single welfare moms
At 31, divorced with two youngsters at home, Agnetha has become a welfare mom for the very first time in her life. She agrees that all unemployed people have an uphill battle trying to find a good job in today's market, but she feels that single moms are severely disadvantaged and should be supported by society.
"Because of their circumstances and responsbilities single moms deserve welfare," says Agnetha. "We'd rather have a good job, but when there are so few of them out there, and the competition is fierce, our self-esteem plunges fast when we can't get a job and this is bad for our children."
"It reminds me of my childhood," sighs Agnetha. "We were a very poor family and being the last of five children I naturally got all the hand-me-downs and the last bite of any cherries going around. I remember saying then that it wasn’t fair that my older sister got the new clothes, and now it’s not fair that she's got a job and I haven’t."
"She's married and her husband earns a good income," explains Agnetha. "She doesn't need a job but I do, yet she's favored in the job market and I'm not."
"Being on welfare carries a stigma that few people want to take on board," says Agnetha, "and yet when you don't have sufficient funds to be able to sustain yourself and your family for very long, you have no choice but to put your hand out."
"You keep on trying for a new job," says Agnetha, "but the longer you try the faster your funds run out. That golden goodbye check that came with the pink slip may have looked good a few months ago, but you fast realize that it is not going to support you for very long."
"Ultimately," says Agnetha, "you will be forced to seek welfare assistance and anybody who saw the British film The Full Monty will have a good understanding of what being on welfare is all about."
Agnetha was raised, as most of us were, to believe that only deadbeats apply for welfare, so the first hurdle she had to overcome was actually making that first step into the welfare world.
She was encouraged to take that step by the knowledge that she was not alone. More and more of her friends admitted that they had taken that step, too.
When Agnetha took that step, she started wondering why she didn't apply for welfare sooner. Most people, she discovered, apply for what they consider to be their right as soon as they are laid off.
"Check out the welfare office near where you live," says Agnetha. "There will be a few older people, a few young adults still looking for their first job, a few migrants of various ages and, yes, a few deadbeats, but overwhelmingly the welfare office will be full of people in the prime of their working lives. People just like you and I."
Set up in some period when jobs were plentiful and the only people applying for welfare were deadbeats, Agnetha explains that local welfare offices are not likely to have caught up with the times.
"The front line welfare workers will know very well what is going on in the world," explains Agnetha, "but the guys in the back offices are likely to be still following guides written in the 1970s."
Agnetha said that she was issued with instructions that financial assistance is dependant upon her applying for a certain number of jobs per week.
"Hello?" laughs Agnetha, "doesn't it occur to those guys in their plush back room offices that if there were any jobs out there, thousands of women like myself wouldn't be applying for assistance?"
"The problem as I see it is lack of jobs not lack of desire to work," says Agnetha. "And the longer women are on welfare, facing constant job rejection, the desire to work diminishes."
"Also, if the present trend to cut back jobs continues, then we're looking at a future society where a minority with jobs and money supports a majority on welfare."
"It would be a really crazy world where the underclass becomes the leisured class, wouldn't it?" asks Agnetha. "And yet this is where we are heading."
"Bearing in mind that all of my welfare check gets spent the day I get it," says Agnetha, "it's a system that doesn't just support me and my kids. I supports the economy, too."
"For instance, the supermarket charges me $60 for groceries. If $20 of that money goes to pay for the goods, $20 goes on wages, operating costs and profit and $20 ultimately goes back to IRS then a third of my welfare check actually supports me and two-thirds supports the government and people in jobs."
"People in jobs who begrudge paying taxes to support the welfare system are stupid," explains Agnetha, "because when unemployed people spend their welfare checks they're keeping everyone else in jobs."
"I'm no economist," apologizes Agnetha, "but logic tells me that welfare does more good for the economy than harm."
"The only thing about being on welfare that I really detest is the fact that I can't enjoy the sort of lifestyle I had when I was working," explains Agnetha, "and this is why I want a job badly. I want money to splash around again!"
