TAKE ME OFF WELFARE!

This is a broader issue than welfare. If God will supply all our needs, is welfare-- or any means of support whatsoever-- a way He might do it? Even crooked ways? He 'supplied' Rahab's needs even though she was a harlot and a liar. And if we could get by on public assistance in all its manifestations, should we do it so we would then have time to go door-knocking and street preaching? Or is it sinful to keep our jobs so we have more than just a living, as we lust for 3 or 4 bedroom brick homes instead of cheap frame houses, and new cars when we don't have to have them, except to do our secular business, which is a big reason why we want them?

And then it ties to oft-discussed topic of being blessed by tithing. If people tell me the more they give [to a church] the more they are blessed financially, I then ask why they don't give everything they earn, they usually just turn and refuse to answer. But all in all, if that woman got saved, why did she have to get off welfare when she could then have spent her 'working hours' proclaiming the gospel? This story seems to be saying one result of being saved is to put more of the secular and financial into our lives.

 

I was on Welfare with my wife and two kids... I was a veteran and the VA wouldn't help me... Graduated with a College Degree and the College wouldn't help me... Was well qualified in my field an couldn't find a job... And it didn't help when Affirmative Action put another obstacle in my way... The Unemployment Office was a joke, why should I take a job from them when I would be making a lot less money than when I and my family were on the welfare rolls... So this is what I did... I went down to the Welfare Dept. which was full of people... Wall to wall and so noisy you couldn't hear yourself talk... Stood in line and when called went up to the welfare window and when the person behind the glass asked how can I help you... I said "YOU CAN HELP ME FIND A JOB"!... The welfare office became so quiet you could hear a pin drop... The welfare receptionist stumbling all over herself said... We don't do that here... My retort was... Well You Should!... I turned around and walked out with everyone there looking at me... Two weeks later, the Welfare Dept. contacted me and told me about a new program called Workfare... You work for your welfare in an occupation you have been trained for... Since I had my degree in Computer Drafting I was employed by a company to work for my welfare, which I did gladly... Did my actions at the Welfare Dept. start the Workfare Program?... I don't know but I do believe it has become an alternative to those who can work and will for their welfare... I did... And proud I did and that was over 30 years ago... Brother Glen

 

People turn to welfare because they are unable to work for whatever reason. They need to provide for their family. They need to have a roof over their head and food on their table. That is what is it for. You need money to survive in this world. It has nothing to do with having faith in God and believing he will provide for you. You can have faith in God but you also need to feed your family.

 

I'm not a believer in relying on the government to supply our needs, government only has so much money to go around and the answer isn't spending more. And yet...some people genuinely need it. My family has in the past. With a disabled parent neither of my parents were able to work, we had to rely on SSI, welfare, and medicaid. I do very much believe that it's the church's responsibility to provide help (and we had received helped from local churches as well), but in our case it was a long term need. I don't think asking the churches to pay for my dad's medical bills would have turned out too well.

I believe in getting off welfare as soon as it's possible to do so. Probably also gradually letting go of it and setting up viable alternatives that do no rely on the government.

 

I believe it is only there as a last result. I don't agree with generations of families being on welfare because that is how they were raised so they raise their children the same way. Welfare is there when you have no other option. I know that it is abused a lot and they should really crack down on who gets. I am all for getting out their and working and paying your own way if that is possible.

 

There certainly seems to be a social stigma to having to rely on welfare, but for me I think it depends on the reason they have to claim the benefits in the first place.

While I think there is a lot of people that are just playing the system and are choosing to live on benefits, there's a lot of people that are in genuine need.

The question is a simple one. Is this person using welfare as a lifestyle choice or a necessity? And I think that's a question that needs to be looked at for everyone that applies.

 

I agree. There does need to be a bigger incentive to get back into work.

Over in the UK for example, your allowed to work 16 hours a week and still claim unemployment benefit. Anything over that and you get the full unemployment benefit taken off you, but your still entitled to other benefits to 'top up' your wage as long as you don't work over 35 hours a week. Sounds fair enough.

The problem is that most companies now work on zero hour contracts. You get a job and they contract you to 37.5 hours a week, so you lose all your benefits, but they don't then guarantee you'll work 37.5 hours a week. They'll only give you as many hours as they need you to work, in some cases it's been as little as 8 hours.

People are too scared to come off welfare and get a job because in a lot of cases they'll be worse off. While people might want to work, if they're going to get a job but then struggle to put food on the table then they'll just say what's the point?

 

For my family, we got off not long after my dad passed away. We were in a much better situation financially after that point, and if we didn't need welfare we didn't want it.

This seems reasonable, though I have to admit I don't know much about how the current system works in that regard.

 

If I'm not mistaken and remember I'm in California so I can't speak for the welfare laws in you states... But I think a big part of welfare was the medical aspect to my recollection... Medi-cal or medi-cade because health insurance from a welfare point of view is critical to every family... My wife and I are now on Medi-care but back then as probably also now and even more crucial in the whole welfare package was Medi-cal or Medi-cade... So how it that handled in your states?.. Is that part of the welfare package?... So one about to leave welfare would also have to take that in consideration and we all know what health insurance cost... Brother Glen

 

In a way that's where we're lucky in the UK as the NHS is the main provider of healthcare over here and not many people do have private health care and don't need it.

That's at the moment of course although I'm not sure how long that's going to last under this government.

 

Speaking about health insurance Medicare in particular... Last year my wife had breast cancer. She went through surgery, radiation and chemotherapy and thank the good Lord she is doing fine now... Next month she finishes her treatment and will have to go in for regular check-ups... Her cancer treatments went fine no complication and she is once again back to her normal self... So insurance coved most of it but her and I figured out how much insurance was charged and the bill came to over $750,000 for one yearEekEek... Who can fork out that kind of money and that is just for one female with a basic form ( and excuse me if any ladies think I am taking light of this disease, I assure you I am not) breast cancer. Saying that, let me further state I have all the respect for the medical profession but something needs to be done... You do have Socialized Medicine in the UK right? If it has worked there why can't it work here?... OK!... I'm done venting... That's my stand!... Brother Glen

 

I forgot... THE NEED FOR GREED!Mad... Sorry for yelling but that sure felt good!... Brother Glen

 

I'm not sure if it's always tied to welfare, but my state does offer Peachcare for children/minors and Medicaid. Pretty sure we only had it for us kids (until I turned 19, which is the limit here) and my disabled dad. My mom was and is covered under the VA.

So the argument goes privatizing the medical system would lower the cost of health care and make it much more in the affordable range, but I can't say I know enough about that to make a case one way or the other.