Journal Entry #1 I chose to write about the speaker we had today, February 23, 2016 because the topic really interests me. There are so many myths about the welfare system that found it fascinating to hear the truth about those myths people are always talking about. Most of the time the welfare system is perceived as being an abused system. I have heard the statement, “People who are on welfare are just lazy!” many times and I actually started to believe the stereotype since the concept has been so accepted in todays society but that can’t be true since stereotypes are never correct because they do not apply to everyone. I learned a lot about these type of concepts on stereotypes in Sociology 1000 last semester. The class really changed my …show more content…
I know that this is the average but for some people who would like to maintain a healthy lifestyle but are unable to afford it, this would not be enough money. Society today thinks that people who are on food stamps should only be able to buy certain types of foods such as the type that come from the frozen food section. These foods are not always bad but they are not always the healthiest choice. People on food stamps are most likely buying their food from the frozen section because they are trying to make their $122.84 last until the next month and you can find the cheapest selections to be frozen. I am not saying that citizens on food stamps should be having steak for dinner every night but I feel that they should be able to afford healthier options and some selection from the produce …show more content…
When people are referring the “welfare”, they are referring to a number of government assistant programs that are provided to help struggling Americans with poverty (Johnson). One common myth that is actually very prominent today is that illegal immigrant come over from other countries and are treated better than United States citizens such as easily receiving government assistance (Johnson). This is not true and there is no way it could be true because even United States citizens have to prove their identity. Our speaker today, Monica Drake said that the only way any illegal immigrant can get any type of assistance is if they have a child but still then their child is the one benefitting from the Medicaid and it is only for a short 48 hours. The next myth that really caught my eye was the one that people are only using government assistance to upkeep their drug habits. Tennessee has recently started drug testing their applicants and found out that less than 1% of the applicants are using the system for drug habits (Johnson). I will have to admit that I too had this stereotype in my head at one time. This statistic really stuck out to me because it is such as small number of people abusing the system compared to the number that people THINK are abusing
Although welfare is to support those in need it does comes with its own share of stereotypes. Often mothers on welfare are looked at as lazy, promiscuous, and uneducated. Moreover, in the article a mother on welfare says that a lot times the system is abused. People taking advantage of the opportunity and don’t need it. She goes on to criticize women that don’t take care of their children but always collecting
Welfare reform is viewed by many as an attack on poor, single mothers. According to Rebecca Blank, “single-mother families are the largest (and fastest-growing) family type.” They also make up nearly all of the families who receive welfare (only 7% of welfare recipients live in two-parent households and even fewer welfare households are headed by men, according to Hays.) Hays also notes in the book that these single mothers are frequently derided as lazy, promiscuous, and are accused of abusing the welfare system for their ill-gotten gains (which in most cases total the princely sum of less than $500 per month.)
In the book The Odyssey, gender roles and stereotypes are broken, but at the same time are used to the advantage of those whom the cliché applies. One example of this is the character Circe. In the time period, women were typically viewed as the inferior gender.
Unfortunately, this fraudulent behavior is still happening today. People of difference race, gender, religion and etc., seeks public assistance and find ways to capitalized on the system to receive more than they are truly allowed. A 1987 national study found that 74 percent of those surveyed believed that most welfare recipients were dishonest and collected more benefits than they deserved (Martin, 2014, p 36).
Throughout his journey, Odysseus meets a variety of people, some of them are human while others are simply inhabitants of the land they possess. These people assist in displaying the diversity within this this epic poem because the reader is able to explore how they differ from normal Greek practices. We are able to compare their agricultural labor, diet, and most importantly, how they married. The views on women in Ancient Greek was not a great one and that is something that I will discuss in this essay because Anne Carson believed that back then, women adhered to a stereotype in which they were seen as dirt. However, these stereotypes not only define women but also men and can be used throughout the game of Mythos Unbound.
