There are a variety of benefits offered by the government
for the needy. You have Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutritional Assistance
Program (SNAP), Medicaid, CHIP, Women’s Health and even housing assistance. Millions of people in Texas receive benefits.
In 2015, Texas has spent 8.9 billion dollars on welfare. I know I’m not the only one that thinks there
should be more regulations for the people receiving these benefits.
Why doesn’t the State of Texas implement a law that requires
residents of the state to submit a drug screening prior to receiving any funding
for SNAP, TANF, medical assistance or low income housing, in addition to the
financial requirements? If a resident is requesting assistance but
fails a drug test they should not receive assistance point blank. If you have money for drugs you should have
money to provide yourself and/or your family with food. My understanding is that these benefits are
for the welfare of the residents. These
benefits are not made to support residents and their families for their life
span or to use the funding as they wish for whatever they wish. I acknowledge that there are families that
will require assistance for their entire life, but these residents as well as
all the others should be able to prove that they are not using the money they
do earn, if any, inappropriately. This will
benefit the people by ensuring they are drug free, making a better life for
them emotionally, physically and logically. Or why not monitor what they purchase with the
funds they receive for food? Make them
accountable for their spending. Obesity is a huge problem all over the world
with numerous added health risks. If we
can prevent people from purchasing unhealthy foods it could make a difference in
numerous ways.
Sadly there are recipients that take advantage of the system.
Unfortunately there are people who sell their benefits for cash money or trade
them for drugs or purchase nothing but crappy unhealthy food for their
families. There are people whose use of
illegal drugs, cause many of their health issues. Of course there are people that use their
assistance correctly. The people that
just need help for a little while as they recover from life altering events. The
people that have no choice but to work low paying jobs just to get by but aren’t
making enough to even do that. This may be a hassle for them but the hassle is
well worth guaranteeing your family has a roof over their head, food on their
table and/or medical coverage. It is expected that implementing changes of
this sort will cost the state quite a bit of money but it could save them a lot
more.
Speaking as a person who has personally received
assistance from all of the mentioned forms of assistance I don’t see why
someone one would refuse to submit a drug screening or eating healthier foods.
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ReplyDeleteSassy Texas Skeptic,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'd like to say you're a clear and forward writer, and find you very easy to read. I feel I at least mostly agree with you on this topic. However, your idea gives me another idea, and I'd like to know how you feel about it.
So, as you can imagine, people that are on food stamps and drugs probably aren't living the best of lives, and are most likely in need of serious help. Not just with drug addiction rehabilitation, but also a mental health diagnosis and treatment plan. So, instead of casting aside those that fail the drug test, we take the money we were previously spending on feeding them month after month and invest it in psychologists and rehabs to treat and rehabilitate them instead.
We can feed them while they're in the rehabs and treatment centers, just like we would before, and if they leave or quit early for whatever reason then they wouldn't receive further assistance. (Unless their life was in serious peril if we didn't intervene) They can come back and restart the program at any time, and get right back on assistance while they continue to work with us, never should we permanently give up on an individual. When they complete the programs they get whatever regular necessary food and medical assistance, as well as put on a fast track to get in the work force. In extreme cases, (mostly the homeless), housing assistance should also be given.
Of course we'd have the benefits of happier, healthier and more productive citizens, but I don't just think we should do this out of morals and cause of that nice warm, fuzzy feeling inside...but I also have good reason to believe this would ultimately save us a lot of money. Not just in food stamps and other welfare services, but also the exorbitant amounts of unpaid medical and legal costs that the homeless, mentally ill and drug addicted tend to rack up. We'd also be creating a lot more jobs for psychologists, the most common major in the USA, and consequently very difficult to find work in. And all those other previously a detriment to society, leeching off of the system, are now contributing to it.
Yes, some people would abuse this system too, just like the old one. But most people genuinely need the help, and when they feel like they're really given a fighting chance and a serious opportunity for change, take advantage of it. They need real help. Not just a band-aid solution like a meager monthly paycheck to pay for some TV dinners, but something that really gets to the root of the problem, and fixes it once and for all.
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ReplyDeleteA drug test should be required before a person can receive welfare, because it will help make sure that the welfare allowance is being used for the right things. A drug test is required for the average person trying to get a job, so what is the issue if a drug test is also required for a person receiving benefits? It seems like a reasonable demand. If someone is blowing money on illegal drugs, then he or she does not deserve money from the government. I also agree with the author when she says that purchases made with welfare money should be monitored. Monitoring purchases will help make sure that the money is being used for the right things. Since children are often involved in households receiving welfare, such monitoring will make sure that the children are being appropriately cared for.
ReplyDeleteBesides drug testing, another regulation needed for government assistance is a work requirement. Unless there are extraordinary circumstances, people should be required to work for their welfare. Welfare is supposed to be a temporary thing, because everybody falls upon hard times. It is not supposed to become a way of life. The increased welfare spending in recent years is also an economic issue, particularly because of the burden it has on the middle class. People are not entitled to federal aid, and to suggest that they are goes against both Texan and American values of independence and hard work. Implementing regulations such as drug tests and a work requirement will help make sure that welfare money is going towards the right things and welfare recipients are contributing members of society