Seccombe Ch. 4: The Welfare System Breeds Dependence on Itself

In chapter 4 Seccombe discusses the issue that the welfare system breeds "dependence" on the system. She argued that most of the women who expressed concerns with the welfare system did not say that it made recipients lazy, but that the system had "built-in incentives or penalties for work" (pg. 95). Being on welfare provides these women with some critically needed benefits that they would lose if they started to work. The issue is that these women on welfare, when looking for work, have limited options and would have to settle for working minimum-wage jobs that lack the benefits they receive through the welfare system. According to Seccombe, choosing to work a minimum-wage job with no benefits instead of being on the welfare system would jeapordize the health and well-being of the recipients and their children. From Seccombe's interviews, she states that without continued assistance with health insurance, childcare, transportation, food stamps and subsidized housing, working becomes prohibitive and sometimes dangerous (pg. 96). "They expressed frusteration that the welfare system, as currently structured, actually discourages them from working by raising their rent, eliminating Medicaid, and cutting them off from needed social services before they had a chance to establish themselves" (pg. 96). Seccombe also points out that both white and African American women talked about wanting to work, but felt if they did so it would reduce their already tight standard of living. They also felt that if they got a job they would be placing their children at risk because it would eliminate and/or reduce their eligibility for critical medical and social services. These women want more than anything for the welfare system to change so they won't be cut off from critically needed services, at least temporarily, while they start to get their life together by working.

I agree with Seccombe on the issue that the welfare system breeds dependence on the system. I don't know how we expect people to survive if they are cut off from critically needed services that the welfare system provides once they find a job, which for the most part are minimum-wage jobs. As we all know, minimum-wage jobs offer little to no benefits while the welfare system provides recipients with the basic critical services they need. People sit there and call those who are on welfare lazy individuals who don't work; however, there is a reason why many recipients do not work. It is not because they are lazy or that they simply don't feel like working, it's that they need to continue to receive Medicaid, subsidized housing, food stamps, etc. that they would stop receiving once they got a job. The jobs they find, however, are minimum-wage one's that do not offer the services that the welfare system provides. If a person had a choice to either live on welfare and receive the little money and services/benefits they do, or to live off a minimum-wage job offering no benefits at all, I strongly feel that there would not be a single person who would choose the option to work a minimum-wage job with no benefits or services. Our society needs to understand that many welfare recipients are unemployed because they need to continue to receive welfare to get as much help as possible. It is not right to call these people lazy or unmotivated because that is not the case. The case is that they have no choice or option to do otherwise. With this being said, I agree with Seccombe that the welfare system breeds dependence on itself.