[quote=briansd1][quote=pabloesqobar]
My ex-girlfriend has been on Unemployment for 2 years. I’d be willing to bet that the 5 year limit for Welfare is likewise negotiable, depending on the circumstances. [/quote]
That’s an exception because of the recession. Congress has extended unemployment benefits several times. It’s a quick way to get the money into the economy. The bailouts have many beneficiaries who don’t really deserve bailouts.
Fraud is when people get benefits that they are not entitled to through fraud. Your girlfriend is entitled to the benefits since she’s unemployed.
If we don’t like to provide benefits to people who are unemployed or have little money and assets then that’s a policy question, not a fraud or criminal question.
So let’s not accuse people of fraud who do not commit fraud. Laziness is not a crime.
As far as Medicaid is concerned, the larger problem is not poor people who use the benefits. It’s the middle-class folks who have assets but give away their assets then go on the public dole near their sunset years.
It’s also doctors who abuse the system and order unnecessary treatment, which is fraud when done knowingly.
If welfare is so good, then anyone can put himself in the position to receive benefits. It’s still not fraud.[/quote]
Sorry, Brian, I don’t agree with you on this one. Although I believe in helping those of our citizenry who are genuinely in need, there’s no question that we’ve become an entitled society through the largesse of our government, fueled by vote-hungry politicians of all stripes.
It IS fraud if you are not complying 100 percent with the terms and conditions of any of these programs. You may be entitled to unemployment because you are without a job, but you are legally bound to search for work on a regular basis, keep a written record of said search, and accept an offer of employment even if it’s not your dream job, or (in some cases) even in your regular line of work. And while it is true that unemployment insurance is drawn from a fund that is composed of obligatory payments from employers in the form of a tax on each employee they hire, the funds are rapidly running dry as a result of the huge number of layoffs. The feds are kicking in on the shortfall currently, but, given the situation, the states are going to have to raise the unemployment tax rate, and that doesn’t bode well for future jobs growth.
The examples you give are certainly accurate, but “poor people” are capable of committing fraud too. When a welfare/food stamps recipient is allowing her employed boyfriend to live with her and her kids, it’s fraud. When you’ve gone through a government-funded education program while receiving additional help in the form of cash assistance, food stamps, and childcare, and then quit your job after a month because your paycheck isn’t high enough, it’s fraud. None of these programs permits “laziness” in its eligibility guidelines. The real issue is that it’s both difficult, and politically risky, to measure laziness, so it becomes a non-issue in the administration of these programs.
There is a genuine need for these programs. But they were not designed to be permanent income providers for citizens of the United States. And, despite the “rules”, it’s readily apparent that, for a great number of people, they’ve become just that.
