02-11-2010, 09:42 AM
There is a 5 year limit on welfare unless you are certified physically or psychologically disabled by an independent medical board, i.e. not your personal doctor. Welfare recipients are mandated to go into a First to Work program, and if they don't do paid work, they have to do volunteer work for 20-35 hours per week depending on if they have young children or not. If you don't work the hours, you lose your financial. Most of the people on welfare are under educated, came from families that were messed up, didn't emphasize education or responsibility, and almost none of them were given access to birth control and/or told they were going against god if they use it. On welfare they generally get less than minimum wage equivalent. Unemployment is 12% on this island, and really, there are rarely good career jobs and those that exist pay far less than in mainland cities. There are many problems with the welfare system, but not doing anything and abusing the system aren't really problems. I think the biggesr problems are lack of education, basic job skills, basic computer skills, etc. I work with people on welfare for a living. I don't know any that I would trade places with, or would have even in the worst time in my life. Sure, some of them can have boyfriends/girlfriends that pay for things, but there is no security and often abuse that goes with that. Welfare cuts hurt people that are barely scraping by. When people barely scrape by they do what they have to do to cope--crime, drugs, etc, and that costs tax payers far, far more.