HOW CAN WE STOP THE ABUSE OF THE AMERICAN WELFARE SYSTEM...

HOW CAN WE STOP THE ABUSE OF THE AMERICAN WELFARE SYSTEM? It is well known that the Social Security Act of 1935 created a federally financed and federally administered retirement insurance program for people who had worked in certain sectors of the economy and had paid payroll taxes on their wages. What is less known is that the Act also created a federally financed but state-administered program called Aid to Dependent Children (â€Å"ADC,† later to become Aid to Families with Dependent Children, or â€Å"AFDC†)? As Sheldon H. Danziger and Jeffrey S. Lehman stated in â€Å"Welfare†, â€Å"When Americans speak of â€Å"welfare† or â€Å"relief† they are usually alluding to ADC and its successor programs. From the outset, the design and implementation of ADC†¦show more content†¦The opposition to entitlements was partially based on religion and partially on the American credo of â€Å"individuals working hard and reaping the rewards†. Gradually, the concept of working for welfare checks , particularly among able bodied males, gained wide acceptance. This concept of doing some kind of work for volunteer/nonprofit organizations and municipalities came to be known as â€Å"Workfare†. The greatest impetus, however, for the political movement away from the entitlement credo was the perceived wide-spread abuse of the welfare system. The â€Å"Welfare Cadillac and Mink Coat† motifs were used so often that they became part of the pantheon of â€Å"Urban Legends†. Faced with public outcries and indignation, the Federal Government completely overhauled the welfare system in 1996. However, even with the 1996 overhaul, the welfare system is often perceived as being abused. The questions become: †¢ Can we identify the areas of abuse? †¢ Can prevention of the abuse be mandated or legislated? †¢ Can training/education/employment programs lessen or stop the abuse? †¢ Can we stop/lessen abuse without injuring innocent bystanders (young children, etc)? One of the major welfare abuses is â€Å"double-dipping† (working and illegally continuing to receive welfare and/or food stamp benefits). Double-dipping costs the welfare system millions of dollars annually. Cooperation between local welfare and law enforcement agencies canShow MoreRelatedThe Controversial Idea Of Drug Testing Welfare Recipients1510 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of drug testing welfare recipients, the most important thing I leaned is that Kline and colleagues surveyed substance use among a representative sample of welfare recipients in New Jersey. They found that 12 percent admitted that they used cocaine, but 25 percent tested positive for cocaine use based on hair sample analyses. 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