Personal Injury Law

Who is left to pull the wagon?

By Edward Bills

The Los Angles Times reports that 20% of the people living in Los Angeles County now receive public aid and officials expect that number to rise significantly.

Nearly 2.2 million people are receiving public assistance payments or benefits, a level county officials say will rise significantly over the coming months.

With unemployment in the county currently standing at 9.5% more people are expected to seek aid to once their other benefits run out.

The total includes those receiving food stamps and general relief as well as other county-administered aid programs, such as in-home healthcare. The cost — shouldered by the county, state and federal governments — was $334 million a month by the end of last year, according to the latest report by the county’s Department of Public Social Services.

The rising demand has left public assistance offices ill-equipped to deal with the growing multitude of indigent people. In some locations, lines routinely snake hundreds of feet outside entrances.

Qualifying for help most often means they already have run out of unemployment insurance and drained their bank accounts and other assets. What it also means, however, is that they have not spent 40 hours a week looking for work or have been willing to take what is offered in the way of employment.

Being on welfare is both degrading and addictive, especially if one can learn to live on what handouts the government provides.

But people who expect to receive the equivalent of full wages when they are not working would be fools to look for work. It is far easier to ride in the wagon than to pull the wagon.

While it is critical that ‘We The People’ should always be willing to lend a hand to those in need, it is not appropriate for people to expect life-long support as an option instead of working.

If only the politicians would learn one simple lesson - jobs are the ONLY important thing, get people working and problems just seem to fade.

Full post as published by Bodily Injury Blog on February 22, 2009 (boomark / email).