) anyways.. its hard to "Work" your way out of poverty. I speak from experience.

[@kendrasspongeasmr210]

Exactly. They point out the downfalls but ignore how it isnt feasible to just work more. There needs to still be help for transitioning. Not just dirt poor and welfare or still too poor and none.

[@MRSketch09]

@jfsfrnd Yeah isn't that the truth?! I always wondered about that when applying for a loan, because you use your Gross income, not net income for the loan amount...

[@eddietrope5291]

It works to feed those that don’t have a job. The problem is those that think it’s a living.

[@TheBiggE.]

Welfare incentivises less work and societal contribution and, more welfare.

[@Navy35]

Welfare said backwards is farewell. You are actually saying goodbye to your dignity and self respect, your liberty and independence.

[@TReeves80013]

Again, welfare is a case of government breaking something and then riding in to the rescue. Overburdensome regulations squeeze out businesses that would otherwise exist but are never started, limiting job options. High corporate taxation encourages companies to operate in part or entirely abroad. The Federal Reserve manipulates interests rates to punish those who would otherwise save for a rainy day. Countless laws limit competition and restrict health insurance companies, driving up and hiding true costs, incentivizing waste and abuse. All these factors and many more interfere with free market forces, creating a hobbled system which creates a much larger problem than otherwise would exist. Libertarians aren’t being cruel to the poor when they advocate for free markets… they just know, absent government manipulations, the poor would have many more options and be fewer in number within a thriving, sustainable economy.

[@pelirojopajaro]

exactly. I just don't see how it can be fixed without a total implosion.

[@SoulSurvivor60]

+SweetLiberty01 Amen to that....!

[@ScottNormanRosenthal]

+SweetLiberty01 Capitalism thrives on scarcity and deprivation. Free Enterprise thrives on abundance and prosperity.

[@SoulSurvivor60]

Scott Norman Rosenthal Socialism thrives on the same....so Capitalism and socialism/communism are bed fellows.

[@TReeves80013]

+Scott Norman Rosenthal cap·i·tal·ism /ˈkapədlˌizəm/nounnoun: capitalism an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.synonyms: *free enterprise*, private enterprise, the free market; enterprise culture

[@curtis8954]

If you are the working poor. then they should be generous with food stamps, medical and child care. If you are lazy, and never paid into taxes. then NO WELFARE. and its only supposed to be temporary. worker shortage in this country. no excuse not to work!!!!!!!!!!!

[@machenry07]

I'm almost ashamed to admit this but I work for a company that distributed the Obama phone. We only cared about our numbers, and I mad a shit ton of money for a 24 year old. In return, I paid off some of my student loans, but at the end of it all, we did nothing good just moved money around.

[@sarahcastillo7292]

Mac Henry So did I. I got 10 bucks for every phone that left my pop up canopy.

[@bscottb8]

Welfare doesn't alleviate poverty, it subsidizes it. And children spawned to game the system grow up to game the city, which goes into a death spiral from rising crime and taxes.

[@robert5897]

Nick Gillespie is a much better interviewer than all the ones that I have seen in news tv channels.

[@charismaticcreature7875]

You two -- your first jobs were at 16 or 17, so you were strong and healthy and fit -- no bad back or sore knees -- so it was OK to flip burgers or cut grass or wash cars. It is not so easy to ask people of 40 and 50 and 60 do this kind of grinding, physically tough and low-paying jobs. It's a huge problem, because the same folks often have no education and no skills, at mid life -- so they are not QUALIFIED for anything but the lousiest low paying McJob.

[@dcg590]

But it’s their own fault

[@emilypadilla7466]

It was never designed to help people. LBJ could tell people that.

[@ferelpuma]

I wonder what these two believe about corporate welfare, stagnant wages, tax havens, etc.

[@matrixman8582]

Those things don't exist in a free market

[@cooper482011]

Sean Hannity comes to mind as a corporate welfare recipient.

[@wildec2]

Getting rid of tax havens would be great, but then what would the CIA do when it needed to buy something from the communists secretly? Thats why tax havens wont be made illegal.

[@tstbad59]

Abolish it all, we didn’t have welfare for thousands of years and we did fine

[@Navy35]

Liberals push for open borders, which is hand outs and corporate welfare for employers! Between outsourcing jobs and insourcing labor- stagnant wages are sure to follow

[@MrBlack-wt5er]

It hurts the people who have to PAY FOR IT, not the people who receive it...

