One trillion dollars—that’s how much the government spent last year on means-tested welfare aid, providing cash, food, housing, medical care, and social services to poor and low-income individuals. The food stamp program is the nation’s second largest welfare program.
The number of food stamp recipients has risen dramatically, from 17.2 million in 2000 to 45.8 million in 2015. Costs have soared over the same period, from $20.7 billion in 2000 to $83.1 billion in 2014.
The most rapid growth in the food stamp caseload in recent years has been among able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs). These are work-capable adult recipients between the ages of 18 and 49 who do not have children or other dependents to support.
The Need for Work Requirements
Since 2008, the food stamp caseload of adults without dependents who are able-bodied has more than doubled nationally, swelling from nearly 2 million recipients in 2008 to around 5 million today. They gained notoriety whenFox News aired a documentary on food stamps featuring 29-year-old Jason Greenslate, a Californian who reported that he spends his time surfing and playing in his rock band, all the while receiving benefits from the food stamp program.
In response to the growth in food stamp dependence, Maine’s governor, Paul LePage, recently established work requirements on recipients who are without dependents and able-bodied. In Maine, all able-bodied adults without dependents in the food stamp program are now required to take a job, participate in training, or perform community service.
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4 comments:
Great article!
10:02 - Agreed!
Additionally, the recipients should be tested for alcohol, tobacco, and non-medical drugs! The recipients should be observed for possession of non-life-sustaining-requirement items (e.g. new iPhone, 60" TV, MB with 24"chrome wheels, or a live-in boyfriend with any of the above). If the recipients are spending money on these items, they have chosen luxuries over necessities and should be disqualified from the program!
childless or not, every recipient of welfare, SSI, or unemployment should be made to perform some job to receive benefits.
The entire program needs to be totally scrapped, Everyone involved with the welfare system fired, than the whole system has to be reinvented and people hired back only as necessary. THE MAJORITY OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ARE UNNECESSARY AND ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. And yes, I do realize that SOME government employees ARE NECESSARY.
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