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| 7 Hard Truths About Welfare |
The article named above was shared by my friend, Dr. Donna
Washburn. It caught my eye because several people offered comments of support.
The author, Danica Johnson, offers some insights into the US
welfare system that are probably not known to many. Unfortunately, some of her
comments have a slant that could prove off-putting to some as noted by another friend, Dr. Brandon Schmidly. Johnson's ideas are worth examining with a critical eye—at least
by those of us who care more about understanding our world and helping people
in need than we care about advocating for one political agenda or another.
Here's my Take
Seven Hard Truths About Welfare
Geoffrey W. Sutton, PhD
1. Welfare keeps millions of workers and retirees afloat — it’s a pillar of economic stability.
As noted, welfare
is not one program but a general term for a group of programs designed to
meet the needs of people with different needs that cannot be met in other ways
such as employment or relying on a family or church for support.
This is important. Criticizing
welfare makes no sense. Criticizing a specific program or components of a
program might make sense. And it matters what you include under the label
welfare. For example, working Americans pay into social security. Collecting
social security when you become too disabled or reach retirement age is not the
same kind of assistance as that which comes from programs designed to help people who have never
worked because they too young or because the wages they earn are not enough to
cover expenses.
Also, as noted, some programs support the working poor. Try
to live on minimum wage as a family of one parent and three children. It’s
pretty hard to make it financially, let alone cope with the emotional stress of
parenting. Not every parent can go to college and obtain a degree that leads to
higher paying work.
2. Laziness isn’t the issue; structural barriers and economic shocks are.
The myth of
laziness is a good one to mention because it is a common insult levied
against people who do not work but accept government support. There is little
doubt that some people get by with as little as they can in life. There are
people who take advantage of others, including taxpayers. Some get caught and
some don’t.
If you work or attend school, you know there are people who
don’t do their fair share but seem to get by. Perhaps they are lazy- but perhaps not. But to believe that most people who get some sort of
government help are lazy is ridiculous, as the author illustrates. Besides, how
exactly do you define laziness? How can you tell what a person can or cannot
do? Do you know what it's like to struggle with illness or trying to recover from a fire or a flood?
3. Undocumented immigrants are a diverse population, not a single stereotype.
Some do place a burden on some community resources and some make communities better.
Some are children who had no choice in coming to America. Not having a document does not mean a person is here illegally. Documents can be lost by government workers as well as immigrants. Errors on forms do not mean a person meant to deceive someone--humans--immigrants and government workers make mistakes on forms and documents.
Some undocumented immigrants were victims of
deceitful scams. Some work hard, do jobs many citizens do not want, and some pay
taxes--sales, property, payroll. As noted, by Johnson, some get emergency medical care. Americans are
often the beneficiaries of their hard labor. Let's approach the problem wisely and with compassion and not assume the lack of a document implies illegal status. Certainly, deportation is a reasonable option as is a path to citizenship for those brought to America against their will.
4. Ending substance dependence doesn’t magically restore full‑time work capacity.
The myth of high
substance dependence among those on government programs deserves a careful look.
Substance abuse is a problem for many people regardless of their use of
government programs. Some people receiving government support have substance
use problems that make matters worse for them. But it does not mean that if
they stopped using a substance they would be healthy and able to earn a living.
Some might be able to work but some will be disabled for life regardless of
using or not using a substance.
5. The “welfare queen” myth is a harmful fiction that distorts public understanding.
The myth of the
welfare queen from Chicago is a damning image. Setting up a false image to
garner support for cutting services to the poor is appalling.
Confronting people who defraud taxpayers is important to a just society. We won’t
catch them all but we do need to fund fraud units. Keep in mind that some folks
who cheat taxpayers run corporations and serve themselves while holding public office.
6. Welfare programs must be scrutinized and improved — not dismissed or demonized.
Some programs
keep people alive. Some help the poor obtain skills that allow them to earn a
living. Some help people maintain employment. Some programs probably have
minimal effects or may even produce harmful effects.
It’s important to evaluate programs and make wise decisions.
Let the data drive decisions rather than politics. And keep in mind that we
should critically evaluate all expenditures of taxpayer money. We need
watchful eyes examining military expenditures, the high cost of homeland security,
people who bill us (taxpayers) via the government for health, medicine, and education. And
of course, not all people who take taxpayer funds to pay rent and buy food are playing fair.
7. Life is unpredictable; nearly everyone needs support at some point.
Even if you never
need government assistance, chances are someone you care about will.
Attitudes matter. What’s the point of making people feel bad about getting
help? Rarely do we know all the details of a person’s life that accounts for
their lack of resources.
And why not give our fellow citizens some credit for
assessing the needs of those who seek help? The people in our government
agencies serve all Americans. They may make mistakes like everyone else. But I’ve
worked with many counselors and social workers for years and find so many try
to make the right decision. They don’t like scammers any more than the rest of
us. Some are burned out. Most try to do what’s right.
Some of our agency workers go out of their way to raise
funds from their fellow co-workers to help a family in need—beyond the small
payments they may get from government.
> I’ve seen government workers collect
funds to purchase gasoline for patients who needed out-of-town cancer
treatment.
> I’ve seen them collect donations to buy clothes and necessities for a
family who lost all in a house fire.
> I’ve seen them pile up toys and clothes
for poor families at Christmas time.
> Do you think they would part with their
meager government salaries to help people who really didn’t need help?
A just society pairs accountability with compassion.
*****
The author of the article didn’t address religion. But I
will. What does your faith teach about caring for the poor? I’ve heard
Christians tell me they don’t support government programs because they want
Christian programs to provide services. That might be a good idea if Christians
could cooperate and meet the needs of all Americans in need. But that has never
happened. Some churches do more than others. And there are Christian organizations as well as churches.
Christian programs constantly appeal for funds. If their
appeals are genuine, and I assume that they are, then taxpayer support and or
wages are too low to meet the needs.
Here’s a link to the article http://groundswell.org/7-lies-about-welfare-that-many-people-believe-are-fact/
*****
Learn about the mental health continuum in:
Flourishing in Six Dimensions: The SCOPES Framework: A Multidimensional Continuum from Mental Distress to Human Wellbeing available on AMAZON
Post Author
Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals.
His website is https://suttong.com
Many publications are free to download at ResearchGate and Academia
Find chapters and essays on Substack. [ @GeoffreyWSutton ]
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