The Best Benefits of Government Jobs

Government benefit programs can be very necessary for those with financial difficulties, but they can also be abused by those who will not work for the money.  Sometimes life happens.  A family might lose everything they own in a hurricane or tornado.  A supporting spouse loses his job.  Someone becomes very ill and unable to work.  In these cases, families dealing with catastrophes need government assistance to serve as a bridge so they can get back on their feet.  Without these programs, the family might otherwise starve because they currently have no means to support themselves.

Government assistance could be the difference between life and death for these people.  On the other side of the spectrum, thousands of people are receiving free housing and medical aid even though not only are they without jobs, they are also not planning to look for work.  Someone else’s hard-earned money is being given by the government to someone who will not make up the difference.  On occasion, families have the means and ability to get back on their feet, but after living off the government’s aid for so long, they see no reason to provide for themselves.  They also have no reason to work when they can receive hundreds every month in government checks for doing nothing.  As mentioned above, government programs are beneficial, but their systems need to be altered.
 
Since there is a definite need for government aid, the systems should be altered so that honest, hard-working people will not be forced to give money, to those who do not deserve it.  Government assistance also needs to be made more easily accessible for those who are truly in need of it.  A possible change could be to require mandatory drug testing for those who are being considered eligible to receive government handouts.  If one is required to be tested for drugs to get a job, then it stands to reason that they should be tested before receiving government benefits.  Those trying to apply for jobs, who need a little extra money to get back on their feet, should be required to do civil work for the community.  Possible jobs could be picking up trash, sweeping sidewalks, or even working at a local pound.  This way, they can work for the money they receive and benefit the entire community with their services.  To show they are actually looking for a job, people in need of assistance should be required to send the agencies proof of job interviews they have completed.  The programs should also go as far as to send people who really need assistance out on job interviews and follow up on them so they know the person is willing to work, rather than relying on handouts.  Lastly, if the person seeking aid cannot prove to the agency that they are trying to better themselves, there should be a time limit on the assistance they receive. 

All in all, government benefit programs are a much needed resource for families who would not make it without them but as mentioned above, the systems are being abused by so many when the ones who truly need it are not given a lift.  It is my hope that the few changes mentioned could be made in the system so Americans in need can live a more productive, beneficial future.

US Food Stamp Programs

Politics aside, the United States Federal Government’s assistance programs have provided massive benefits to Americans living below the poverty line. Today, close to 50 million Americans live below the poverty line, and of those 50 million, 47 million require the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to eat (USDA). SNAP is one of the most important governmental assistance programs Americans receive today as it prevents obesity and malnutrition as well as child poverty. Unfortunately, the recent Farm Bill has cut SNAP’s funding by 25% and current quality control standards have made it difficult for all Americans who suffer from food insecurity from receiving SNAP’s aid.

It’s no secret that America has been hit with hard economic times recently. These hard economic times have increased the number of American households suffering from food insecurity to rise from 36 million in 2008 to 49 million in 2012 (USDA). These Americans are forced to skip meals, always wondering when they will be able to eat again, and have no choice but to buy less expensive, but less nutritious foods at the supermarket.  Skipping meals and eating less healthy meals has been shown to be the root cause of severe malnutrition which results in obesity. Cheaper processed foods that families below the poverty line rely on is low in vitamins, minerals and overall nutrition and is a key contributing factor to America’s increasing obesity rate (Rosenbaum, Dean, Greenstein). Poor families are statistically more likely to suffer from malnutrition and obesity because these families cannot afford to purchase more nutritious foods (Sherter). Families that needed and received food stamps were more likely to visit the doctor’s office when sick, instead of staying home in order to pay for food, housing and other basic needs (Sherter). Obesity is a growing problem in America, with close to 30% of the population being obese (Rosenbaum, Dean, Greenstein). A dangerous cycle is happening, and as the policymakers in the capital continue to slash funding to SNAP, obesity rates have continued to climb.

This is empirically proven in the higher obesity rates of the South due to higher quality control standards and lower levels of funding. Obesity is a danger to America and the American people: It creates massive health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and premature death. These health problems create a huge drag on the economy, as America is forced to pay for these nutrition related ailments and it creates a whole generation of unhealthy workers. Higher medical costs and lower worker productivity have the ability to gut the American economy, creating a double dip recession and creates a vicious cycle of poverty, disease and poor economic performance. Increasing funding and access to SNAP’s benefits is crucial to ending the cycle and create high economic yields and a healthier population. SNAP allocates funding to families in need, allowing them to be able to afford healthier options, and relieves dependency on cheap and innutritious food (Results). The benefits of SNAP are so great that every dollar invested in the program has been shown to yield two dollars back (Results). According to a cost benefit analysis, the benefits of SNAP greatly exceed the costs.

