Government Assistance To Help Find Jobs For The Poor

“My values, our values, aren’t about pointing fingers. They are about offering a helping hand” (Kathleen Blanco). As I grew up my sister has used the government programs such as Food Stamps, and Medicaid, from my experience through my sister I can stand to not that the government benefit programs can change and save lives. My sister is currently going through a divorce, with a 2 year old daughter and has a four day old daughter. I cannot fathom how much this impacted her life. Before her divorce my sister and her husband had decided that she should be a stay at home mom since there would be no one better to love and care for their children, while her husband was at work. Only two week after the tragic breakup she needed financial help.

My sister was worried that she could not make it for 6 month without a job and providing for her children. After looking for a job she found that no one would hire her because she was pregnant, and they would have to make account for maternity leave absence as paid or unpaid time off work. How could she pay for her hospital bill for child birth, and provide for her children with no job. She has now had her child and recovering, she made it. The reason she has financial survived is for the support of government programs. My sister and I could not be more thankful for the help of the government benefit programs as they had saved her.

Not only have financial programs help my family but millions of Americans around the world. People sometimes need a helping hand to get them on the right track, and that is exactly what the government benefit programs have done. There are people who will always complain and say that the government programs are making Americans handicapped, as they are making people dependent upon the programs. The lifeline Assistance Program, Food Stamps, Medicaid and more have helped the United States grow and become what it has in this day and age. It’s a stepping stone to the American dream. Rick Danko perfectly states the path of the American dream “as time goes on we get closer to that American Dream of there being a pie cut up and shared. Usually greed and selfishness prevent that and there is always one bad apple in every barrel”. Don’t let the bad apple discourage you or crush your dreams, even if you do need that support and helping hand of government programs you’re not in the wrong. Keep your head held high and don’t just go after your dream but run for them.

Another government program that has impacted my life is financial aid. There is no way I would have ever gone to college if I didn’t have that help. Yes I am getting support from the government programs but I am not going to waste it. I am going to finish college and pursue my career and dreams. I am proud to say that yes I am the American dream, as I am a leader, a believer, and successor. Let it be known that my success comes from the support of government benefit programs.

Working hard does not always mean the need is fulfilled. We have all met the lower income family that may have a mother and father in the home, working and striving hard to make ends meet, or the college student that has no means (striving for better), however they never seem to. As a result they are forced to take on additional jobs and most demeaning of all have to apply for assistance programs to feed their families. It is simply a form of assistance to help them on their quest to doing better. An individual that is attending school, working at even a minimum wage job, etc. is trying. As the economy grows these people should be able to relieve themselves of the public assistant need. Reforming our educational system is the first step to overall growth. 

In short, public assistance programs can be viewed in many ways, in many different situations. However, we must remember that everyone is not on assistance by choice and tat there is actually a need. I do not believe that public assistance programs should be obsolete. I think they should remain as they have served their purpose, we cannot allow political gain and social reform the hand in our assisting fellow Americans.