The Welfare System Makes People Dependent

One of the many reasons why America is called “The Land of Opportunity” is because its citizens can move up in socio-economic status through hard work and dedication. However, when U.S. citizens fall on hard times, government-established programs offer financial assistance.
The history of welfare reform reveals that the question of personal responsibility versus assistance to those in need has been a constant in the debate over welfare. In the 1950s and 1960s, welfare reform was limited to various states' attempts to impose residency requirements on welfare applicants and remove illegitimate children from the welfare rolls. During the 1970s advocates of welfare reform promoted the theory of …show more content…

Welfare is supposed to be a second chance, not a way of life. Although, welfare is at any one’s reach, Americans have always taken advantage of all of its great help. For example, people often lie about their financial stability or state they are divorced to get more benefits. As a result, recipients usually do become dependent because welfare gives them an incentive to avoid work. Secondly, I believe welfare pushes people to have more children because they know they will benefit from it. Many mothers who are on welfare have become dependent on it. Instead of using the money to survive while they look for a job, they are sitting at home, and waiting by the mail for the next check to come in. In the meantime, many mothers are having more kids, because more kids, means more welfare money. These women relish the thought of getting free money in the mail for doing absolutely nothing. Stephanie Redyns reports that, “Some people just keep having children regardless of the daily drain on themselves and society. It cannot possibly be a good thing to have more children than one can handle” (2007). Many people abuse the welfare system and simply have children so they can continue to receive more money for a longer period of time. In summary, welfare gives