Dear Future President,

One day, while getting groceries with my dad at Walmart, we were walking out and noticed a lady with two shopping carts, filled to the brim with food. This wasn’t just ‘great value’ brand food either, it was name brand, the expensive kind. As we watched her walk out in front of us, we saw her put her food stamps back into her purse. It can also be noted that she had the newest iPhone, as she was on it while walking out. Her sons were pushing the carts. This wouldn’t have been a problem, except we heard her tell her sons, “This whole welfare thing is great boys! I don’t have to work and we get all this free stuff!” This is not an exaggeration, but a true story. I am not exaggerating when I say I could physically see my father’s blood pressure rising. Now, my dad was a very hardworking man. He worked at General Electric making dishwashers. He was constantly working 40+ hours per week, and we were still struggling to make ends meet. I was only with him for the weekend, so there was a little food for me, but mainly it was food for his lunch at work. Our country has a problem, and it’s welfare abuse. I’m asking for you to please take notice of this issue and help reform the welfare system.

In 2013, 35.4% or 109,631,000 documented citizens were on the welfare system, not counting any illegal immigrants that were living off of it as well. Before I continue, I need to clarify that if someone actually has a disability and they can’t work, I’m all for the welfare system. I’m only against it when take advantage and misuse the money paid by those in the work force. Here’s an example, my cousin Katie is a manager at the Arby’s at which I work. She is one of the hardest working managers I’ve ever seen, working 40 hours per week, or more. Katie also has a son, and a husband. She told me she makes $9.25 an hour, and if you multiply that by 40 she receives $370 every week, and since we are paid biweekly, she takes home about $740 every two weeks before taxes come out. In Indiana, the tax rate is 16.5%, meaning that $122.15 come out of her paycheck every two weeks. After taxes, her paycheck is $617.85. Yearly, before taxes she makes $19,240, and after she makes $16,064 every year. As you can see, she makes enough to help support her family. The problem is there are people who are faking disabilities to become eligible for welfare just for the free benefits. The free benefits include: phone bills, food stamps, health care, and utility assistance. Each benefits is worth an amount of money, phone bills on average are $80, food stamps are $122.23, on average, Obamacare (free mandatory healthcare) costs $321, and utility assistance is on average $105 for electricity bills, and $35 for water bills. If you add all this up, it totals $663.23 in benefits. Now how is it that a person in the workforce can work 40 hours every week, and make less than someone who sits around all day and does nothing? And I must stress again that I do not have a problem with someone that actually has a disability, that’s what the system was designed to help those who needed it most.

The question is, how do we solve the problem of welfare abuse? Here’s what I propose, we need to provide medical screenings and random drug tests to all citizens on welfare. If it is concluded that they are able to work, or if they fail the drug test, they no longer receive their welfare check in the mail every month. We can also adjust the tax rates, so that members of the work force are paying less in taxes, so they can take home more to their families. Also, having a phone isn’t necessary for survival, so I propose we no longer pay for welfare recipients phone bills. If this problem is not solved soon, the economy will continue to be drained, and that is something we can’t afford. So, please future President, take action and reform the welfare system. It may not be easy to accomplish, but it will help our country’s economy in the long run.

Sincerely,

Arie