So did you know that social assistance programs (e.g. food stamps, SSI, etc) give incentives for living alone? If people pool resources and live together with siblings, parents, friends, etc, they all get less assistance. The SSI is reduced by a third. Food stamps are also reduced for each person living together.
12 responses to “Incentivizing Atomization”
-
-
“did you know that social assistance programs”
That’s ancient news and goes back to the Great Society programs that purposefully or accidentally incentivized single motherhood and subsequent welfare dependence among the poor.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Society#Legacy
LikeLike
-
What’s the point, though? There’s got to be a point. Or is it accidental stupidity? Or like the kind of thing that Germans do, manufacturing a large underclass out of refugees?
LikeLike
-
I will leave to others to explain the intended point. But this is one very legitimate reason conservatives often despise the welfare state. It unequivocally encourages state dependency over self sufficiency. Some welfare state is needed in my mind but way too often it turns into what you are highlighting here. Super important to point out because liberals will often berate people who point this out. And the optics of that is one of the reasons these programs stay. Some are dependent on them. And any politician who tries to reform them risks huge huge backlash unless reft of the party backs them publicly
LikeLike
-
The point can’t be to keep people on welfare because there are scores of measures aimed at kicking people off welfare at every opportunity. There’s got to be something else.
But yes, you are right, welfare is a double edged sword which is why I’m completely against guaranteed basic income.
LikeLike
-
-
“What’s the point, though? There’s got to be a point.”
I think it’s combination of stupidity and (mostly un)conscious attempts to sabotage African Americans as the civil rights movement was entering it’s peak phase.
IIRC school funding was changed around that same time in a way that hit poor (esp black) schools very hard. And of course low skilled immigration from latin america also devastated the traditional black working class. Virtually all the jobs that were dominated by the black working class are now filled by low wage (and low rights) undocumented labor.
LikeLike
-
-
-
Well, in Europe, single mothers get a lot of help. An illiterate 17-year old with one child is better off in London than a junior doctor who works 70 hours a week. Among other, her rent is paid for a 2-bedroom flat while most professional women can only afford a room in a shared house. The single parent has no incentive to form a family and provide her children with a stable background. The children resulted from such lifestyle become sexualized at an early age, which is probably the intention behind it all.
LikeLike
-
People like matt, who are so against ‘welfare’ also happen to be passionate supporters of tax cuts for the rich, corporate welfare in terms of tax cuts and incentives, etc.
So, the idea is that giving money to the poor will somehow corrupt their souls and make them lazy, but giving money to the rich will only incentivize them to achieve more. Which only brings home the point that conservatives have always believed that poverty is a moral failing, a sin.
Also understand that hating welfare is a relatively new thing. And yes, it’s racial identity politics once again. Alaska, the home state of Palin, has a sovereign wealth fund that distributes its oil wealth to its citizens. Can’t get more socialist than that in this country. But since Alaskans are mostly white, matt doesn’t quite seem to mind. Utah solved its homeless problem by…wait for it…building housing for its homeless people!
The greatest poll evar!
https://twitter.com/ChMadar/status/815245762883883009
LikeLike
-
“I will leave to others to explain the intended point.”
Matty ‘Hillary should be in jail’ boy: This should be the beginning and end of every post you make here.
LikeLike
-
I am still learning about Social Security but this is what I know so far:
SS = social security retirement benefit; you must pay in for at least 40 quarters. Your benefit depends on what you paid in, which reflects how much you earned (it is a percentage of earnings), and also when you decide to start collecting. People who opt to go on SS at 62 receive smaller monthly benefits for the rest of their lives than those who wait additional years to start collecting. The trick here is that (metaphorically) bricklayers generally need to retire earlier than attorneys, the well-to-do benefit more. You can collect SS and continue to work part-time but your benefit will be reduced while you are collecting a paycheck. Whether or not you live by yourself does not affect the level of your benefits.
SSDI = social security disability income; this is for people who have paid in for at least 40 quarters and then become too disabled to work (this includes terminal cancer). This is difficult to qualify for, the majority of people are denied at their first attempt and must appeal. After two years on SSDI, you are eligible for Medicaid (what are you supposed to do for health care coverage in the time between stopping work and starting Medicaid, I do not know. Have a spouse with a good job that comes with insurance I suppose).
SSI = social security income; this is for people who are so disabled that they will never be able to fully support themselves. You can earn money though your benefit will be reduced accordingly. You can qualify at age 18, without having paid any SS taxes ever, though many first time applicants are turned down and must appeal. Your benefit will be reduced if you live with your family, as many disabled adults do. If you move out of your family’s house, your benefit may be increased. The top amount is less than $800 a month — too bad you have expenses other than rent. The way to pull off living away from your family is to have a roommate and to qualify for a Medicaid Waiver, which will provide money to live on as well as a medical card. In these cases generally the full $700+/month is awarded.
So it is not quite true that living with others will always limit your SSI benefit.
LikeLike
A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
Leave a comment