<p>There was an interesting talk show here on KGO yesterday where the host criticized Tea party and Republicans for being against democratic party inability to cut social programs to balance the budget.</p>
<p>He tried to put forward the notion that any one availing the following are actually on welfare.
1. Financial Aid
2. Subsidized Student Loan
3. Availing Mortgage interest subsidies</p>
<p>etc...</p>
<p>His notion was that a lots of people when asked "If they are on welfare" says no but don't realize that they are because of the above listed services.</p>
<p>Is he correct? What do you think being on FA or having subsidized student loans or availing mortgage interests subsidies constitute being on welfare?</p>
<p>He did refer to definition of financial aid as</p>
<p>musicmom23: So do you agree to his view point that even though majority of households in USA avail some form of welfare (either from government or private organisations) but some how denies being on welfare when asked about it in polls and take a negative attitude of the people who are documented otherwise to be on welfare?</p>
<p>Most Americans benefit from hidden and intricate redistributions of income but become very agitated when they are reminded of this. For example, many collectors of Social Security take out more than they ever paid in, but would be highly offended if they were called welfare recipients. Many people accept all kinds of aid but insist that no one ever questions their self-sufficiency. It is a bit weird.</p>
<p>“Welfare” is a poison term that implies personal inadequacy on the part of the recipient. It is indeed a semantic issue.</p>
<p>Really, anyone whose kids attend a public university (or even a public school, if it is paid for by any state money vs. local property taxes, as it is in our state) is taking a kind of “welfare” from the state. I live in the state that just had a shutdown (you can guess which one :)). However, many services (like education) were deemed “essential”, so they kept running. I wish education HAD been shut down so all the people who claimed during the shutdown that it “didn’t affect them” would realize how much they actually are getting in state services. So POIH, I definitely agree with that point of view. I would not call it welfare just because people spend it on food or housing, but not call it welfare when it is spent on education. It is still a wealth redistribution to someone who did not earn the money.</p>
<p>Huh, I will have paid in far more in social secuity than I hope to get back (with reasonable interest).</p>
<p>Some people think that every dollar earned belongs to the govt. I dont agree. </p>
<p>Mortgage interest deduction and student loans are meant to subsidize productive behaivor that will help the community. Home ownership helps all. No one washes a rental car. Same thing with home ownership, people who OWN their own invest in the community. </p>
<p>Student loans encourage eductation, which results in more productive citizens.</p>
<p>Welfare encourages people to survive in tough times.</p>
<p>I spent six months as an AmeriCorps intern, and you better believe I signed up for food stamps. It was the only thing that made life workable on a $140-per-week stipend.</p>
<p>Programs like WIC help kids in need, and you certainly can’t blame a kid for getting born into a crummy family situation.</p>
<p>Unemployment insurance cushions people in crummy times. When you have nearly 10% unemployment, just saying “get a job” is perhaps the most condescending and heartless statement possible. There aren’t any jobs.</p>
<p>You have to also realize that there are people that will hold up signs that say “Keep government off my medicare”. Never understood those signs! In the very basic definition, many many things are “welfare” or government subsidized. Including the roads you drive on.</p>
<p>Shall we not distinguish between things that are available to all and those that are provided to some?</p>
<ol>
<li>Public k-12 education is available to all so should not be considered welfare</li>
<li>Similarly roads and other public services like police etc are available to all and should not be considered welfare.</li>
</ol>
<p>
</p>
<p>The merit based scholarship or research grants are not welfare but “Need based Financial Aid” is welfare wether provided to one by private institutes or public universities.</p>
<p>You don’t distinguish between welfare aid coming from Red Cross or Sacred Heart and that coming for state or Federal government.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>All welfare programs stem from same reasoning to provide opportunities to those who other wise won’t be able to succeed in life.</p>
<p>Why to call welfare in one case but give positive spin to others just because one is involved in reaping the benefit from the other.</p>
<p>POIH, things like WIC are available to everyone. If you, for instance, were to develop a very serious illness and were no longer able to work, eventually your COBRA coverage would run out and you might very well have to spend your life savings on medical and other expenses. At that time, your family could benefit from those programs. </p>
<p>Under your logic, schools WOULD be welfare, because lots of people don’t have kids or don’t use the public school system for their kids. My kids, for example, attended private K-12, and attend/will attend private colleges.</p>
<p>K-12 public schools are not welfare as it is available to you and me too. We can choose to make use of this facility or not but that doesn’t make it welfare.</p>
<p>Similarly University education is not welfare unless you are on “Need Based Financial Aid” whether that comes from private source or government.</p>
<p>Sending your children to private universities over state university is personal choice and doesn’t make those who attend as full pay state university as welfare recipients.
While those who attend private universities on need based financial aid are recipients of welfare.</p>
<p>It’s a different thing to say “government social program” instead of “welfare”. Thoughtful people can certainly disagree about if everything listed in the chart is a government social program. From the referenced chart, I’ve used four of the first five (529 plan, home mortgage interest deduction, student loans and the child care tax credit). I also received federal work-study funds and a Cal Grant, and receive other federal, state and local tax credits and deductions. All of these programs and write-offs were created to bolster specific social goals. I personally don’t regard them as welfare, but I do regard them as government social programs.</p>
<p>Tax code sections that allow people to keep more of their own money are neither welfare or government social programs. They are government incentives for certain activities like owning your own home or saving for college.</p>