Bruce McIntosh – 5/4/08

This page was last updated on May 6, 2008.

Welfare is out of control; Bruce McIntosh; Beaver County Times; May 4, 2008.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I can only hope other readers took notice of the April 22 letter to the editor ‘Welfare and drug tests.’

“The welfare abuse in this county is absolutely outrageous, and it’s high time, no pun intended, that something is done about it.

“I used to work at a local grocery store and saw this abuse first hand. I made $7.50 an hour at the time and was struggling to get by. I not only had to witness these folks marching around in their brand new clothing, talking on their brand new cell phones, but the kicker was I had to help bag their multi-hundred-dollar grocery orders that nine times out of 10 was paid for with an Access card.

“First off, let me just say that I have absolutely no problem at all with someone who is temporarily out of work and needs this assistance. That is what it is there for. Everyone falls on hard times once in a while.”

[RWC] No, not “[e]veryone falls on hard times once in a while” to the extent they qualify for welfare or other hand-out programs.

“The key word here is ‘temporarily.’ There must be a limit set as to how long this can be collected without having a job. I think nine months, possibly a year is beyond a sufficient amount of time to find employment.

“Even if it is part-time work, you need to at least be helping to contribute for some of this assistance for which we have all been paying for so long.”

[RWC] I’m not an expert, but a quick web search indicated there are two federal limits. To continue receiving benefits past 24 months, a recipient must have a job. With exceptions for “hardship cases” (up to 20% of a state’s caseload), whatever those requirements are, the federal lifetime limit on receiving welfare is 60 months. States can have longer limits, but they receive no federal funds for people who exceed the federal limits. I saw no provision for requiring past recipients who can afford to do so to repay the benefits they received.

“If you are working and need this to help make ends meet, that is perfectly fine in my book. But if you lay around all day, basically refusing to work or even look for a job, it’s time to hop off the gravy train.”

[RWC] Do I believe people who need help because of unforeseen circumstances should get it? Of course, but via private charities funded by voluntary contributions. Welfare and similar programs are not a right.

“Think about it, folks. This is your hard-earned money that is being spent here. Something needs to be done about this mess, and the sooner the better.”

[RWC] Currently, Democrats in Congress want to jack up the limits.