Perhaps another roadblock put in front of us, as explained in 7 Lies About Welfare by Danica Johnson, is the stigma people give to those of us who are less fortunate. When someone thinks of a person in poverty they think of homelessness at worst, living in subsidized housing at best. They don’t consider that it is not always like that. Some live in their own places and out of all the help provided, maybe they only need to use food stamps. Danica tells how most people do not even know what “welfare” even is, they just think of lazy individuals trying to cash in taxpayer money for luxury items and drugs. They don’t know what their tax dollars go toward, how much of it, and what the programs even do. In fact, most government assisted programs seek to provide only the bare minimum amount of help that an individual or a family need to survive. Also to be noted, most benefit programs require recipients to work at least 30 hours a week in order to be eligible. Sometimes even between 35-50 hours a week for two parent households. In addition, July 2014 Texas began drug testing their welfare applicants
In the United States one third of the population receives benefits from the government and although some do need it and use it honestly there is a large majority of welfare users who misuse and abuse it. For example there are people who spend their welfare check on items that are not needed when they go to the grocery store the main use for their check should be to buy healthy and necessary items for their family but instead they like to buy overpriced brand named foods. There are even people who try to use the money given to them to buy alcohol, cigarettes, guns, strip clubs and some even go gamble with it. These kinds of people are the ones who give this program a bad reputation and less chance for those who do actually need it to receive
The money they receive for welfare is the money that is used to buy illegal drugs while they use the public’s tax money for food and shelter (“Point: The Welfare System Should Not support Drug Users “2). To receive welfare benefits, recipients should have to pass random drug tests. Passing a drug test or a drug screening would determine whether they still qualify for the benefit of welfare. (“Drug testing Issues Emerge as States Overhaul Welfare”2). If the recipients cannot pass a random drug test, then the benefits of Welfare should be taken away from them, at least until they can pass a drug test. They should be able to stay in the Welfare system for three months. If they can eventually pass a drug test in that three month period, then they should be able to get their benefits back. People who are welfare recipients can benefit from substance abuse programs (DiLascio, M. 1). “It will take months before many of the questions being raised about coverage for alcohol and drug abusers linkages to treatment programs, and other eligibility questions begin to be resolved, analysts say” (“Drug Testing issues emerge as States Overhaul Welfare” 1). In Florida, people in TANF program had to pay for their drug test in advance. If they passed, then they would get their money back (DiLascio, M.
Eligibility cuts, are cuts that eliminate eligibility for certain categories of households. States will have to cut an average of 10 million people from the program each year from 2021-2026. States also have the choice by lowering the income by providing less money to the programs every month. To achieve a 29 percent overall the House will have to lower the SNAP income limit to a solid 68 percent of the poverty level. The current federal limit is 130 percent of the poverty level. The benefit cuts are cuts that come across the board, states would have to cut an average of more than $40 person per month in 2021-2026. This would require to set the maximum amount to 77 percent of the cost plan for the Thrifty Food Plan, the Agriculture Department, to estimate the cost of nutritional food. With this being such a change families of four will have a significant cut in their families budget. The benefit cuts will cost a family of four nearly $165 per month or close to $2,000 per year
Resulting in the others stereotyping welfare recipients as lazy and drug involved individuals, which there has been NO evidence supporting either of those statements(Pyke). For example, Tennessee recently concluded a drug screening on individuals who applied for welfare. The results revealed that less than one half of one percent of individuals failed the drug test. In other words, only 37 out of 16,000 people tested positive for drugs in their system (Pyke). Now given that not every state requires a drug screening, people slip through the cracks, again portraying welfare as a bad thing. With such a bad rep, a constant question is brought up to the surface; “Should welfare recipients be required to work(Pyke)?”
In today’s society many people are skeptical on the use of welfare, in the United States alone 35.4% people are on welfare. Most people may think welfare can be used to help people such as people who are ineligible to work or the homeless who don’t have a job but need help for the time being. Thinking about it from another view welfare can be used as a bad thing such as buying drugs. As of 2015 13 states can drug test welfare recipients and 19 are considering.
Thousands of people are signed up to receive welfare in America, this program is designed to aid poor and needy families. However, it has become some people’s way of earning an income. Several argue against and say that welfare is not destroying our country and creating a dependent people who have learned to abuse certain privileges that come with living in this nation.
The article, “States Adding Drug Test as Hurdle for Welfare” stated that in three dozen sates proposed drug testing for the people that are on welfare. However, people say that the tax dollars given to them are not being misused and that it’s promoting stereotypes about the poor. the article says that in Florida, people that receive welfare have to pay for their own drug tests. Also, it says that people argued that it was unreasonable to drug test those on welfare and that it was an act of search and seizure. It’s noted that drug tests are getting more and more required for getting jobs. Ellen Brandom, a state representative in Missouri said, “Working people today work very hard to make ends meet, and it just doesn’t seem fair to them that
Welfare is intended for families or individuals that are in need of assistance with no or little income. For those who do not know, Welfare funds come from hard working individuals that are required to pay taxes. Now we wonder, are the tax payers’ hard earned money going to the right deserving recipients? Welfare fraud is on the rise in this country. Many are taking advantage of the system taking away the help that is meant for people that truly needed help to provide for their families or people that need assistance until they can stand on their own feet. Statistics clearly show that “785,000 to 1.2 million families are illegally receiving welfare benefits. At the average rate of $11,500 per year, this means taxpayers are being
Throughout history, there have always been people willing to work for what they want, and those who expect things to be handed to them as if it was a natural-born right. While the welfare system does positively impact some families in need, many people take advantage of it. With this being a well known fact, the government still continues to use ten percent of the federal budget on welfare (“Budget” 1).