[@marce11o]

I think a big problem is that people are unsure of what to do for a career, too many choices, and we don't get a sense of the landscape from public schools. People are going to either do what they want to do or what they need to do but what if you don't know what you want or need?

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

+marce11o A rational person just starts doing something.

[@mztrclean]

Earned Income Credit is bullshit. Why should someone who doesn't work or barely works get three times the tax return than I do? I pay in over $6000 per year in income taxes. A friend of mine, until recently, paid in a maximum of $900 per year. Her return was around $7000 while mine was in the area of $1000. I earned mine, she did not!

[@dcg590]

Right? Infuriating! Pisses me off. We get up at 430 am to go to work and don’t shit back We pay for all this ‘benefits ‘. What about those of us who work hard? What benefits do we get? Oh I know, $16,000 a year for our health ins we HAVE to have and all the taxes. Lucky us

[@laurens.2503]

Eventually welfare will be gone.

[@GEfromNJ]

Great video. This seems to add evidence that we should just replace as much of the disparate welfare programs with just a universal minimum income, so that people don't have to resell food stamps, or rent out their public housing, or do things like "I don't want to work another hour since that'll put me over this threshold and lose X". Keep it simple and even.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

+Gregory Eschbacher I don't want there to be ANY coercive redistribution, but if there is going to be some, make it a simple cash transfer with no social engineering baggage. That would be an eye opener as to the competence of many recipients.

[@thelaw3536]

Negative income tax

[@kendrasspongeasmr210]

Socialism would be great

[@OurResistance]

Finally I wanted to say: At first I thought about the issue of food stamps, and I thought that maybe they should prevent people from using them to buy "junk food". However, I eventually realized I was wrong. Most people, given the ability to make choices for themselves, will make better choices for themselves than the government could have made. Most of the time when the government makes choices for people, it only leads to poor results, a bloated bureaucracy, and massive waste!

[@janelle-r5n]

I was completely baffled by this as well until I became an eligibility worker for welfare. Meaning I'm the one who issues benefits like SNAP. The only people who can buy fast food with food stamps are the homeless and that is because they lack access to a kitchen to cook food.

[@liyaxo4560]

My parents continue to be trapped for 30years and counting. The government literally could have bought us a house 2 times over. They could have helped us be homeowners and saved soo much. My dad literally stayed in a low level job so we didn’t lose the benefits. Off the books payment ive seen happen allot with families. Thankfully i broke free once I completed my University education 10 years ago (also paid for by the gov due to my socioeconomic background ) . My degree has paid for itself 4 times over and i see the benefits for what it is. A temporary help but not a long term solution.

[@willowclay3137]

Welfare and poverty is a weak mindset! It makes you lazy!!!

[@12106445]

Those that are living completely off of welfare because they are too lazy to work should be cut off entirely.

[@fayebrokaw2453]

The reality of welfare is those who are at the top . Not those who it helps .

[@pickpac1]

Age and disability discrimination is alive and well, those of us who already have a career would like to work but why not hire the over 50? You cant control your health when you need Medicaid to pay for your Cancer treatments, now you have a disability. Then you have depression, who is going to hire you? Over 50, depressed and disabled?

[@fayebrokaw2453]

These people are out of touch with the intent of American socioeconomic growth and development agenda's most people are simply envious of those who it helps. Most people who was helped from our welfare system didn't choose too be on aide or assistance. However, everyone who is alive today has benefited from our American welfare system one way or the other. However, anyone in positions of administration of programs assistance humanitarian needs has a duty to ensure that American families are not being neglected

[@chelsearenee8507]

Im Crying Everyday i wanna work but they take away my assistant dont give me time to save to get on my feet i cant even make money for things i need cause government will take it from me its not fair im a single mom of 3 i need help the system is making me sick and scared to get a job i need help!!!

[@laurens.2503]

Keep your legs together.

[@chelsearenee8507]

@@laurens.2503 Who me .. lol that was almost a yr ago I did my school I'm out that mess work 4myself make good money and now have a happy life... But to those who can't be Nice the lord has a place for that!!! And to those who are good the lord has a better place for that ... I'd change if I were you! Good luck!

[@laurens.2503]

@@chelsearenee8507 Are you entitled? If you are making good money what's the problem. Your 1st comment makes it sound like you are entitled. Your 2nd comment makes it sound like you are making good money. So, which is it? Oh, that was 9 months ago. Keep it up.

[@workingshlub8861]

a government that gives you everything can just as easily take it all away.....aka DO NOT rely on government and so what you have to do to get ahead in life..

