Governmental AID

On this page you will find a couple of opinion pieces based on my own experience with our broken governmental aid programs here in the United States. However, there are many other programs out there that I have not mentioned. With that said, there are many things that need to be changed to help uplift the people. This website has a wide variety of issues listed that need to be addressed.

The problem with social security is that the amount of money you qualify for is lessened based on how much you’ve paid into it, there are exceptions of course but usually in extreme cases. With everything getting more expensive, the money you are provided doesn’t get you much, let alone save; nor does the government like when you save money in your account because they will punish by reducing the aid you’re given or flat out remove you from said governmental assistance programs. Furthermore, we must raise the substantial gainful activity amount for those on Social Security. The wage index which is used to calculate how much one can work and earn needs to be adjusted to reflect actual cost of living by country, state and city or town. Such changes would allow someone who is on Social security to work without having to juggle their hours as much and how much they can earn, which makes it more difficult to find employment in the first place. Furthermore, Social Security needs to have policy changes in place that prevent the government from taking one off Social Security if you are permanently disabled, this would allow those who try to work and are unsuccessful to have something to fall back on and not be homeless.

When it comes to Food Stamps, in my opinion – for a family of one, individuals must be given a monthly amount that is based on the cost of living which will vary widely between each state AND its town/cities. Moreover, the amount given per household for each additional family member should also be taken into consideration and given extra per additional person(s) regardless of disability status.

For housing assistance, I view it is an extremely underfunded program with confirmed wait times that can last years. Housing assistance needs to be re-evaluated and cover more of the rent, especially with a large chunk of your paycheck going to rent alone, in some areas it's 40-60%. This leaves very little left over for other expenses and puts a family, regardless of their size in an even more difficult financial situation. Moreover, the financial hardship doesn't get any easier if you're on additional welfare programs since they too are means tested and provide just barely enough to survive. The preferred solution however, would be guaranteed housing for all and I don’t just mean run down shacks either.

Now, to some who have never been disabled or ever dealt with social security or any other welfare system in any way, this may come across as me and others just wanting "free" stuff. That is not the case, me, my family and many others around the country just want a better standard of living, better opportunities to succeed without worrying if we're gonna become homeless because something went wrong. We want to be able to save money in the bank without the government taking away our services for trying to save for an emergency (I personally feel the cap an individual should be able to save in the bank without losing benefits should be $20,000, with the cap raised with each additional member of the household. With all that being said, I know these benefits aren’t meant to be permanent, they are meant to provide temporary relief to help people get back on their feet but without guaranteed social safety nets, these programs can quite literally be the difference between life and death.

Michele Mashburn joins Jaybefaunt to discuss disability rights and how it affects working and non-working disabled people.

(September 6th, 2022)

Food Insufficiency and the expiration of the Child Tax Credit (2022 Study).pdf

Food Insufficiency and the expiration of the Child Tax Credit (2022 Study)

SSW is fighting to protect and expand Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; lower drug prices; ensure economic justice for all; and guarantee health care as a human right—because everyone deserves to live in dignity.

Services and Substantial Gainful Activity

I'm disabled, and on Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid. I can not make too much money, nor can I accept any money outside of what little work I'm allowed to do while under the restrictions of substantial gainful activity. Otherwise, I will be punished if found out. This could come in the form of reduced coverage/financial aid, or I could be completely kicked off of them. I'm particularly worried about Medicare/Medicaid myself, as I can not afford my medications without them. Both myself and my family, along with millions of others, rely heavily on Medicare/Medicaid to cover prescription and healthcare costs. I don't know how many people will suffer and quite possibly die without said coverage. This is why we need a single payer healthcare system. We also need to address the hold Big Pharma has in our country and on our politicians.

In terms of social security I would like to add that far too many are looking at social security from a retirement aspect, but many people are on it as a form of UBI because they can't work or they don't make enough, which I happen to fall under and am stuck due to how broken the system is. If the United States had a single payer healthcare system, I could work more. I personally would like to abolish or at least drastically reform substantial gainful activity as well, where you can have a part-time job with full shifts and not lose your social security (SSI/SSDI). I believe this would help those who can't work full-time and are disabled to be more financially secure.

There's a lot to these topics I mentioned, but I am not an expert on them, far from it. I just know that the system is broken and needs to be changed. People shouldn't have to choose between poverty and fulfillment. I should mention that although I support more help for the people, I also know that work can be fulfilling in its own right and provide a sense of purpose. It's important to note that for those who may be reading this that communists aren't opposed to work, but what we do want is to be properly compensated for our labor.

Speaking of, arguably, the minimum wage should be at least $30 an hour, some have suggested figures as high as $60 an hour or more. What I feel should happen is for the wage to adjust for the actual cost of living by location, down to the city/town you live in. With neighboring cities/towns not being too drastically different as to cause worker shortages in one area. In addition to this, I think we should subsidize small to medium-sized businesses so that they can afford to pay higher wages and maintain business costs. Chains and giant corporations like Wal-Mart, Amazon, etc. would not receive any governmental aid, nor would any business that is owned by an asset firm. However, I feel that a higher wage without policies to prevent hyperinflation and price gouging would be futile and quite possibly would cause more problems. With that said, I should mention that these are just ideas I'm throwing around and that I don't know how it would work in practice.

Transportation

In the United States we have an incredibly poor transportation infrastructure system, and you pretty much need a car to go anywhere or do anything. It's not like China, which has advanced, extensive, and well-maintained transportation systems. It is my opinion that the United States needs government funded services that help low-income people get a well maintained used car, ideally a service that allows you to customize what you're looking for to an extent. For example, I'm relatively tall, and I absolutely hate small compact cars as I can not fit in them very well. There are also jobs out there where certain vehicles wouldn't be a good fit. Furthermore, it would also be helpful if the United States had a government funded program to assist in car repairs and maintenance for disabled and low income individuals and their families. For the elderly and/or disabled with a low income, having no reliable means of transportation can be an absolute "life-killer".