Do you trust Public Assistance Programs?

[Geminiamp]

In another post I commented on some of the public assistance we have available to us in the United States and pointed out some of it's flaws.

For instance we have TANF (temporary assistance for needy families) which gives families money temporarily to help them out but you have to go through their jobs program in order to get it.

Their jobs program is sadly lacking and so people aren't getting good well paying jobs so it turns into a more permanent assistance instead of temporary.

So what kind of programs if any are offered where you live and do they more importantly, work?

[flaco]

The public assistance programs in the United States should not be trusted. They are far from perfect, giving out funds to those who do not need them and not helping those who truly need their help. Public assistance also often does not give those who need help enough help. They just throw money at them and expect people to be able to live. Not everyone knows how, we need to help individuals with their problems.

[Geminiamp]

Exactly, the only people that can survive on TANF are also on Section 8 which is a program that pays most of your rent. I was on assistance for one month about 4 years ago and my so called grant was $475 dollars a month and my rent was $625 alone. But if I had been on section 8 my rent would have been under $100 dollars which would have made things tight but doable.

[ppcmaniac]

Originally Posted by flaco

The public assistance programs in the United States should not be trusted. They are far from perfect, giving out funds to those who do not need them and not helping those who truly need their help.

Flaco, I agree with you up to a point. Often times when an administration is terrible, I feel as though public assistance programs often go underfunded and understaffed, therefore leading to underperformance. Without mentioning specific names, this is exactly what we have seen out of the US government for the last 8 years. Too many do nothing politicians appointed to high level positions that they do not have a vested interest in nor hold the qualifications for. I recently had to persuade a friend *not* to vote for a particular candidate for presidency because he was leery of government run/sponsored initiative. Once I reminded him, that we will have a new administration under a president, and not just a 'lame duck', he became convinced to vote for change.