[@damok9999]

Makers vs takers, government provides the vs

[@kenberry8504]

Glad to see such a calm, rational, and thoughtful discussion. The guests did an excellent job. 👍

[@workingshlub8861]

i work in low income housing and these apartments are litterally passed down from generation to generation.....ridiculous.

[@Jkp1321]

This was very informative. Thanks

[@pearllee601]

Welfare recipients need financial education along with other education needs assessment.

[@cooper482011]

There are welfare recipients who can get around those things too.

[@BrandonClaridge]

Income and asset limits will prevent them from putting their financial education into practice, if they want to keep their benefits (which they will likely try to do).

[@laurens.2503]

How many of them quit high school and did not graduate?

[@MrDanielfff777]

I wish there was something like this on the UK, everything is always the USA, so annoying

[@rubyhoney6177]

The Roman Empire had bread and circus The American Empire has Welfare and a modern day circus called the Television

[@MediaSock]

I think working hard to earn what you have is rewarding and fulfilling, but I think that welfare is needed and should be expanded in the US because there's people everywhere that cannot earn enough to put food on the table, pay for the bills, their children's education and the clothes on their back, specially in poorer areas, there will always be those among us that don't want to work and break the law to make money, but there are also those among us that break the law in order to survive and have nice things, feed their kids and put clothes on their back, if they had welfare the majority of poor people would not break the law and the country would be much much safer place, don't think of it as you giving away your hard earned taxes to people that don't want to work, think of it as donating your taxes in order to help people so they don't resort to crime, I know this would work because it's what we have here in Australia, Australia is a very safe country precisely because we have a very good welfare system, if we can afford it then you can easily afford it, it's not about giving money away, it's about human decency, it's about society as a whole, I rather people be on welfare than breaking the law, there will always be more people than there are jobs to go around, and we can't expect people to just accept being broke and homeless, trust me it's the only way forward, if you can afford trillions of dollars to bail out the rich and for endless wars then you can afford to help your own people, the crime rate in the US would plummet if welfare was expanded, believe me.

[@b-rad578]

the biggest fix that needs to happen is the checks and balances. make it like the probation system. you report to someone and show you're getting interviews, not just filling out applications. the cost of hiring more people to handle the increased paperwork as opposed to just giving more money away is significantly less expensive. give someone a house phone, not a cell phone. tell them if they go out and buy 100 dollar pair of jeans and 200 nikes that they will lose their assistance. my mom works in the school,system and she says the same kids who get the free lunch program come in wearing expensive high end clothes but cant afford lunch? Stuff like that needs to be fixed first

[@chrisbaker2669]

Did you know that welfare helps the rich. Here is an example I rich person over hear I own a 100 unit apartment building being rented out to poorer people when the government gives out subsidies or housing assistance to people living in my buildings I can collect more rent. I rich person over here I own Wal-Mart when the government gives out food stamps I sell more groceries getting super rich.

[@haroldlebo2005]

We passed welfare reform b back in 1996 and put in TANF where the federal government sends sacks of cash to states instead of individuals to spend as they wish.

[@SandfordSmythe]

This is a problem with states assuming local control.

[@dahlberg31]

Of course every person can be middle class if they weren't lazy. This book is cutting edge, not afraid to tell the truth. Poor people are poor because they are lazy. It's not like there's a high unemployment rate, and the jobs that are created pay barely above minimum wage. There's absolutely no way the anecdotes are cherry picked. And the author said she lived on welfare to help study for the book. That's the same as growing up in poverty, going to an underfunded school, and living in a system where society's wealth has been funneled to 1%

[@Jkp1321]

I would argue more so poor people are less educated. Financial education needs to be apart of welfare so people learn how to handle the money they earn

[@dahlberg31]

I was a school teacher and it's amazing how financially illiterate the average high school grad is. However, managing $8/hour would take a wizard to be able to pay all the bills of a typical American.

[@magister343]

What we need is a Citizen's Dividend, an unconditional basic income that is funded by land value taxes rather than any income tax.

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

+magister343 The "land value" shit is gay.

[@codorin]

what we need is everybody to mind their own business and government to provide basic services . small government is always best. we have a bloated bureaucy fat government that is costing way too much and draing peoples money.

[@JTStonne]

I was put on social security disability after an accident, hit by a car. One of my medications is $4,300/month. I want to supplement my income but I can't risk losing the medications.

[@pearllee601]

Medical assistance does not pay top $ for medical expenses. State welfare rules. Fed. Rules.

