Welfare Recipients-Rough Draft - Google Docs.pdf - The...

The Indolent of America
Juliana Infante
Honors Civics and Government
February 24th, 2020
1st Period
Mrs. Mccoy

1
Welfare dependency in the United States has amounted to a vast epidemic of consistent
economic downfall for the nation. While the United States government provides a financial support
system for the general public, a great many of recipients are taking advantage of this system. In
order for the government to provide this type of assistance to over 20% of the American
population, tax payers contribute to these costs with a shocking $152.8 billion dollars every year
(Lexington Law). Many deprived individuals benefit greatly off of this support, however, those
who make fraudulent and unnecessary claims for welfare allow the process to be much more
expensive than it should be. In a society where government assistance has become an essential part
of hereditary being for some, the United States government must conduct in depth research by
means of acknowledging the citizens who are genuinely in need, those who are posers, and how to
distribute money without permitting the nation to drown in debt.
As part of a developed and industrialized nation, citizens of the United States should not be
suppressed to famine or extreme poverty. Overtime however, the government has recognized that
there is a population of people living in the country who are hungry and destitute. There are a
multitude of reasons that would contribute to the unfortunate circumstances of these individuals. In
her article, “The Deserving and Undeserving Poor,” Associate Professor of History at the
University of North Carolina, Lisa Levenstein, claims that a vast percentage of the poverty-stricken
in America are, “...needy because they were incapable of work due to old age, sickness, or
disability”. Evidently, those who suffer from such intolerable conditions have no way to prevent
the effects of their disabilities and limitations. Quite often, they are left without resources and
become desperate. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that these individuals be supported by the
government in order to provide food and shelter for themselves and their families.

2
By contrast, a vast percentage of welfare recipients are able to manipulate and take
advantage of the government to the extent that they acquire assistance without necessity. By doing
so, these individuals are able find loopholes in the legislation that is intended to provide for those in
need. According to the United States Government Accountability Office, 1 out of every 10
payments made to welfare