Public assistance programs in Texas. As everyone may know, the United States is the land of the many opportunities. In other words, there are numerous programs out there crafted specifically for families in need. However, cleaver recipients of these particular programs have developed ways to manipulate the system by failing to record their accurate information. Therefore, allowing them to take full advantage of these programs for an extended period of time. Listed are several types of public assistance programs available in Texas. They include the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), food stamps, head start, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program.
The way the system works is that if a person or family applying for these benefits meet the criteria to qualify (below poverty-level income), then they are entitled to receive the benefits for that particular program. Public assistance is designed to temporary assist persons or family members in need. The key word that people need to remember is temporary. It’s understandable that there will come a time in a persons life that they will stumble across a difficult path and will need help getting back on track. However, the government does not owe you anything and for those persons relying solely on these types of programs need to realize that it is unfair --- unfair to all tax payers. According to the website of Susan Combs (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts) more money goes into the category of public assistance payments then any other area --- $25.5 billions or 34.2% (year ending Aug. 31st, 2007) http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/expendlist/cashdrill.php?id=netexp
How much of this money is being distributed accurately to those in need? I feel that we need better guidelines and constant auditing to better grasp the misuse of these programs. If not, the ultimate consequence could be that we lose part or all of a particular program causing us not to help those actually in need.
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Response to Public Assistant in Texas
Although I agree 100% that welfare should only be temporary, but it’s not that simply for those in need to get above water with the way the economy is these days. According to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission in order for a household of three to qualify for food stamps, the household can not bring home more than a net worth of $1,341 each month. That means if a single mother (or father) of two children brings home $1500 each month she doesn’t qualify for food stamps. Are we to expect with this kind of income for this household to be comfortable paying for rent, utility bills, daycare, transportation cost, and food? I don’t think the problem is with these “clever recipients” taking advantage of the system. I think the real problem lies with the structure of these programs and the lack of help when it comes to getting low-income household on their feet towards prosperity.
http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/programs/TexasWorks/foodstamp.html
I read both the original opinion & the response of my colleague's and have come to have a response to both people.
To "A Gee Statement":
I understand where you're coming from. A great 34.2% of our tax money is going to these assistance programs and the people who aren't in need, don't deserve our help. Although there are some "clever recipients" whom have manipulated the system, I don't believe there's a great percentage of those who actually get in. All applicants go through various interviews and all paperwork is verified with detail before being admitted, in order to prevent fraudulent applicants/information.
To, Wendy of "Government Matters":
It's true that a single parent and two children can hardly live off of $1,500. To worsen matters, eligibility requires you make below $1,341 in a household of three. It seems impossible to survive with income limitations so low but remember these programs were meant to only assist.
Raising the bar on eligiblility requirements won't help anyone on either side of the fence. Therefore, I feel one of the best solutions could be to keep our eligible income limitations at the same rate or lower it and enforce more strict eligibility requirements. We shouldn't be giving money away just because there are many of those who need help but instead assist them in finding jobs. There's a program called Texas Workforce and that's where we should take a percentage of our taxes should be going instead of these "assisting programs." Texas Workforce Commission offers various programs to train those who need jobs and not only assist in childcare providers, but also have educational institutions and many more. These programs help those in need to get back on their feet and make make something of themselves. Our tax money should be going somewhere worth the effort and time; especially spent wisely. Now that's something to be happy about (for both sides of the fence).
I agree with you saying that their is a lot of people who manipulate public assistance programs to their advantage, such as Children's Health Insurance program (CHIP) food stamps, head start, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Woman, Infant, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program and others. Yet, the system should be implemented to stop people from providing false information to obtain such benefits that could be well given to other individuals that do need the help. A lot of times people who do need the benefits are denied to them; for example, Children that need surgery's, elderly people or handicap people those are sometimes denied with the help. Now, it's not fair for people to take advantage of the system while they can work and provide to their family's. Somehow the federal government has provides 50 percent of the state's cost in administering the program, 50 percent of the state's costs for Food Stamp Program investigations and prosecutions. However, its simply not enough to make the system work properly.
I agree with A Gee Statement. I don’t think that families should be able to get assistance over and over again throughout the years. This is unfair to everybody that is paying into the system, just to let people that are to lazy to work take all the money that hard workers put in. By the government letting people take advantage of a good thing, the government is not helping Americans they are crippling them for life. The government is sending a message that if you don’t want to work, its ok, we will take care of you and your five children. I never understood people that have five kids and are on welfare. If you were on welfare with the first kid and couldn’t take care of that child, what makes people think that they will be able to take care of four more. I think that the government should put a stop to people having five and six kids, when they can’t even take care of one. If the government keeps letting people use the system, it will become an on going cycle until the government is taped dry.
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