[@sr2291]

So who is doing anything about these means tested programs? How much of the 7 Billion is going to help the people and how much is being spent on their overseers who monitor them?

[@pearllee601]

I could go into a tomb of a post, but it would be shockingly long.

[@MrMurfle]

Ok, but government benefits to corporations and more wealthy individuals and entities are on average much greater than welfare for the relatively poor. Let's look at that.

[@CJinsoo]

The fear of earning too much is a great point. part of that needs to be addressed by educating people with basic and even valuable skills, so reform needs to include abolishing the public education monopoly. provide people with skills where they can make the leap from low-level jobs plus benefits to entry level career jobs. but you’d also need to completely reform health care insurance and hospital cartels in order to lower healthcare costs for all and especially for entry level career workers.

[@pikminlord343]

what is he including for that $700 billion figure? Where are his sources

[@musaxarcks1487]

Umberto Fournier....check the new calculations..its up to a trillion dollars now

[@CJinsoo]

discussion near the end on conditions for welfare payments, it’s also a point for a conversation that any family may be better than isolated welfare recipients. families provided many of these support structures and welfare has torn that structure apart. families also , in the most decentralized way, can place requirements on individuals for help.

[@pearllee601]

To avoid single mom from being on welfare, marry her & if divorce: pay alimony if needed...if she really can't work any job not disabled., Pay child support, pay medical via husband employer insurance benefits. Take insurance policy out on her & kids.

[@cooper482011]

All of it is a scam.

[@ninvin21]

Something is wrong when you can make out better working part-time and being on welfare than working a full-time job.

[@myerslaboratory5628]

all persons born or naturallzed in the United states and subject to the jurisdiction United states and of state where in they reside,no state shell make or enforce any law which shell abridge of citizens of the United states:nor shell any state deprive any person of life,liberry, or propetty ,without due process of law ; nor deny to any person with in it's jurisdiction the equal protection of the law. bush,Clinton,Obama you are in violation's section 437-litle 18 ,violence's1929 ,violence 1972,violence h.r. 3606.2008 fraud money laundering inside trading welfare is not the problem yes we know are math senators and congress 13,224,333 and 6.0 million. the work class 77,300 .

[@worldview730]

15:16, if he would work at a welfare office to try solve & implement these systemic problems, & she would loose her job & have to get on welfare, for real, then they would truly understand the concepts that they espouse

[@scbs7768]

I'm an economist. 700 billion is a lie haha a laughable one. That is asinine. Anyone watching this video can go look up the federal budget

[@jackie-sh5of]

1 trillion

[@daveduhre5088]

Did he say the defence budget is close 7 trillion dollars and welfare programs close to 1 bullion and yet he said welfare exceeds the defence budget? Does not make sense. American defence budget is 7 times bigger than all the social help programs put together.

[@pearllee601]

If you buy a car & let a welfare recipient drive it--- use common sense & talk to your insurance agent(s)

[@OurResistance]

I know this post will probably be deleted. But are these people truly concerned about poor people, or do they want to gut the safety net?

[@Starfish6]

Fear of earning too much....

[@wildec2]

Coz the ladder gets whipped away just as someone grabs onto the next level...it needs to be transitioned, not cutoff abruptly.

[@将軍九八.彁]

Are you allowed to take on loans if your on welfare?

[@wildec2]

I did that when I knew my study allowance was going, it was great, got me through that last year of college when i was living with my uncle and aunty. I paid it off in my 20s when I started earning good money, it took me a couple of years to pay off the cost of my course and the loan around that time. And i got about $1000 discount for early payment, which was nice. That was a great feeling when i made that final phone call to get the payout figure, and made the transfer.

[@sr2291]

Yes.

[@pearllee601]

Medicare does not cover all medical needs & might not pay top $ either. See state & fed. Rules.

[@pearllee601]

Child support, a limited amount is supposed to be passed to the welfare mom with the rest going to the state for administrating welfare aid to the bank mom & kids.

[@notmeanttobe6940]

I got a job first month I was on disability. After making $52.11 for an entire month I was cut off fully. I survived homeless for another 2 months on $50 a month and then my neuro degenerative illness caused a fall at work so now I'm homeless in a wheelchair. I now know better and refuse any and all help offered anymore. I hope my muscular dystrophy kills me that and doesn't take too long. Don't trust the system!

[@charismaticcreature7875]

Disability (SSDI) pays a minimum of $700 a month, plus food stamps (about $170) and totally free Medicaid welfare health care. So your story cannot be true.

