by Cheryl Burger

Created on: May 12, 2011

Years ago welfare was coined relief. It was meant to help a family or person until they got back on their own feet. If one member of a family was on relief it was kept quiet as it was looked down on, and not looked to as anything to be very proud of and mum was the word.

There are times when all of us could use a hand up, a stark difference from a hand out. But then you hear things such as "the generations of welfare families" and I ask: "Why can't one member of this generational family find a way to climb out of the welfare role and into society as a contributing member?" It is unfortunate that the government does not see this as clearly as we tax payers.

One subject that any politician will not touch is the one of welfare fraud or generations of welfare families. I feel that if the welfare family were to be "audited" every year or so to see if this family or person indeed needs to have the monies and food stamps provided, then perhaps there would be less need for the use of our tax dollars spent on persons that could at minimum answer a phone, sweep streets, work on public building removing the blight of tagging or just reading to children in day care. There would be some justification if they would only try to show that they want to be productive and incorporate some of their own talents toward our society and become a successful, useful citizen.

I also have noticed that in some of these families the parents don't even have a high school diploma or GED and are unable to help their kids with homework, and this makes for kids that do not value an education, but dread it, and this is where the generations of welfare familes keep growing and no one takes that step to say, "Wait one minute, why do we have to be dependant on the government?" If a person when interviewed for such programs were to be asked: "Do you have an educational certificate or GED?", and one would be required to have one, there would also be less volume of generational welfare familes and parties. Then they should be expected to take a class and earn a diploma, if for nothing else to help the children they bring into this world regarding their schooling and homework.

Education I feel is the key out of the welfare role and when one is vested in something, they usually respect and care for such things as family, community and education. It must begin with the family leader, mom or dad, and it must be respected as just a means of help and not a lifelong venture collecting from those that have to those that don't care that we the tax payer hands out. When we run out who are they going to turn to then?

Welfare should be for no more than two years, and if the need arises then this should be investigated as to why? Hence breaking the chain of dependency and trading it in for a life of independence. And a new generation of people will be more secure and supportive in our communities and we all will gain from these changes, don't you think?

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