POLITICAL ISSUE #504: EXCESSIVE WELFARE

PRESENT CONDITION: The purpose of welfare is for society to provide assistance in times of temporary hardship and then to motivate individuals to return to economic self-sufficiency. America's welfare population is large, growing rapidly and becoming an institutionalized work substitute support program among significant segments of the population.

DIRECTION OF IMPROVEMENT: Both the percentage of people on welfare and the duration spent on welfare should be reduced.

ISSUE JUSTIFICATION: The safety net of welfare is an opportunity for society to support fellow citizens in hard times and return them to a self supporting life. However excessive welfare is socially disruptive both by encouraging people not to be responsible and self sufficient and by causing resentment among the working population who must contribute part of their earnings to support welfare. The great challenge of all social programs is in Reagan's words, "to support the needed and not the greedy". Past failures to exercise reasonable controls have resulted in the present near runaway program. Failure to reform the present program will lead to default with massive social disruptions.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR ISSUE # 504: EXCESSIVE WELFARE

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BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Welfare recipients shall be required to perform government specified work in return for their welfare payments.

JUSTIFICATION: Welfare is social support to people who are temporarily unable to economically support themselves and their families. Welfare is not a substitute for gainful employment. Requiring welfare recipients to perform work reduces the incentive to go on welfare or stay on welfare.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.1 WORKFARE

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.2 LOW INCOME WARE INCENTIVE

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Rather than paying welfare to people who claim they are unable to find a job, the United States shall offer an hourly wage assistance program for low income workers. The object of this program shall be to expand the market for low skill jobs by lowering the wage paid by employers while at the same time maintaining the wage received by employees above the minimum wage to encourage people to work.

The following is an example of the implementation of this program. The minimum employer wage would be set at $2/hr. However the American people would supplement this by an additional $4/hr for a total of $6/hr minimum employee wage. For each $1/hr in employer wage, the "helping hand subsidy" would decrease by 50¢.

Employeer paid wage . . $2 . . $4 . . .$6 . . $8 . . . $10
Helping Hand Subsidy . . $4 . . $3 . . .$2 . . $1 . . . $ 0
Employee wage . . . . . . .$6 . . $7 . . .$8 . . $9 . . . $10

Reducing the employer wage will make many more jobs available that currently do not justify the present minimum wage. Paying low income workers a living wage, especially when most of that wage is a helping hand from their fellow citizens to supplement the wages that the worker's skills really command in a free market will (along with the termination of welfare) motivate people to work.

JUSTIFICATION: We have only two choices, we can devise a system that both makes jobs available to everyone and motivates people to work or we can continue the present system that both denys people jobs (by setting a minimum employer wage) and encourages people not to work even when jobs are available by making welfare and unemployment too readily available. In the first system everyone contributes to society and fewer people are idle and getting into trouble while in the current system the unemployed are both an economic and social drain on American society.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.2 LOW INCOME WARE INCENTIVE

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.3 SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The Government shall provide child care to mothers on welfare while they perform required work and subsidized child care once they find work with the subsidy gradually reduced as their income level rises.

JUSTIFICATION: The lack of child care is both a legitimate barrier to working and a convenient excuse. Subsidized child care will enable welfare recipients to work without being concerned over the well being of their children.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.3 SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.4 LOW INCOME MEDICAL SUBSIDY

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: The government shall provide subsidized medical services to welfare recipients after they begin working with the subsidy decreasing as their income rises.

JUSTIFICATION: While medical services to welfare recipients is a socially compassionate act, the loss of these services when the recipient starts working is a strong incentive to stay on welfare. Therefore the system must very gradually phase out the free medical services if we realistically expect people to try to get off welfare.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.4 LOW INCOME MEDICAL SUBSIDY

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.5 NO BENEFITS TO MOTHERS UNDER 18

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: No welfare benefits shall be paid to mothers under the age of 18. Since the children must be cared for, this solution requires foster care or some other means to provide for child care.

JUSTIFICATION: Unfortunately the payment of welfare benefits to under age and usually unmarried mothers simply presents a means for teenage girls to achieve financial independence. While many such pregnancies may be unintentional, the present system removes the consequences for everyone and actually encourages others.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.5 NO BENEFITS TO MOTHERS UNDER 18

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.6 TWO YEAR LIMIT ON WELFARE

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: There shall be a two year limit for consecutive welfare payments.

JUSTIFICATION: The purpose of welfare is to provide short term financial assistance. Two years is adequate time to recover from a financial crisis and return to gainful employment.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.6 TWO YEAR LIMIT ON WELFARE

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.7 NO ADDITIONAL WELFARE PAYMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL CHILDREN

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: For parents on welfare there shall be no increase in the level of welfare payments for additional children conceived during the period of welfare payments. Welfare recipients shall be provided free birth control counseling.

JUSTIFICATION: The increase in welfare payments in proportion to the number of children provides an incentive for additional children.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.7 NO ADDITIONAL WELFARE PAYMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL CHILDREN

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.8 MINOR WELFARE MOTHERS MUST LIVE WITH PARENTS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Minor welfare mothers must live with one or both of their parents to be eligible for welfare payments.

JUSTIFICATION: The requirement to continue living with their parents removes any incentive to become a welfare mother in order to become independent.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.8 MINOR WELFARE MOTHERS MUST LIVE WITH PARENTS

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.9 ACTIVE FATHER IDENTIFICATION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Law enforcement shall make a concerted effort to identify fathers of children to welfare mothers. Both the fathers and mothers shall share a lifetime responsibility for the costs associated with the care of said child.

JUSTIFICATION: Conceiving a child is the most solumn of human responsibilities. The current explosion of children to underage parents who are emotionally and/or financially unable to care for their new human being, is both an inhumane act to their children and theft of the resources of society which must try to assume part of the financial and emotional responsibilities of parenting. Active father identification will make men equally responsible for their actions and hopefully curtail the level of welfare births.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.9 ACTIVE FATHER IDENTIFICATION

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SOLUTION DEFINITION STATEMENT
FOR
SOLUTION # 504.11 TREAT WELFARE AS A LOAN

BRIEF DESCRIPTION: States will keep a running total of welfare payments paid to individuals throughout their lifetimes. When they are gainfully employed, if their income exceeds a specified minimum, additional taxes will be charged to retire their welfare loan.

JUSTIFICATION: Many former welfare recipients will not earn enough in any year to begin to repay their welfare and the intent of this proposal is not to be severe. However a portion of welfare recipients do achieve a strong financial position and should be obligated to begin reimbursing society for their welfare payments.

AUTHOR: UWSA SANTA CLARA CO EMAIL: humphrey@aimnet.com

OPTIONS FOR SOLUTION # 504.11 TREAT WELFARE AS A LOAN

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