Are Welfare recipients freeloaders? Unemployment rate

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Are welfare recipients freeloaders?
One of the most contentious issues in the developed countries is the provision of welfare programs to the needy, the poor, or those living below the poverty line. The government finances the welfare programs through the tax payer’s money and thus eliciting various arguments against the continuous support of such families and individuals who are unable to meet their basic needs. One of the most vocal arguments against government’s providence of welfare benefits to the recipients is that welfare recipients are freeloaders who only seek to live off the sweat of the tax payer’s money. Proponents of that argument are of the thought that the people, adults and children, living in poverty who are unable to cater and provide for their basic needs are responsible and culpable for their misfortune. In the same school of thought is that the provision of welfare discourages the recipient from seeking employment or encourages laziness which hampers the development agenda of the nation by dragging the eating into the efforts of hard-working Americans. However, and contrary to the outlined arguments, it is important to make a note of the fact that welfare recipients do not enjoy living out of the government handouts and that it is the underlying factors such as high unemployment rates and low incomes that drive them to seek financial and other forms of assistance from the government programs.
First of all, the high unemployment rate in the country has condemned a lot of people to poverty which means that many cannot be able to fend for themselves and their families. Mutikani (2018) reported that in the US, job growth continues to rise and the unemployment rate is at the lowest point it has ever been this century. The above is all true, and Mutikani is right in his assertions. However, it is the 3.9% who are unemployed that seem to be heavily reliant on welfare. The truth is until everyone acquires employment, then there will always be a percentage of civilians who will need welfare. People can celebrate and call the drop in the unemployment rate a step in the right direction, and it is, but those who are still unemployed cannot understand the celebrations because nothing for them has changed. They are still in need and still cannot feed their families. Their children cannot afford to go to good schools or any school. Calling them freeloaders is indeed a sign of man’s neglect of his neighbor. While there are some who are employed and still receive welfare, it is wrong to generalize and consider all of them freeloaders. Unless they are given or gifted with jobs, these people will continue to depend and rely on welfare.
Secondly, low-income wage is another issue that condemns people to poverty and makes them seek and at times fight for government welfare. Not everyone can survive on what they are getting paid. Some people are even forced to work three to four jobs just so that they could provide their families with food and decent housing. Others are not as privileged and are, therefore, to survive on their one job which does not pay them enough to be breadwinners. The implication of this is that many end up depending on welfare to sup...