Essay on Welfare Fraud Final

Submitted By mathomas4
Words: 3424
Pages: 14
Open Document
Michelle Thomas
ENG 1010
Professor Bishop
07 December 2013
Fixing the Welfare System, to Protect the Innocent.
Last Christmas season I was shopping at the local Walmart, while standing in line I noticed the couple in front of me purchase a cart full of groceries with an EBT (food stamp) card. They then pulled out cash and purchased a 60” television. Of course this was shocking knowing that my hard earned money is paying for their groceries yet they have the means to purchase a television for more than $1000. I was recently recounting this situation at a Scensty party and one of the other guests there (which purchased more than $100 dollars in merchandise) seemed offended by my reaction to what I had witnessed. She then proceeded to tell me that she was not married to her live-in boyfriend and the father of her child (who makes more than 6-figures per year) because she received food stamps, rent assistance (for a home her boyfriend owns), assistance on her energy bills, and has her school 100% paid for with housing allowance which she intends to use for her children’s Christmas this year. She stated that if she were to get married she would lose her “benefits”. I was totally taken back. Witnessing and recounting one form of welfare fraud has exposed another form. This made me think, I am working full time sometimes 50 hours a week, I am in school, a single mom of 2 kids that are in multiple extra-curricular activities and I am contributing to other people’s livelihoods and they are being less than honest and their actions are illegal. Moreover, there are people that truly need the assistance, people that are truly want to better their selves yet the dishonesty of other people hinders their efforts and gives them a bad name.
Seeing the fraud first hand makes it hard not to conclude that the system is flawed. But the welfare system was put in place with good intentions, meant to assist people in the process of getting back on their feet when they encounter hard times. The people that truly need help are branded with the stigma of those that commit the fraud which assists in the continued cycle. The stereotype that is placed on those that need assistance are based on those who have children to receive benefits; those that lie about an absent parent to receive benefits; those that lie about their unreported income; and those whose career ambitions are purely to cheat the system that they are living on.
So what is this system that people are cheating?
Social welfare, aka public charities, is financial or other aid provided to people in need. Welfare is provided primarily by the government, although some private organizations such as churches and non-profit organizations contribute. Funding for welfare largely comes from general government revenue. Some countries run conditional cash transfer welfare programs where payment is conditional on behavior of the recipients.
Welfare dates back as far back as 44 BC during the Roman Empire. Different forms have been documented around the world for centuries throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. The United States, as a colony of England, adopted the England’s “Poor Law” which gave villages the responsibility for providing welfare payments to the poor and introduced the system of workhouses, a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment. The current welfare system was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during The Great Depression, The Social Security Act of 1935. This law established social insurance programs on a national scale to help meet the risks of the unemployed since the Depression had reduced opportunities for gainful employment. These programs supplemented the incomes of persons whose benefits could not provide a basic living.
So with good intentions what are the problems with the system?
Welfare fraud is intentional misuses of the welfare systems “by withholding information or giving false or inaccurate
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Welfare Fraud Final

Welfare Fraud Case Summary

Welfare fraud has become a major concern as well as issue for modern day society. Individuals are defrauding the system on a daily bases. Therefore, in this paper I will analysis welfare fraud and how it impact society. In addition, I will discuss the case that brought the welfare fraud to light Goldberg v Kelly. In this case scenario individual felt that they were terminated off of public assistant without any type of public notice. The case of Goldberg v. Kelly was a case…

Words 2089 - Pages 9

Essay on POLS Notes

Chapter 1 Freedom, Order, Or Equality Government- The “legitimate” use of force to control human behavior. (What makes someone legitimate?) National sovereignty- A political entity’s externally recognized right to exercise final authority over its affairs. League of Nations/ U.N. / World Court NAFTA.. Purposes of Government Maintaining order If there is no order…there is no freedom (maintaining a balance of order/freedom) a. Hobbes- Authority and obedience results in he security of a civil…

Words 496 - Pages 2

Essay on Monetary Policy and Core Principle

Principle 3: Information is the basic for decisions * Core Principle 4: Markets determine prices and allocate resources * Core Principle 5: Stability improves welfare. 3. Apply the Concept a) Why do interest rates rise when inflation goes up? b) Why does a country’s exchange rate suddenly plummet? c) Why do large-scale frauds that damage investors occur repeatedly? d) Why is it important for central banks to be free of political influence? e) Can…

Words 417 - Pages 2

Uk Debt Recovery Essay

period of the proposal being made the default position would be that the individual had accepted the proposal. Every individual who had signed up to take part in the GB-ERP would have to fulfil the following conditions before they would receive the final payments of the million pounds. Condition One 1. Every individual fifty or over who had signed the GB-ERP agreement or whom had a default status in the proposal will resign from their job and provide proof of the termination of their employment…

Words 1917 - Pages 8

Democratic Leadership Style Essay

members are encouraged to share ideas and opinions leading to better solutions. The members feel a sense of responsibility to the results thus; they apply the necessary efforts in improving production. At the national level, democracy negates electoral fraud and other electoral malpractices such as illegal voter registration, improper vote counting and intimidation at polls. The electoral fairness that is proposed by democratic style of leadership negates other community vices such gerrymandering of the…

Words 981 - Pages 4

The Case of Bernard Madoff Essay examples

Business Ethics Final Report The Fraud of the Century: The Case of Bernard Madoff Group No. 5: International Students 麥立妲 98370389 魏維德 98370390 巴玉連 98370452 December 2011 Introduction We chose Bernard Madoff’s case because we thought that we could relate his case to many unethical behaviors. The analysis can be made on decision making and lack of ethical training which we think is an important topic to focus on this course. On Dec. 11, 2008, Bernard Lawrence…

Words 4559 - Pages 19

Soc150 Final Exam Review

Soc1500 Final Exam Review Public Order Crimes – Chapter 13 Public Order Crimes- act interfere with public order, such as loitering for the purposes of prostitution Immoral acts become crimes if they are harmful to the public Vigilante- someone who takes the law into their own hands Moral Crusades- efforts by interest groups to stamp out behaviour they find objectionable Moral Entrepreneurs- interest groups that attempt to control social life and the legal order for the purpose of promoting…

Words 2942 - Pages 12

Ud Project

constructed and it becomes inconvenient for the residents and authorities both. In this context, the introduction of a unique and single identity number seems to have many benefits. The universal identity number may become transformational in eliminating fraud and better reach of services. Historical Background The concept of unique identity number was first discussed with the administrative approval of the “Unique ID for BPL families” project in 2006. “The strategic vision for UID” envisaged the integration…

Words 2749 - Pages 11

Pre-Trail Litigation: Pleadings, Discovery, Pretrial Motions, And Settlement

Chapter 3: Pre-trail litigation: pleadings, discovery, pretrial motions, and settlement Pleadings: complaint, answer, cross-complaint, and reply Discovery: despotion, interrogatories, production of documents, physical/mental exam Affirmative Defense: Alternative Dispute Resolution: Methods of resolving a dispute other than litigation Answer: Defendant’s written response to plaintiff’s complaint Appeal: Asking appeal court to overturn a decision Appellant: Appeling party (petitioner) Appellee:…

Words 2988 - Pages 12

History Of Newark

escaping Jim Crow and his segregated laws, many African Americans soon had seen that battle was only half fought. An influx of poor, uneducated, unskilled, African Americans came up north to take advantage of the greater job opportunities and the higher welfare benefits here. Prior to the migration of southern blacks the city of Newark had already been structured by its people. People were separated by ward. Newark was, and still is the most diverse city in this city. In Newark, injustice was directed toward…

Words 1488 - Pages 6