Andrea New York

Government Entitlement Programs

Government Entitlement Programs are being taken advantage of by the wrong people. It is great to have in many ways for the people who are physically, or mentally, disabled. Furthermore, it can assist a person to get back on their feet. However, some people think that they can live off of government benefits without working or making a living for theirself. We need to severely limit these programs and make it so only those that sincerely need benefits, receive them.

Andrea B

Dear Mr. President,

If our country is ever going to be the prosperous and capitalist country that it used to be, then governmental programs need to be cut back on. All sorts of programs have been in effect since the early days of America. However, they are not being used how they should be. In many ways, they are a great thing that helps people who are physically, or mentally, unable to work. Furthermore, it can assist people to get back on their feet. However, it is unfortunately inevitable that there will always be some people that take advantage of these programs, more so now than ever. According to government.laws.com, ¨government programs can include insurance, financial assistance, housing assistance, and additional compensatory measures to the unemployed.¨

These benefits can sound enticing to anyone, who doesn't love a little aid to lighten some of the burdens of their everyday life? However, if we do not eliminate or severely limit the the access of benefits, individuals will take advantage of these benefits for as long as they desire. I grew up in a poverty stricken city, where a big portion of the people are unemployed, for no better reason than ¨they don´t have to get a job.¨ They believe that they can live off of governmental benefits. This prevents them for reaching their full potential, through further education, jobs or careers or even life in general. If their thought process is to let others work for them while they just sit back, they are not only hurting themselves, but the people who actually work to make a living for themselves.

Hard workers across the country have to put their hard-earned money towards the unemployed. It is one thing to help out those who sincerely need it, including people who disabled, retired, low-income, or temporarily unemployed. I am glad that there are these benefits for those reasons, however, it goes further than just those people using this system. The whole idea of the American Dream is that the individual has to work hard to get to where they want to be. That is the beauty and privilege of living in this country. We are one of the most capitalist countries in the world and we are putting that to shame by allowing so many of our people to be unemployed. Whether they are using Medicaid, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, other known as food stamps), or unemployment insurance, if someone uses it for too long with an invalid reason, they are taking advantage of the system. According to welfareinfo.org, unemployment insurance is widely used and provides temporary financial assistance to workers that are unemployed for no valid reason. They receive half of what they made at their previous job. These benefits replace ¨lost wages¨ and last up to six months; this specific program is pretty reasonable. However, according to http://www.nolo.com, one of the first law attorney sites, the cutback of this ¨temporary aid¨ does not necessarily mean a significant cutback on financial benefits. After a period of time, it is just a cutback on the money they receive, but there are always extended benefits, like a lessened amount of unemployment insurance, which allows them to take advantage for as long as they want. Another option of getting people to work is requiring those who receive these benefits, to work a government job for the city they live in. Instead of having to go search for a job, they can work for the government in a job that fits their skill level. Depending on one's interests, what they were good at in high school or college, and what their past jobs were. There can be tests to see if a person is qualified for that specific job, or other methods to make sure that the right person is being chosen for a job.

In my city, a lot of the kids and teenagers here have parents that are unemployed out of laziness, and sadly a lot of kids will grow up to be unemployed, too. That is why you, Mr. President, need to make people work if they can. The cutback of these programs will lead to a lessening of taxes for everyone, and it will ensure a higher success rate for our country and for each and every individual.