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>> Being poor is a thing you can dig yourself out of but it takes a huge amount of energy to do so. This is why if you want to stop the cycle of poverty, you n

>> Being poor is a thing you can dig yourself out of but it takes a huge amount of energy to do so. This is why if you want to stop the cycle of poverty, you need to give people incentives to get off assistance and make it possible to succeed, instead of making it easier to stay on welfare. As humans, we will always take the easier route. It also sad to think we've made it much easier for people to get on welfare and stay on welfare indefinitely. I have several friends who prefer to work just enough hours to get assistance, but not enough to actually get off of it. What does that say about our culture and society when people are content to live off the government instead of wanting to succeed and get out of poverty?? source: after college, I had several bouts of depression, was homeless for a stint and used government programs to get out of the hole I was in. It wasn't easy, but it gave me perspective on what its like to be really poor, and what it takes to get out of that hole.

Broken_Hippo 10y ago
Some people do work under a certain amount of hours to stay on assistance. You are correct, the system needs to change to make it possible to succeed. I have a cousin that made just a little too much ($20 or less) and lost about $200 in food assistance. Many face the same sorts of choices with housing benefits, child care, and so forth. The problem more lies in the cutoffs for assistance making it such that many people have to make horrible choices to be able to not get assistance. It isn't being content, it is trying to eek by. You were able to do it, but some folks can't. The system doesn't help, and they don't know how. Some folks, in your situation, might have died. You were armed with a college education, which meant you had more opportunities than the local retail spot. Add a wife and/or children and/or severe health problems into the mix and it becomes much harder.

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

Some people do work under a certain amount of hours to stay on assistance. You are correct, the system needs to change to make it possible to succeed. I have a cousin that made just a little too much ($20 or less) and lost about $200 in food assistance. Many face the same sorts of choices with housing benefits, child care, and so forth. The problem more lies in the cutoffs for assistance making it such that many people have to make horrible choices to be able to not get assistance. It isn't being content, it is trying to eek by. You were able to do it, but some folks can't. The system doesn't help, and they don't know how. Some folks, in your situation, might have died. You were armed with a college education, which meant you had more opportunities than the local retail spot. Add a wife and/or children and/or severe health problems into the mix and it becomes much harder.