Post In Which I Flex My Conservative Views

Get ready everyone.  I'm about to talk about one of the issues that causes me to label myself as a moderate, or independent.

For whatever reason, I've been hearing a fair amount of chatter on the news networks and social networks about food stamps (now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP) and welfare.  I will say, with complete honesty and conviction, that I despise the current welfare system.

Let me be more clear: I understand and embrace the need for a nation to offer and provide food stamps and welfare.  It could be a great system for a productive society, in order to help its citizens who are down on their luck.  The people who use the welfare system properly are those who got laid off and needed help to get back on their feet for a few months, or those who were hit with an unexpected financial obligation, such as a monster hospital bill, or a death in the family.

The responsible welfare users are out there, I am sure, and I would never say that they are even a minority (because I just don't know those facts, and they would be hard to verify by any study).

However, from what I've seen in my daily life, far too many people on welfare have been on welfare far too long.  A column written by a Wal-Mart cashier goes into depth on this issue even more.

Welfare does not exist to support your family forever.  It exists for emergencies.  Anyone who has used welfare and who isn't actively looking for a way to support him or herself, boggles my mind.  I cannot imagine relying on government handouts for my well being without making any effort to rectify the situation.  I also cannot imagine winning the lottery and trying to convince ANYONE that I still needed food stamps.

Welfare, SNAP, unemployment, are all GOOD things.  But as of right now, the system is abused far beyond what it should be.

I've always been taught that if you are discussing a problem and you don't have any solutions, you're just complaining.  That being said, fixing our government's welfare and social benefits programs falls well outside of the scope of my knowledge of economics and financial structures.

I'm sure that further along in my blog journey, I will delve into the more intricate parts of welfare policies and laws, and I shall discuss them with you at length.  Stay tuned.