Should Welfare Be Mandatory

Welfare is government aid intended to help people and families with little to no income, this includes people that work and make very little money. Welfare was created mainly for families with children, the elderly and disabled people. Welfare can include cash assistance (TANIF), food stamps, section 8 housing, childcare assistance and Medicaid. In some states, welfare can take the form of vouchers, credits, or grants as well. There are certain eligibility requirements for welfare in the United States. If a person wants to receive welfare, they must go to a local health and human service department to apply. They would bring proof of financial need and meet a large range of federal and state requirements.

For a person to become eligible for welfare in the United States the applicant has to be a US citizen or lawfully permanent residence. When a person applies for welfare their citizenship status is reviewed, as well as the status of each household member before assistance is granted. Each state has its own residency requirements as well. Some people believe these requirements are not enough to be eligible to receive all of these types of benefits. The state of Michigan, the only state to have
imposed random drug testing on welfare recipients, found that 10 percent tested positive for illicit drugs, with 3 percent testing positive for hard drugs such as cocaine. "These rates are consistent with the general population," according to the liberal Center for Law and Social Policy.

The ongoing question is should Welfare recipients be required to drug test?
I myself currently receive most of the benefits that are included in the above paragraph. I am a single mother of two very young children. I work close to 25 hours per week, and I go to college to earn a degree to better my children and my life. I stay focused on important things in my life and put my priority’s first. Since I was thirteen years old, I have worked a full time job. Until this last year my hours lessened because of my very busy schedule. I do not do hard drugs, but I do not mind having a drink once or twice a week to unwind. I have never bought alcohol with any of my state assistance money, but I personally know many people who use all of their assistance money to buy illegal
drugs.

I strongly believe a major percentage of people take advantage of the welfare programs. I think it should be required for all Welfare applicants to be drug screened at time of application and screened randomly throughout time of receiving benefits. The administration, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, found that 9.6 percent of people living in households that receive government assistance used illicit drugs, compared with a 6.8 percent rate among families who receive no assistance. I have seen families who are unable to take care of their families because of their drug use. These families are only given a small amount of money to pay all of their bills. It is wrong to watch a father of two young girls go out and buy himself drugs for two days instead of pay to buy his daughters new shoes or toothpaste.

With these random drug screenings Welfare recipients will be held accountable for their actions. My saying is nothing in this world is free. They will be required to spend their money on much more practical things to benefit their families. I believe it would be a good idea to even show proof of moneys spent. The state is giving this money to help these people pay for the important and minimum things, receipts would prove where and when money is spent. The drug tests would just keep people from making bad choices for their already suffering families.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125387528 http://www.wisegeek.com/who-is-eligible-for-welfare-in-the-united-states.htm The liberal Center for Law and Social Policy.