<p>Parentof ivyhope…mortgage interest credit is available to everyone IF they choose to own a home, like child tax credit is available to eveyone that chooses to have a child, right?</p>
<p>vlines: Child Credit phase out after $120K of income so it’s not available to everyone. Similarly Student Education Credit phase out after $180K so it is also a welfare.</p>
<p>I’m waiting for this to be booted to the Cafe section.</p>
<p>Tax credits and deductions are not available to all, since there are criteria to be met. To receive the home mortgage interest deduction, you need to be paying home mortgage interest. A tax credit for buying a Prius (expired, I know) or a Leaf requires that you buy that vehicle. I call that a social program, but if you want to call that welfare, be my guest. :)</p>
<p>For that matter, people need to meet certain criteria to receive welfare, or food stamps, or any of the other programs that we tend to think of as welfare. I can’t go sign up for welfare right now (thank heavens!), or food stamps (ditto). I don’t meet the requirements. So since it’s not available to all, does that mean welfare isn’t welfare? 
:)</p>
<p>SlitheyTove: Yes in that regards any credits or exemption should be considered as welfare because that is what it is.</p>
<p>Why do you want to call some programs as social program and other as welfare? All these programs are fulfilling the same purpose.</p>
<p>POIH, under your definition of welfare, how do you think that merit aid is not welfare whereas need based is? Isn’t your definition of welfare </p>
<p>“assistance given in the form of money”?</p>
<p>I don’t see anything about merit vs. need, just you needing to put down people again.</p>
<p>quote by POIH
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<p>Hope that makes you “feel” superior.</p>
<p>Welfare, to me, implies subsistence living. Without it, people starve. Social programs include keeping people from starving, but include other non-subsistence goals. </p>
<p>You’ve got an interesting distinction between tax cuts not being welfare, but tax credits and deductions being welfare. How about when tax cuts are not given to all groups? Or if the tax cuts are not distributed “equally” (lots of ways to interpret that word 
) across the board? Would the tax cut then be considered welfare?</p>
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<p>There is a difference as one is earned and other is not. You earned merit money but you get “Financial Aid”.</p>
<p>Both are different.</p>
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<p>When you have increased taxes for an income to begin with how come you are saying cutting taxes is welfare. If everyone is paying same taxes and you cut taxes above an income then you can call it welfare till then it’s just a tax cut.</p>
<p>POIH…doesn’t your daughter work at her university? You better find out of the university accepts federal funds to pay for research and lab assistants. Otherwise YOU too are “on welfare”.</p>
<p>I agree that the government is providing assistance to students receiving need based aid. I personally don’t see ANY problem with this.</p>
<p>POIH…It seems to delight you to put this in a negative light. If that’s how you make yourself feel better…go for it. I think it’s a low blow.</p>
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<p>But YOUR definition of welfare did not state financial qualifications for it. My daughter is at a top LAC school on full need based aid. So she is on welfare there, but if she had gone to a 2nd tier school with merit based aid, she wouldn’t be on welfare?..am I getting this right? I think at my D’s school a little more than 50% of students recieve need based aid (there is no merit based.) You are condescending to anybody that is not 100% full pay and need to get over yourself.</p>
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<p>Why it’s condescending to anyone who receive welfare in the form of “Financial Aid” but is not if the welfare is received in the form of other program?</p>
<p>If you are taking financial aid you are on welfare of others why it’s so hard to accept?</p>
<p>POIH…no one is disagreeing that federally funded need based aid is help from the government. It’s your TONE. You seem ever so delighted to put a negative connotation to this. There is NOTHING negative about accepting federally funded need based aid if you NEED it to attend college.</p>
<p>Not everyone is in the same financial position as you…full pay at MIT with a seemingly bottomless pit of money to give to your daughter to help her. That is wonderful for your family. BUT PLEASE…please stop insulting others who are not in your financial position.</p>
<p>I’m sure folks will view my post as a bit snarky but folks…there is nothing nice about putting a negative spin on receiving federally funded aid when a family needs it to send their child to college. Yes…government support…but I personally believe this is one of the most positive forms of government support out there. NOTHING negative about it at all.</p>
<p>To those of you receiving federally funded aid…if you need it, you deserve to get it to support your college studies. Be proud that you are using this to further you education and future.</p>
<p>POIH, you are constantly rude and pay and remind us all that your daughter is a full pay recipent and put down others that are not. It is condescending to put down ANYBODY that is a recipient of help, whether it be food stamps, free lunch, need based aid or anything else. You seem to have no social filter and are continually rude. Too bad there isn’t a HYP that is only for full pay students, I can only assume you would be happy with your D hobnobbing with the snobs.</p>
<p>POIH</p>
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<p>Merit based aid comes from the “welfare of others” as well.</p>
<p>POIH is almost certainly receiving welfare by his definition (mortgage interest write-off, sheltering retirement income, deducting California state taxes from his federal return). I don’t understand what he’s really trying to get at with this entire discussion.</p>
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<p>Sure you do if you’ve read any other threads he’s started!</p>
<p>The way I look at is there is no school which is need blind. It is always easy to admit a student who is full pay (a hook really). For a school to admit a student who needs FA, that student must be pretty outstanding for a school to want to “pay” for that student to attend its school. I don’t necessary think FA is a welfare, it’s more of a price a school needs to pay in order to attract certain type (or calibre) of students.</p>
<p>^
Touche…to the above two posts!</p>
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<p>I do agree that welfare is required in the form of Financial Aid to attract certain type (or calibre) of students analogous to welfare required to build healthy communities.</p>
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<p>Purpose was that there is strong demands for closing welfare programs for the most needy ones while most people like many on CC deny the fact that they are on welfare by accepting Financial Aid.</p>
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<p>It strikes me as just another POIH-boasting-about-personal-wealth thread. Heaven knows, we’ve seen them before.</p>