Some might say that our welfare system isn’t perfect, but it’s better than letting people starve on the streets. I say that while our welfare may be preventing starvation and poverty it is rapidly promoting another, perhaps worse problem--greed and entitlement. Not that I am of a sadistic nature, in fact I believe heavily in giving to the poor. What I don’t believe in, is the government forcibly taking our money and then the government deciding for themselves how our funds are distributed to the poor. I feel our debt is going to consume us in the future and welfare is just one of the facets adding to our out of control spending.

In the year 2000 over one trillion dollars were spent on welfare and that amount has steadily increased since then. Right now, about 11% of American citizens are on welfare and that number is likely to continue to increase even further due to the economy. Add into this that 40-50% of Americans do not pay taxes because they fall into the lower income bracket. This means that 30-40% of our population are neither helping nor hindering, 11% are draining our country’s funds, while the so called rich, who are often looked down on for being such, are the 50-60% of our population who are contributing to society by paying taxes. They are the ones who go to work and have a large chunk of their pay taken out so that we have public education, a police force, politicians, and yes, welfare. What happened to the American Dream? The dream that no matter who you are you can make it big here by hard work and determination.
A closer look at how these welfare funds are used by both the government and the individuals who use them would disturb many. In many states obesity and drug addiction is now classified as a disability. Those with these disabilities can now receive government aid. In essence, drug addicts are being paid to be addicted to drugs, so why would they stop? Who would have thought that self induced problems would start to receive government funding.
It is true that there are people out there who need our help; whether it’s a widow with no money, young children without food to eat, or the homeless who were laid off from their jobs due to a lack of money. These individuals clearly need assistance. However, a 30 year old man who plays video games all day has no right to these funds. I’m not so sure if the majority of those who fell within the 11% group receiving welfare even need it. From my personal experience of working at a grocery store for over four years now, I’ve seen what people buy with welfare money. Most individuals with Horizon cards (food stamps) buy candy, pop, and potato chips. Rarely have I ever even seen them buy something that I would classify as a necessity. Why are we paying these people to eat candy, pop, and chips? Will this not add to the obesity problem and force us to give them more money because of their new found disability?
The American people as a whole are some of the hardest working people in the world. That’s our dream to work hard and make it big. But we are giving many individuals the incentive to not work. The American people are very giving, both with their time and their money, in fact more so than any other country in the world. There are charitable organizations across the country, along with soup kitchens and food banks to supply the needy with the food they require. The welfare program should be run within local communities and cities. We cannot ignore our duty to help these people but there is an old adage give a man a fish and he is fed for a day, teach a man to fish and he can supply his own needs for life. With this being said who wants to be forced to give up their money and watch it be wasted by insensible government programs? Not me.