My Personal Experience With Abuse of the Social
Welfare System
While many people, including myself, believe it is
humane to give a helping hand to those less fortunate, the fact of the matter
is – the social welfare state creates an entire subculture of abusers that cost
all of us tax payers. The abuse is systemic.
Much of the abuse started when the stigmatism of
teenage parenthood disappeared and when state governments decided it was the
“right thing” to subsidize single mothers – to make it easier for them to move
out of the family home and into subsidized housing, to be afforded subsidized
child care, provide free child health care, WIC coupons, and not require them
to work full time.
It pains me to report that a member of my immediate
family planned to exploit the system. Several of her friends had already had
one or two children and had figured out how to apply for and receive handouts
from the state. She thought it would be a great idea to follow in their
footsteps.
My experience is limited to the microcosm of the
young adult population of what one can do to avoid work in a Mid-western state
that is shaped like a mitten. Despite
the state’s depressed economy, the social welfare state is alive and well in Michigan.
Just a few short weeks before announcing an
unplanned pregnancy by an unknown unidentified sperm donor, my close relative
and I had a discussion about
contraception. I was told that Depo Provera
shots were inconvenient because one had to have an injection 4 times per
year. And birth control pills were too expensive. I mentioned the free option
of the county health department or the sliding scale fees of Planned Parenthood.
Both of those options were also inconvenient.
When I received an email 6 weeks later announcing
the pregnancy, all of the plans were in place. Anybody who was not “on board”
with the plan, was ultimately un-friended on Facebook. Oh the tragedy of it
all! And, despite the need to rely upon the state to pay her way, thought it
was just fine to use a $45 gift from her mother for a pedicure.. all the while asking
for a cash subsidy from a parental unit to
assist with car repairs. I must say that I have a real problem with any state
or the federal government using my tax money to support these slugs.
This is not an extraordinary experience. The people
that wrongly use the system take the limited funds away from those people in
real need. I do not resent helping
people in real need who have no way to help themselves. But I do have a problem
supporting those who can help themselves and choose not to do so because they
are LAZY. And…there is a lot of lazy going on.
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