Is Welfare fair? (Do you even work, bro?)

"Welfare queen" is a term that was first introduced to the media by former president Ronald Reagan. In the 1970s, a "welfare queen" was a woman who had eighty names, thirty addresses, twelve Social Security cards, was on medicaid, food stamps, and was collecting veteran's benefits on four non-existing deceased husbands. This was the description that was used by Reagan while he was describing a woman from the south side of Chicago (a woman that matched this description was never found). As the 80s and 90s rolled around, the description of a "welfare queen" evolved into a woman who had more kids in order to benefit from a higher welfare check. Conservatives have argued that welfare recipients have an incentive to have more children because they get a higher check. However, I believe this to be inaccurate, given that a welfare mother can expect an additional $90 per month in increased AFDC payments for another child. Think about how much it takes to raise a child; would a woman really want to go through 9 months of pregnancy just to benefit from an additional $90 a month? Conservatives believe so, but a study by the U.S. Bureau of the Census found that AFDC families are virtually the same size as an average American family. Myth debunked.

The reason I bring up this topic is because I wanted to touch on the topic of stereotypes towards welfare recipients. I came across a comment that bothered me this morning on a message board; this comment implied that welfare recipients shouldn't vote because they did not work. Actually, many welfare recipients DO work but receive wages that are insufficient to provide for their family. 

Walmart's intentional low wages force their employees to need about $420,000 per year, PER STORE, totaling to $2.66 billion annually in food stamps and other taxpayer assistance. All this while the Walton family is sitting on hundreds of BILLIONS, I repeat, hundreds of BILLIONS. Why should American taxpayers subsidize Walmart employees when Walmart has plenty of money to pay them themselves?

Hook 'em