[@notmeanttobe6940]

@@charismaticcreature7875 believe what you want

[@m_d1905]

@@charismaticcreature7875 If you make too much on disability they assume you are able to be gainfully employed and cut you off. It's a tight wire many walk. You make just $0.01 too much for any program, it's gone. You can get discouraged so easily. Don't get married either because they will reduce your benefit. When the little you get us not enough to live alone for many. Edit: SSI has different rules than SSDI. The OP may have been getting SSI rather than SSDI.

[@patrickday4206]

They should offer them money to work then stop paying them once they are on their feet. But only give them what is needed to go find that job like buss passes. So they want to work!

[@DesecrationUK]

A question for libertarians: is earned income tax credit not effectively corporate welfare? Should it not actually be left to the free market to deal with any company unable to run at a profit without government subsidising its workforce? I'm curious to know whether I'm correct in assuming this to be the opinion of most libertarians.

[@enough_b]

You're gonna get a lot of conflicting responses. There's no right answer here, because libertarian tenets are not designed to adress the fairness of systems that only exist in reaction to other systems. Let's say you lived in a society where a person could murder you if they get 100 signatures. But imagine that, if you have more than 2 children, you have a right to delay said murder by a year. Is that "right" fair? Is it a privilege for the fertile? Is it a privilege for kids with brethren? No fucking clue, the real unfair thing is the murder part. Most libertarians will have the same issue talking about this type of tax "refunds". The real issue is taxation, to us. Then again, it's fairer if you pay less taxes. But it's unfair for people who pay more. And it's unfair that companies get that kind of help. But it's unfair that they pay taxes too, so in the end they get a "refund" in a way. There is just too many conflicting issues for us to do our thing.

[@enough_b]

Bottom line : the whole thing makes zero sense in a libertarian world. So no way to adress that issue.

[@DesecrationUK]

***** cheers for the response!

[@MilwaukeeF40C]

+Setnakht Shorter answer: If they entertain the opinion that there HAS to be taxes, most libertarians would probably say that they prefer not to have all of these goofy behavior-targeted tax games. A flat rate (with a flat rate of 0% being ideal).

[@enough_b]

Approved.

[@AL-TitoVidal]

The poor will always be among us.

[@bscottb8]

You can depend on their dependence.

[@pearllee601]

Read other books on welfare, welfare policy & poverty economics.

[@hcp0scratch]

A++++ TY!

[@pillznarRy]

"I know people who *get* food stamps and they use them for *food*!!!! The rich are getting *richer*!!!!! Poor people dont use drugs!!!! I read an article on Salon that debunked this entire video!!!!" *lol* Safe to say those who dont want to hear anything contrary to their beliefs just *wont.*

[@pillznarRy]

Might want to try and reread what i typed... Just *maybe* you'll get my original point.

[@kendrasspongeasmr210]

Evidence proves your sarcasm to in fact not be worthy of sarcasm because its true.

[@wildec2]

Haha, bit of a bizarre comment.

[@laurens.2503]

Poor people seem to have money for fireworks. WHY?

[@Perfectpearl]

5:44 Fact

[@pearllee601]

Welfare assets $ limitations: were they be ever changed? What value for the $ was the asset when the $ limitations were signed into law vs value on $ today? Adjust limitations.

[@BrandonClaridge]

This is a major problem and only bound to get worse with all the inflation we have seen lately. The asset limits are NOT indexed to inflation, so Congress has to act, and soon. SSI set a $2000 limit in 1989, and SNAP (food stamps) set a $2000 limit in 1985; there has been a LOT of inflation since then, but the limits are out of touch with reality! Neglect and inflation will kill the social safety net unless the limits are adjusted to reflect the economic reality in 2021. People should be able to plan for their future and save money, as asset accumulation is one of the best ways to escape poverty, but the welfare system discourages it.

[@ScottishLibertyPodcast]

people will just say well then guess its time for a UBI to get rid of the welfare cliffs

[@MrDanielfff777]

The book cost £40... thanks

[@sr2291]

Most of the housing assistance goes to the landlords.

[@pearllee601]

Welfare recipients can lease a car.

[@cendisjennings4008]

This is very infirmatvie

[@jamesjones3371]

Unless your disableex mentaly or phisically everyine in America should work. That could be doing something for food stamps painting park fences or picking up trash. Imagine if alot of us all went in welfare . It shoukd be for those that need it a job is not optional im afraid as a grown ass adult

[@micktaylor9332]

Instead of demonising those needing welfare to live, it's corporate welfare that truly is totally ridiculous. But hey let's blame the poor.... again.

