Social Welfare In America

Words: 761
Pages: 4
Open Document
Some may wonder; Where do all of our tax dollars go? American citizens pay taxes every year to federal and state governments. Money transferred through the tax payers to the government helps pay an array of government affairs that range from things such as construction projects and funding federal agencies. The government also uses tax dollars to enact social welfare programs that help Americans such as food stamps, social security or Medicare. Welfare is a type of financial aid that goes to American citizens to promote a healthy stress-free lifestyle. Other times, our tax dollars come to Americans back in refunds. The majority of the benefits go to the poor and middle class, however just how sufficient are these benefits? The kinds of welfare …show more content…
Many middle class and poor Americans rely on what is known as social welfare. Social welfare is the types of health care programs and benefits Americans receive. Confusion arises among the subject of the difference of social welfare and general welfare. Social welfare includes programs such as Medicaid and Medicare or programs like workers compensation. General welfare is a basis of what is written in the constitution. The government must protect its people and make sure that they receive such benefits of social welfare. Under Article 1, section 8 of the constitution, its purpose intended by our founders was to protect Americas citizens and make sure that they are healthy and prosperous. The social welfare programs are not exactly what is stated in the constitution in order to protect the citizens of America. The general welfare of America is often referred to the social welfare programs that we have, although there is a very large difference. Social welfare and general welfare are correlated in a sense that they cannot exist without each other. Because general welfare and awareness of the public was stated in the …show more content…
Americans can receive an array of benefits if you are at or below the poverty threshold. These programs come back to Americans and are known as withholding taxes. If you are in poverty, you do not have to pay taxes to receive these benefits. The difference with middle class Americans is that they are not below the poverty line, therefore they still have money to pay the taxes. These Americans pay withholding taxes to get benefits such as Medicare or food stamps. The poor do not make enough money to pay for the taxes, so they receive the benefits as promised by the constitution without having to pay. Americas median household income is around 55,000 with the poverty line at 24,000. To be considered in the poverty level is not based solely on the amount that one person makes. If a two or more-person household made 24,000 a year that would be considered as below the poverty line. If the 24,000 was made by a single individual, then that person would not be in poverty. Poverty levels are on the rise with the poverty rate in America being at 15.1%. While the poverty rate is so high, the median household income is not exactly
Show More

Related Documents: Social Welfare In America

2012 Presidential Election Essay

Preserve America By: Morgan Jenny April 17, 2014 PAS 320- Dr. Bruce Tyler Final exam paper During President Barack Obama’s first term conservatives felt that success came in the form of fighting Obama with every step he took. He took office hoping to bring real change and support for middle and lower class Americans; the type of progressive inclusion these classes had not seen in five decades. Conservatives hope to not only stymie his efforts but to “fundamentally change America,” leaving…

Words 1366 - Pages 6

The Negative Effects Of Social Welfare

Social welfare may have at one point been a functioning system of helping destitute American’s out of poverty, but recently it has been speculated that it is accomplishing the opposite effect of what it was created to do. “In short,” says longtime professional economist, Thomas Sowell, “the political left’s welfare state makes poverty more comfortable, while penalizing attempts to rise out of poverty (Mitchell).” Sowell’s quote claims that people on welfare are encouraged to stay in their undesirable…

Words 840 - Pages 4

Essay On Wealth Gap In America

Abstract The wealth gap in America is worse than it has ever been. There are many reasons why America’s economy is the way it is right now. We live in the richest country of the world but that means nothing since the wealth is controlled by a handful of citizens. That is a huge problem that must change. In my essay, I will be addressing issues that could propose an economic solution to help our country. One issue is welfare and the fact that many US citizens abuse it for many different reasons.…

Words 1382 - Pages 6

Essay on Social Policy

What a Relief! Early Social Relief Efforts Still Seen Today Social work in modern America stems from our early roots in the 1800's. The idea that the poor exist and that something needed to be done to ensure the moral well-being of our society has dated back even further through various religious and scientific ideologies such as Calvinism and Darwinism. The idea that was quite popular of 1800's was that one could offer guidance and support, but of a non-material type. If I were poor,…

Words 1086 - Pages 5

Stimulus Package Essay

ABSTRACT The Stimulus Package of 2009 did help a lot of people in different areas, the areas affected was unemployment benefits, social welfare, education, health and green energy. There was jobs created and infrastructures were revised, investments was made and life in America stabilized. Millions of Americans benefitted from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which is commonly referred to as the Stimulus Package.…

Words 612 - Pages 3

New Deal Dbq

The U.S secretary of labor under Roosevelt’s administration, an American social reformist, and an advocate for workers’ rights are all terms used to describe one of the most influential women in urban American during the twentieth century. Perkins fought strongly to implement solutions for women rights, child labor laws, working conditions, and social services. Perkins is an important figure in American history because of her impact for change on the quality of life we as American have today. For…

Words 705 - Pages 3

Corporate Monopolies During The Progressive Era

groups responded to the political, social, and economic woes that resulted from the rapid industrialization and urbanization of America during the 19th Century. The mass immigration of foreigners and the northern migration of Africa-Americans led to urban overcrowding and competition for wage-paying jobs. Electric lighting allowed factories to expand their working hours to increase the output of manufactured goods. Because there was little regulation for employee welfare, many men, women, and children…

Words 973 - Pages 4

Autobiography: Great Depression and Welfare Essay

WELFARE (Life, Liberty, and THE PURSUIT of Happiness) Macroeconomics BY RANDELL HOLT ABSTRACT In this paper you will learn about the positive impacts of welfare not only within America. Welfare ranges in many different categories and assists individuals and families who are suffering through different lifestyle changes, but the ultimate goal of welfare is to aid those families or individuals in need as well as those families whose household income is under a certain amount. We know welfare is supposed…

Words 4646 - Pages 19

Welfare States Essay

Welfare States Americans do not like welfare programs as much as European and Canadian nations for several reasons. Martin Gilens’s book, “Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy” describes the reasons behind race and media. Americans assume that welfare recipients are undeserved poor individuals and welfare program only encourages them to not look for employments. While some welfare states are those states which fund the program by collecting taxes from their…

Words 558 - Pages 3

Summary Of Katherine Boo's After Welfare

It is difficult to argue that in the United States, every social policy enactment and implementation tends to reflect social-economic problems for the American society. In the article “After Welfare” Katherine Boo describes an American journalist who dedicated most part of her professional work to individuals living in poverty. She effectively describes the life of the ghetto area of Washington, D.C. after the enactment of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (2001). In this…

Words 558 - Pages 3