Welfare to Workfare
Welfare is a public assistance program that provides at least a minimum amount of economic security to people whose incomes are insufficient to maintain an adequate standard of living. These programs generally include such benefits as financial aid to individuals, subsidized medical care, and stamps that are used to purchase food. The modern U.S. welfare system dates back to the Great Depression of the 1930's. During the worst parts of the Depression, about one-fourth of the labor force was without work. More than two-thirds of all households would have been considered poor by today's standards. With a majority of the capable adult population experiencing severe financial misfortune, many Americans turned to the government for answers. In response, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt led a social and economic reform movement attacking the Depression. Part of his newly enacted "New Deal" program was the Social Security Act, enacted by Congress in 1935. This act and established a number of social welfare programs, each designed to provide support for different segments of the population. Recently Roosevelt's Social Welfare Program has become a topic of heated debate. Welfare has come a long way since Roosevelt, it was once a
Opponents of the bill have a much different view, they believe that the new program will have a negative effect on society and the economy. Labor unions, and others who are against the legislation, are concerned that welfare recipients, often available at lower rates, will displace current workers. Businesses pressured by the federal government to handle their share if the burden in ending welfare as we know it, must struggle with the uncertainty of employing workers who for years were unemployed. Critics of the bills also believe that the legislation goes too far by cutting too much from welfare spending and harming poor children. They contend that the unemployed poor need training in order to get a job, and that a welfare-to-work program including training will cost more money not less. Berkowitz, Edward D. America's Welfare State: From Roosevelt to Regan. The American Moment Series. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991. system that help those in need until they could get back on their feet, now welfare has turned into a system that feeds money to a group of people that have become to lazy to find work. Talk of replacing the old system with a welfare program that will emphasize putting welfare recipients to work has become very frequent. Mo
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Approximate Word count = 858
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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