Universal Basic Income

People generally enjoy working and being productive members of society. The positive effects of the Welfare Reform Act is moving to eventually end poverty in America and promote economic growth. According to the 2005 report measuring welfare dependents “Poverty in 2003 remains much lower than in 1996, the year of passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. The official poverty rate for 2003 was 12.5 percent, compared to 13.7 percent in 1996.” ( Gil Crouse, Susan Hauan, Julia Isaacs, Kendall Swenson and Lisa Trivits, 2005 ) States that design welfare-to-work policies that emphasized getting recipients into jobs by shifting to “work-first” welfare systems can modify program rules to allow more earned income,

The welfare system has been controversial throughout U.S. history. It is constantly under attack and is often the chosen topic of political debates. In 2015, 35.4% of Americans were on welfare (Boyd). Welfare is a government ran program, where the government gives benefits to people who cannot afford to take care of themselves or their family (“Brief”). The benefits that the government gives to the people are money and the necessities they need to live a normal life (“Welfare” 825). The welfare system is an interesting topic and has many layers. Although it is necessary, at the same time it is frustrating for many politicians and U.S. citizens. Numerous people abuse the welfare system everyday. People have found many ways to take

The current (US) welfare reform consists of more than cash payment that the poor US citizen could bank on. There is a monthly payment that each poor person received in spite of their ability to work. The main people who received this payment were both mothers and children. Moreover, the payment does not have time limit and those people could not remain on the welfare for the rest of their live.

The welfare systems are based on the principle of public responsibility on equitable wealth distribution and equality of opportunities to citizens who are unable to afford minimal levels of quality and good life, through provision of universal education programs, health care and subsidised housing. In most of the states, welfare systems are not used in the right manner they are intended to. Although the systems are meant to reduce the poverty level and at least assists individuals to get decent jobs, many recipients develops news ways every year to prolong their dependency in the system. Statistics show that women easily abuse the welfare system by simply having more children each year since this means that more money will come in their mails. Most of the recipients on welfare are able to work

When most people think of the average welfare recipient they most likely imagine someone who is a slacker; unambitious and one who is not a hard worker, someone who lazes around waiting until their welfare check comes in so that they can spend it all on whatever frivolous thing they want, and wait until the next check arrives. Sometimes people think of a mother and her children in a poor neighborhood, who wants more money to spend on expensive clothes and electronics, so she gets her welfare checks and buys the expensive yet unnecessary items without using the money to get out of a bad financial situation, contented to live this way without working towards anything better. Nobody would be in support of a system that gives undeserving people their own tax money. However, that is not what welfare looks like. Welfare looks like overworked parents who are doing the best they can, but still don’t have enough to put a meal on the table. Welfare looks like people afraid to lose their homes and willing to do almost anything to just keep living. Welfare looks like the mentally disabled, who despite trying their hardest, need more help. This is what welfare looks like; people in need who strive to live a better life. Welfare helps families in need not only by giving them money but by aiding them with every aspect of their lives such as food, shelter, and more to improve the quality of their life.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, welfare is defined as “a government program for poor or unemployed people that helps pay for their food, housing, medical costs, etc.” (Dictionary) Some of these programs include; Food Stamps, Medicaid, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Head Start, Medicare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Work Study.

The welfare system was originally created to help people who were temporarily out of work or in need of assistance, but “total welfare spending has nearly doubled since 1996” (Donovan and Rector). Through the years, this program has evolved into a system that still offers assistance, but also does not encourage it recipients to find a way out. The welfare system is dishing out millions of dollars each year to recipients who are putting forth zero effort into supporting themselves and their families. Instead, they rely on tax-payer 's money. The weight of supporting these programs is on the shoulders of middle class workers. As a result American society is getting into deeper poverty. “Unless Congress acts, it will drive the nation into bankruptcy” (Donovan and Rector). The welfare system was at once a good idea to help others get off their feet, but it has changed dramatically over the years due to people abusing the system.

