The public welfare in the United States is formed to save money instead of people and to provide better living for all the people, but it transpires doing neither of them. There are two main reasons for it:

First, it neglects a large number of people who are in need and if they are provided with some support will be much more productive and autonomous. Some millions of them are not aged, disabled, handicapped or parent of minor children; they are just needy unemployed and underemployed men and women waiting for protection by government.

Second, people who are included in the welfare programs, but they are provided with minimum assistance to live an honorable life will remain dependent on the welfare, with a lot of restrictions, undermining their self-worth and dignity.

There is a confusion of statutory administrative practices and regulations that the recipients are measured unrestrained, untrustworthy and lazy. The newly arrived ones to the states are not provided with the assistance, because of the residence requirements, for instance. If officials’ agents search their homes it is privacy violation. More, problems are combined with unacceptable social services. So, it is not a well-balanced whole.

The term welfare in the U.S commonly refers to the programs that are government-funded. Unemployed and underemployed men and women are provided with economic supports, goods and services. Professionals call it social welfare that contains any programs that support people to perform better in the society.

There are more than one hundred and twenty welfare programs in the federal government of the United States. There always have been controversies over it and the main question has been on its existence, whether it should be or not. The number of programs is so many that actually some think, the government interferes the free enterprise system, though it must subsidize the system. The principle investment of major industries such as telecommunication, aerospace and biotechnology has not been provided by the government to run their tasks, government funds are given freely to corporations but they do not announce it. Welfare corporate has not been considered debilitating.

Welfare system should protect citizens of societies against anguish and agony effects of poverty. Since it does not end the dependency of people on governments; many believe it can not create a society free from unemployment.

In the other hand not all people can work, very young, very old and disabled are among those. There are sometimes not enough work opportunities even for those who can work properly. The United States is one of the countries with free-market economy and a certain percent of capable working-age adults will always remain unemployed and that is due the technological and job skill changes happening day by day. The rates of unemployment regionally and from season to season are different. So welfare can assist the segments and fragments of population.

That was early19th century that local governments started to provide for poor new opportunities, by different ways such as contracting with wealthy families to help them, locating them in workhouses or providing them with cash or goods. Some politicians expressed their concerns however. A reform movement happened in many states 182os and 1830s to rehabilitate the poor by replacing outdoor relief with workhouses. The second reform efforts happened in 1880s and 1890s to improve their social functioning and encouraging them to be independent through social work. Opposition existed, but welfare did not disappear. The Congress supported different programs to expand public provisions for the poor. Establishing mother’ pensions for poor mothers mostly widows and workers’ compensation programs came in to being by early twentieth century.

During the worst years of great depression nearly one-fourth of labor force was jobless and much more poor households were poor by current standards. The development of the US modern welfare dates to 1930s. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the one who led a new reform movement, economically and socially. The Social Security Act was part of his New Deal program which established a number of welfare programs. Each of them was designed to protect different segments of population, for retired people and their families, for dependent children and those who lost their jobs temporarily. In 1946 The Social Security Administration was established by government.

The other establishments were Federal Security Agecy1939, the Department of Health, Education and Welfare 1953, the Department of Health and Human Services 1980 and the Department of Housing and Urban Development 1965.The Department of Education, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Treasury as well as the Department of Labor manage some different welfare programs. Funding for such programs has increased especially for working poor families.

Government’s welfare programs are performed in different ways, distributing direct cash, certain goods such as public housing, subsidized rents, and coupons to buy food or the means to obtain services. The government decides to whom or how much welfare must be provided and that is based on the economic well-being. As soon as the recipient’s income increases, the welfare programs fall. Some are restricted programs to control those meeting additional benefits. Members of specific groups deserve certain forms of welfare. For example, elderly people or those with mental or physical disabilities get several supports that are especially for them. Other disadvantaged people are students, unpaid workers like mothers and caregivers and minority groups who are provided with a minimum level of income.

Welfare creates problems, too. If the recipients earn more money their benefits may fall and they will have to pay taxes, so some people prefer to remain on welfare and not to look for jobs. Some other people who work but their income is not enough can not neglect the benefits of welfare, either. Moreover, some change their behaviors to be eligible for advantages could be obtained from welfare, for instance a young parent may not marry again just to enjoy the benefits of welfare.

Democrats and Republicans have different ideas over the issue of welfare; Republicans desire is to make conditions well enough for more work and less dependency on welfare .They support time limits on welfare. They believe welfare should promise the recipients and their children education or job trainings. The welfare recipients must be free from drug and they must get proper immunizations. The welfare reform should not cost more than existing programs.

Democrats on the other hand vote against requirement of time limits on welfare and the programs making recipients work. Under the present Democrat administration Florida for example, gives away millions of dollars each year to individuals who do not deserve receiving the benefits.

Critics have argued over different programs to get what they think is the best one. Time limit programs or the money devoted for job trainings are among the matters they argue over.

By: Fatemeh Azimzadeh