Food Stamps/TANF/SNAP Benefits Trap Families

There will be a time of crisis for many families. Accidents happen, jobs are lost . . . Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is there to help during those hard times. Medicaid, Food Stamps/EBT . . . But the problem is that there's nothing temporary about it.

In 2006 I was a very well paid nurses aide with many years of experience. I was making $17 an hour because of my skill, knowledge and dedication to my patients. My dedication cost me everything, not that I would change a minute of it, I truly loved my residents. I tore every muscle in my back, went through years of physical therapy, all to no avail. I loved my job and it was devastating to be cut off from my calling. In those early days I missed my patients (and still do) but now I've come to see how much I lost. I don't remember what it feels like not to be in pain. Such is life . . .

I ended up in the Welfare system. With no money from me coming in my husband had to work two jobs. We couldn't afford water let alone car insurance so my husband lost his license for not having car insurance, for FIVE YEARS he rode a bike he picked out of the trash to and from work.

I think Welfare is a wonderful idea for times of crisis but their MUST be an exit strategy. I've been STUCK on Welfare since 2007. It's not as if I haven't tried. With my back injuries my job options are limited at best. I tried to go back to healthcare out of sheer desperation and injured myself worse. I tried working for Wal-Mart, I thought, "gee, there's an easy job." Ha! They had me trying pull SKIDS of dog food to the pet department, unload semis and everything else you can possibly imagine. I was fired within 6 months because every time I tore a muscle I was laid up for 3-7 days. I am willing to work, have tried my hardest, even working for a wage lower than I was paid at 16 years old as a hospitality aide in 1999. No one wants to hire someone that can't pull their weight.

I think less money should be put into Welfare programs and more into getting people self sufficient.

I may not have a collage degree by I am by no means ignorant. I think TANF should give every applicant an aptitude test. They should determine: Can this person be educated, are they willing, what area would they excel? Let's get programs to cover basic needs while beneficiaries attain a trade. $5,000 for CDL training, $10+/- for LPN, this money is chump change compared to the costs of feeding and providing healthcare for an entire family for years and beyond as poverty is a cycle that is passed down to the next generation.

And for all those that won't TRY to better themselves and live independently . . . Put them to work for the state. The state should not be paying for grounds keeping, house keeping etc. Beneficiaries should be providing these services as part of their participation agreement. If getting free food and health care is like work detail, don't you think that would cut down on the number of people abusing the system? If they won't work, I can;t imagine them getting up at 7am to go cut grass or sweep floors at the welfare office.

Also, I think every unemployed applicant should be mandated into free GED classes, classes that teach effective communication, grammar, etc. How we write or speak has a major impact on how intelligent and able we are viewed.

If I had $5,000 I could turn that seed into a business that would not only make my family wholly independent. What is that compared to the $20,000+ I receive in Medicaid and Food Stamps a YEAR? What sounds like the best solution for our government? Oddly, they'd rather go on handing me food stamps than help me overcome poverty and become an independent human being instead of a case number.

I know people will say, "What about the disabled?" I worked in healthcare. I cared for a man who had both legs amputated, he was a tech guru. He didn't have legs but his brain worked just fine. There are many people with disabilities that can and are willing to hold worthwhile employment. Obviously people who have various types of MRDD or other major disorders wouldn't be able to participate but there should be optional programs for them too. My cousin had a brain tumor at three years old that left him with the function of a 3-6 year old, he worked for Mio's for years. If my cousin can, anyone can. Even when his cancer returned at age 27 he went to work, as he lay suffering on hospice care he worried about what Mio's would do without him. 90% of the people getting TANF don't have an ounce of the drive, determination and work ethic my cousin did. Myself included, I could never be as strong as he was, he's proof that people with MRDD have gifts others' don't and there's a place for them in society too. Maybe they can't drive a semi, but they should have the opportunity to see where they excel so they can have gainful employment and full lives.

So, as someone who receives food stamps and medicaid, I say they are worthless programs that in long run decay rather than bolster recipients. Put the money into educating poverty stricken families of ALL RACES. Everything is focused on minorities and that's a major sore spot for me because I have tried so hard to get help getting free of poverty only to be denied because of the color of my skin or my rural zip code. State aid should NOT be handed out by skin color, it should help everyone who qualifies. Let private organizations raise funds for specific groups, state and federal aid should be color blind.

Where can the system get the funds to start implicating these programs to truly end poverty? Reduce every food assistance recipients' benifit amount by $10-$20 depending on the amount they receive and number of children in the household. If we take $10-$20 from the 46 MILLION Americans receiving food benifits we'd have $460-$920 mil toward educating the poor. I think that's a great start toward the right direction.