"I don't want welfare, I want a job!" exclaims Agnetha, "but when jobs are becoming as scarce as hen's teeth I'm caught in a trap."
"Because of their circumstances and responsbilities single moms deserve welfare," says Agnetha. "We'd rather have a good job, but when there are so few of them out there, and the competition is fierce, our self-esteem plunges fast when we can't get a job and this is bad for our children."
"It reminds me of my childhood," sighs Agnetha. "We were a very poor family and being the last of five children I naturally got all the hand-me-downs and the last bite of any cherries going around. I remember saying then that it wasn’t fair that my older sister got the new clothes, and now it’s not fair that she's got a job and I haven’t."
"She's married and her husband earns a good income," explains Agnetha. "She doesn't need a job but I do, yet she's favored in the job market and I'm not."
"Being on welfare carries a stigma that few people want to take on board," says Agnetha, "and yet when you don't have sufficient funds to be able to sustain yourself and your family for very long, you have no choice but to put your hand out."
"You keep on trying for a new job," says Agnetha, "but the longer you try the faster your funds run out. That golden goodbye check that came with the pink slip may have looked good a few months ago, but you fast realize that it is not going to support you for very long."
"Ultimately," says Agnetha, "you will be forced to seek welfare assistance and anybody who saw the British film The Full Monty will have a good understanding of what being on welfare is all about."
Agnetha was raised, as most of us were, to believe that only deadbeats apply for welfare, so the first hurdle she had to overcome was actually making that first step into the welfare world.
She was encouraged to take that step by the knowledge that she was not alone. More and more of her friends admitted that they had taken that step, too.
When Agnetha took that step, she started wondering why she didn't apply for welfare sooner. Most people, she discovered, apply for what they consider to be their right as soon as they are laid off.
"Check out the welfare office near where you live," says Agnetha. "There will be a few older people, a few young adults still looking for their first job, a few migrants of various ages and, yes, a few deadbeats, but overwhelmingly the welfare office will be full of people in the prime of their working lives. People just like you and I."
Set up in some period when jobs were plentiful and the only people applying for welfare were deadbeats, Agnetha explains that local welfare offices are not likely to have caught up with the times.
"The front line welfare workers will know very well what is going on in the world," explains Agnetha, "but the guys in the back offices are likely to be still following guides written in the 1970s."
Agnetha said that she was issued with instructions that financial assistance is dependant upon her applying for a certain number of jobs per week.
"Hello?" laughs Agnetha, "doesn't it occur to those guys in their plush back room offices that if there were any jobs out there, thousands of women like myself wouldn't be applying for assistance?"
"The problem as I see it is lack of jobs not lack of desire to work," says Agnetha. "And the longer women are on welfare, facing constant job rejection, the desire to work diminishes."
"Also, if the present trend to cut back jobs continues, then we're looking at a future society where a minority with jobs and money supports a majority on welfare."
"It would be a really crazy world where the underclass becomes the leisured class, wouldn't it?" asks Agnetha. "And yet this is where we are heading."
"Bearing in mind that all of my welfare check gets spent the day I get it," says Agnetha, "it's a system that doesn't just support me and my kids. I supports the economy, too."
"For instance, the supermarket charges me $60 for groceries. If $20 of that money goes to pay for the goods, $20 goes on wages, operating costs and profit and $20 ultimately goes back to IRS then a third of my welfare check actually supports me and two-thirds supports the government and people in jobs."
"People in jobs who begrudge paying taxes to support the welfare system are stupid," explains Agnetha, "because when unemployed people spend their welfare checks they're keeping everyone else in jobs."
"I'm no economist," apologizes Agnetha, "but logic tells me that welfare does more good for the economy than harm."
"The only thing about being on welfare that I really detest is the fact that I can't enjoy the sort of lifestyle I had when I was working," explains Agnetha, "and this is why I want a job badly. I want money to splash around again!"
"I don't want welfare, I want a job!" exclaims Agnetha, "but when jobs are becoming as scarce as hen's teeth I'm caught in a trap."
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