Thread: Views on People on Social welfare, SSI, SSD, Food Stamps, Medicare, Medicaid.

Originally Posted by NavyIC1

SSD can be abused but I have met very few people who are on it and don't look like they need it. The few I have met on SSD are usually in incredible pain or disablilty that you don't question their need. If a person abuses it then they should be criminally responsible for their action and ineligible to recieve that benefit again.

I tend to agree. People go through a vigorous screening process that takes a couple years (in my case) to prove their disability and the extent to which it hampers the ability to be gainfully employed. Like any on social welfare, I think fraud should be dealt with swiftly and severely.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately(depends on how you look at it) my illness (CFS) is an invisible illness. Because of that you would never know the pain and fatigue I live with day to day. Heck, my new wife whom I have been with for two years is just now beginning to be able to see when I am in pain. Unfortunately in our society, if you do not look sick, then you must be faking it and are viewed as a slacker.

Originally Posted by Dan40

Kicked off assistance for ONE YEAR? Why shouldn't they be jailed and banned from any assistance forever?

Because that's what police states do, not free countries.

I have no idea how many abuse the system but a lot do. One thing is certain, we will never find out how many abuse the system as long as we have a socialist governeent buying votes with our money.

I have nothing against those who use our services respectfully and legally and I loathe those who abuse it. Unfortunately, the few will ruin it for those who really need it, or they will just continue to bankrupt our country.

My problem with this poll is that you include Medicare, which you have no choice but to take and SSI which works about the same way with things like food stamps and TANF which are voluntary.

As for abused, I don't know that many people actually abuse the system. The system is just set up to include people that shouldn't be included.

I don't consider SSD when I think of social welfare programs.


That said, I feel certain there are abuses in the system, but more troubling in my opinion, is the creation and enabling of dependency that these otherwise originally well intended programs generate.

Dependency breeds complacency, and that isn't a good thing respective of the issue/topic.

...just my thought

Originally Posted by hiimjered

My problem with this poll is that you include Medicare, which you have no choice but to take and SSI which works about the same way with things like food stamps and TANF which are voluntary.

As for abused, I don't know that many people actually abuse the system. The system is just set up to include people that shouldn't be included.

Actually both Medicare and Social Security should not be counted with welfare programs. With both Medicare and SS people must pay taxes into those programs for a minimum of 10 years to qualify to receive them. Medicare, after paying FICA taxes in all their working lives, then people still have to pay $100 per month each or more depending on their income for their Medicare premium (automatically [NO CHOICE] deducted from the SS check), and they have to pay a $150 Doctor deductible, a $1100 hospital deductible per 60 day benefit period and they have to pay 20% of Doctor charges with no limit. HARDLY a free program.

Social security, again a working lifetime [minimum 10 years] of paying FICA taxes in to SS. Then benefits are proportional to the amount paid in. If little was paid in, little is paid out. For those who paid in the max and thus receive the max benefit, up to 85% of that SS benefit is taxable as regular income. Again HARDLY a giveaway program.

Welfare, food stamps, Medicaid are all different type programs. To qualify for them you need to contribute nothing. You just need to be a non-productive, freeloading loser.

Originally Posted by Dan40

Welfare, food stamps, Medicaid are all different type programs. To qualify for them you need to contribute nothing. You just need to be a non-productive, freeloading loser.

If you've paid taxes at any point in your life, you've earned those programs because your taxes pay for them.

The problem with social programs in this country is not just abuse. It's that the abuse basically becomes an industry. I can remember back in I believe the 80s when the secret service was buying houses and boats with food stamps in sting operations. And it's not just in the regularly mentioned "welfare" programs. I often joke that in Ohio the easiest way to get free pharmaceuticals is to go to work tomorrow and say "ow". Take a few days off, do the drugs or sell them for beer money. Piece a cake.

Years ago I used to stop at a local watering hole. It was usually a quiet place until one day it's packed. Turns out that once a month people would gather in the back poolroom to discuss how to game the system. They were actually passing around a 3 or 4 page flier on how to get your kid diagnosed with ADD. You could get an increase in govt funds and drugs. The lengths these people would go through were outrageous. If half of them would turn that effort onto something useful we'd be a lot better off.

Originally Posted by hiimjered

My problem with this poll is that you include Medicare, which you have no choice but to take and SSI which works about the same way with things like food stamps and TANF which are voluntary.

As for abused, I don't know that many people actually abuse the system. The system is just set up to include people that shouldn't be included.

You are incorrect here. You do have a choice. In fact here soon I am dumping my Medicare, I already have the forms. And SSI works like FS? How? One is cash used for whatever you like, and the other is only for food.