[@martinjimenez9343]

both are lousy oh well life is suffering Buddha, humans will figure it out eventually or face extinction?

[@MsDellis1]

In Wisconsin, welfare ended in 1997. And I'm glad it did because it motivated the working class. Housing assistance should never end because rents are just to high

[@craigconway4093]

Wow

[@Iznikroc]

This is why Libertarians need to champion the EITC and the Basic Income, because it speaks true to libertarian principles. I'm a libertarian and I'm still baffled that some can be against it when both policies trim a great deal of fat off of government.

[@abcw114]

+Iznikroc EITC isn't my ideal, but I think it's one of the least harmful policies government undertakes. "Least harmful" doesn't mean good, ideal or just, of course; it just means "it could be so much worse."

[@Iznikroc]

but you have to consider that libertarianism is a tough sell to statist people because a democrat or republican will always promise jobs and subsidies while all we can promise is limiting government so it would be easier to find a job or carve out a lively hood. BI and EITC like you said are the least harmful and strong counter to the atypical accusation that democrats feed the poor: "were going to cut welfare"(i grew up hearing this about republicans, that and they take from the poor to give to the rich). This is a golden compromise to capitalize on.

[@abcw114]

I'll just say this. If the only welfare the government provided was EITC, I'd consider that a victory in terms of an incrementalist move toward more liberty and less government.

[@pearllee601]

Book: in the shadow of the poorhouse.

[@watchtheduck1]

People want to work. What they don't want, which is understandable, is to work for slave wages, which is what the new welfare system called Workforce set them up to do. If you want people to work, then by god give them fair wages that will pay the pills in a society where food and housing costs keep going up! Instead, we have lawmakers, mostly Republicans, that are against raising the minimum wage and still think people should be happy with $10 or less per hour! I'd like to see how any of our lawmakers would do on that instead of the hundreds of thousands or millions they live on annually!

[@wildec2]

"If you want people to work, then by god give them fair wages that will pay the pills..." Haha, Freudian slip there, or...?

[@sharonramirez8014]

SMH what an out of touch, ignorant, and absurd take on the problem. It's akin to prescribing extra manual labor as a cure for scurvy.

[@fayebrokaw2453]

Listening to these people no wonder the system is corrupt?. Absolutely false and misleading.

[@SandfordSmythe]

These people have little say besides the usual cliches.

[@GhostTape]

16:55

[@EmberwildeProductions]

Rather than means testing, why not expand Medicaid - as almost every other developed country has done - to guarantee healthcare to every American?

[@enough_b]

Because it's a crappy system. I live in the rest of the world. It sucks.

[@EmberwildeProductions]

Universal healthcare polls incredibly well in every country that has enacted it. Ask Australians, Canadians, or Europeans how they would feel going to a private, for-profit healthcare system run by transnational corporations and they will look at you like you're an idiot.

[@scawarren]

+Emberwilde Productions "Universal healthcare polls incredibly well in every country that has enacted"... Really? If a Canadian sees their family doctor, if they're lucky enough to already have one, and they need to see a specialist it's going to take an average of 18.2 weeks. God forbid that specialist says they need a MRI because the average wait for that is 12-18 months!

[@EmberwildeProductions]

"A new national poll commissioned by the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies examined the pride Canadians place in a list of more than a dozen symbols, achievements and attributes. The online survey of 2,207 respondents by Leger Marketing found universal health care was almost universally loved, with 94 per cent calling it an important source of collective pride - including 74 per cent who called it “very important.”" - The Canadian Press, Nov. 25, 2012

[@enough_b]

The fact that people enjoy their system does not mean it's efficient. People who study their system usually end up hating it. It's just that most people don't listen to that shit.

[@nustada]

I don't think jobs are a great metric. Ultimately it would be best if everyone could have all their wants met by automatons, and work being relegated to a hobby. The problem is taking from those who did work either physically or by risk management (capital investment) via violent coercion.

them dirty dirty bums:) get a job bums

[@ghn_yug3351]

8:02

[@TheChucnoris]

whats going on with underneath his eyes? SOOOOO puffy Allergic to money?

[@isitfakenews4774]

Tyler Libby he's old?

[@Rosepaul-wr2zy]

Hi sir I belong Pakistan and I made a small old age home and lots of orphans child and widow girls they have no house so I made a small old age home and school so plz I request 🙏 you support me