In the United States there are “over 100 million people receiving some form of federal welfare” (Munoz#7). The purpose of creating the welfare system was to provide aid to those families with “little to no income” (article 1). Back in 1996 Clinton passed the welfare reform act; allowing state full control of the welfare system. The Welfare Reform Act was to help steer welfare

The short article cut from “America’s New Working Class”, by Kathleen R. Arnold, depicts the failure of the American’s federal welfare system. It seems like mostly Americans agree that the propose of federal welfare programs is to provide economic assistance such as food stamps to people who need it. However, Arnold states that the real propose of welfare programs is to maintain a supply of cheap labor in order to make them to have obedient adaptive function and closely keep watch on those welfare recipients. For example, the bad treatment for parole people will only lead them go back the prison; and for those noncompliance workfare recipients, the bad treatment and poor support will lead them to become homeless and malnourish, which make them become much more poverty.

In the article, “The Case For Free Money: Why Don’t We Have Universal Basic Income,” James Surowiecki presents the benefits of a universal basic income and why it is appealing to workers and politicians. After an experiment, known as “Mincome,” implanted universal basic income in Dauphin during the 1970s, evidence clearly shows that the Canadian town received remarkable advantages, such as lowered dropout rates and hospitalization rates. The idea of universal basic income is not new, however, it is regaining popularity. Contrary to popular belief, some from both the Democratic and Republican parties support assured basic income, Surowiecki claims. The current push for universal basic income is emboldened by the rising concern of advancing

The analytical findings of Brady, D.( 2009, p.81) stated that “As countries devote a larger share of their economy to welfare, poverty declines steeply.” This happened to Scandinavia, Finland, and Sweden, and European continental countries like Netherlands and Belgium. USA was identified to have high poverty and low welfare expenses. He also made clear that poverty is not necessarily increased by higher welfare generosity.(p.84) and further says that it benefits all rather than just “the elderly or men” (p.87). The 5 features of welfare state were historically proven to reduce poverty through greater generosity with (1) social welfare expenditures, (2) expenditures for public health, (3) social security, (4) government expenditures, and (5) “decommodification” (p.91). Brady, D. (p.92) also contends that public employment is less effective than welfare state generosity as a

Welfare dependency has increased dramatically since the mid 1960's, with a growing trend of more claimants and fewer payers. Saunders believes the welfare system is revealing serious flaws which are encouraging welfare dependency mainly due to a system which does not encourage self-reliance and work ethic for the majority of recipients. Saunders addresses the issue of poverty amongst welfare dependent households, arguing that current benefits sit above the poverty line and that increased benefits will not necessarily solve poverty, alternatively increasing dependency beyond current levels. He recognises the efficiency and equity implications of the current system, calling for significant and simultaneous reforms to the tax system, labour

United States Government Welfare began in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Franklin D. Roosevelt thought of this system as an aid for low-income families whose men were off to war, or injured while at war. The welfare system proved to be beneficial early on by giving families temporary aid, just enough to help them accommodate their family’s needs. Fast forward almost 90 years, and it has become apparent that this one once helpful system, has become flawed. Welfare itself and the ideologies it stands on, contains decent fundamentals; furthermore, this system of aid needs only to be reformed to better meet the needs of today’s society.

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.” Welfare is defined as a procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need. Welfare was a system created to help those who could not help themselves; today that system is being misused and abused. The government collects money from working individuals in the form of taxes and distributes it to assist those who cannot work on their own, or those who simply choose not to work.

The idea of a universal basic income is awesome. It provides income from a source usually the government which is unconditional. Often times, employers do not pay their employees the amount that reflects the work ethic. This is money that is due to the workers. The advantages are that is would reduce poverty, trigger growth, and supports financial freedom. For example, a simplified payroll would just have a universal basic income composed of a flat tax fee. As it stands right now, the income gets taxed by the federal government several times, local government, regional government, state government, and unemployment insurance. A simple flat fee would eradicate the taxes whereby people would know exactly what is owed and make appropriate provisions.