"Provide for the General Welfare"

Today I spent a few hours at the Lebanon, TN Oktoberfest fall festival. I was peddling my petition for affordable health care (no not socialized/nationalized/Canadian/gummint health care). I encountered the same kind of resistance I've come to expect at public events in suburban TN. Many of these local critics strike a profile very similar to our friend Joe (no not that Joe).

The concerns (politely) of folks in Labanon have three themes (again politely): 1) The bailout, 2) Illegal immigration, 3) Welfare.
The first two are held captive by too many myths and images to list in one note. "Welfare", however, is a grandfather to the list of conservative populist complaints. Its reemergence coincides with the high heat of the Presidential race. "Welfare" and "Socialism" are now appearing in McCain campaign talking points, in reference to Senator Obama's tax plan.

Of course this is only an analogy; Obama does not advocate expanding Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (the actual program of "welfare"). A broader definition of "welfare" could include:

1. Supplemental Security Income from the Social Security Administration to the disabled (commonly "disability").
2. USDA food aid to Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
3. Housing assistance from HUD

But returning to TANF, the program most are referring to when they decry welfare, what are the images these folks have in mind? When the myth is compared to the reality, we may find much less to worry about in the welfare system than, say, corporate tax evasion or petroleum subsidies.

The welfare roles are growing every year.
TANF was created to replace AFDC in 1996 after "welfare reform". That year there were 12,644,915 recipients. By 2000 there were 5,943,450 , in 2004 there were 4,783,887, and in 2007 there were 3,949,009. So TANF has shrunk by roughly 75%.
In budget terms, the Administration of Children and Families (which operates TANF) appropriated (not including hurricane relief) $17,058,625,000 in 2006...and the very same amount in 2008.

People don't get jobs so they can stay on welfare.
TANF's allows only 2 years of benefits without proof of work. The lifetime limit of benefits is 5 years, including time spent working.

Food stamps are wasted/used to buy vices.
Using an income formula, food stamps are available to families up to 130% of the poverty line (around $1,900 per month for a family of 3). The average food stamp benefit works out to $3 per person, per day. To put that in perspective the average US pack of cigarettes is $1.18. How much was lunch today?

Women have children to have more benefits.
The data to debunk this would be a long project, but the image of the welfare mother is evaluated in 1999 UCLA research. It will make you think twice about how journalists and faux journalists discuss welfare, gender, and race.