Considering 1 in 4 American children live in households that depend of food stamps, and 1 in 5 families with children don’t make a high enough income to eat dinner every night, SNAP is also crucial to fighting child poverty (Sherter). In 2011 alone, SNAP raised 48% of all families living below the poverty line out of poverty, and 50% of families living in extreme poverty, which is classified by the United Nations as families earning less than $2’s a day (Sherter). Families only need to qualify to receive SNAP’s benefits which take into account income, family size, ability, and age. SNAP is able to immediately respond to families that don’t make enough money to adequately feed themselves, and assist them until assistance is no longer needed.

SNAP helps families get back on their feet, spending less on food, worrying less about the future so they can improve their circumstances now. In 2011, SNAP raised 4.7 million families out of poverty, almost all of them with children. Families nationwide rely on SNAP to feed themselves (USDA). SNAP, unlike food banks and other charitable organizations can guarantee food to families that qualify for the program. Most families on SNAP have jobs, and the money saved from worrying about when the family is going to eat again contributes to improving living standards: buying children presents during the holidays, investing in higher education, hiring tutors, buying children’s clothes, toiletries and gaining access to better modes of transportation and opportunities. Increasing investment in SNAP is the best and fastest way to ensure children don’t go to bed hungry.

Despite numerous benefits, the SNAP program isn’t immune to waste and budget cuts. House Republicans recently approved a Farm Bill that cuts funding to SNAP by 25% (Results). This will lead to massive hardships for families below the poverty line, who even with SNAP’s benefits still struggle to provide for themselves. On top of that, strict conservative imposed quality control standards sets the bar for benefits too high, not every family that is in need of assistance and suffers from food insecurity is able to get SNAP’s help. To increase the efficiency and get the most out of SNAP, I would suggest that we increase SNAPS funding by 50%, and remove the quality control standards so that anybody that needs help is able to receive it. Undocumented citizens, struggling families with an income slightly above the poverty line, and single parent households are often barred from receiving the life giving benefits of the SNAP program. I believe that nobody should be turned away from bettering their lives and feeding their families. The best way for America to ensure a bright and prosperous future is to invest in what make America such a great nation: the people.

Help Government Assistance Programs

Government benefit programs such as Lifeline Assistant Programs, Food Stamps, Medicaid and other supportive programs are extremely beneficial for people that are financially unstable. They are able to support people that are unable to support themselves. They allow others to have a chance to compete and survive in the surrounding world. Speaking for the young adults like myself, sometimes we tend to focus on ourselves. We forget about the people that may not be as fortunate as the rest of us. There are people out there that have limited choices at the grocery store, or spend all of their time working to support their family, or the people that are unable to work.

The disabled are those that physically cannot work to support themselves. They have some type of disability or limitation that keeps them from being completely independent. That is where the government is able to step in and help. The elderly is another population that deserves benefits from the government. Although they may not have a disability, they are physically limited to work because of their age and their physical endurance. They receive benefits from the government that allow them to buy the things they used to or receive the medical care that they need because of their age. Growing up should not be a punishment, in that way the government is able to support those that need a little extra boost to live comfortably.  The last group of people that receives support from the government is the unemployed. This is not necessarily a group of people that refuse to work, although that is what many people chose to believe. In some cases, it is merely people that are actively looking for a job but are currently unemployed. Because they are showing an effort in finding a job that will eventually bring in an income, the government encourages them by financially supporting them.  Some of the people that fall under the unemployed category take advantage of the system, which is where improvements can be made.

To more effectively distribute the money from governmental assistance programs, the selection process should be more exclusive. The disabled are the ones that need the most support. They physically are unable to live independently or work to support themselves. Rather than supporting the entire elderly population, only the disabled elderly should receive benefits. There are retired people that are still more than suited to work and be independent. Then there is the group of “unemployed” population. Any job is better than no job. People that sit at home all day should not receive benefits from government programs, yet somehow they get away with it. The definition for unemployed should only include those that are unemployed because they are unable to work, not because they chose not to. It is not universally fair for most of our population to be working to earn their paycheck, and once it is received, they are forced to give a percent of it away to people that stay home all day and use food stamps for ice cream and other nonessential items. Governmental benefit programs are extremely helpful and can be used for necessary reasons. To increase efficiency, the process in which the government decides who to grant the money and food stamps to, should have more stringent qualifications and guidelines. There is a definite need to police those who abuse the system and those generations after generations of families on welfare and food stamps  who have no intention of ever working, only asking for handouts that the rest of working America ends up paying for.