To say that there is nothing they can do to overstay their welcome on the system is to say you are comfortable with some members of society not doing their part. I don't agree with that. There have to be some expectations, and they need to come from the system itself. Otherwise, the "hard times" become a life sentence.
Petty sniping aside, this is the most important and fundamental area where we disagree (by "we" I mean me specifically), so I'll try to address it as best I can.
First, I believe not only is it okay that some members of society can get away with not doing their part, but that it is unavoidable and necessary that that be the case. I think that is the cost of a true safety net that lets no one fall through the cracks. No matter what poor decisions people make and for how long they make them, they should always be provided food, shelter, and health care. If you accept that premise (I recognize that you likely won't), then I believe you must also accept that some people will be able to game the system. Of course we would all prefer that people wouldn’t do that, but attempting to prevent that from happening would, imo (1) be incredibly difficult and costly and (2) result in at least some people losing benefits they truly need, which is completely unacceptable to me.
Instead, I believe the best way to minimize the number of people who rely on (or game) the social support systems is to focus all our efforts on providing a realistic path out of poverty for those already there, and preventing people from needing it in the first place. Obviously this is a hugely complex issue. And we can draw on those factors that you have posted about that we know are associated with poverty.
Young single mothers? Let’s not take away their benefits in an attempt to disincentivize a decision that has already happened. Let’s take care of them and focus on sex education and widespread, low-cost/free, highly effective contraception (IUDs).
Opoid addicts? Let’s not take away their benefits and threaten their freedom if they can’t pass a test. Let’s take care of them regardless of what the test says, take away their fear of criminal prosecution so they are more willing to seek out help, and pour the resources into treatment programs to allow them to get their life back on track.
No jobs? Let’s not take away their benefits if they don’t meet some difficult/expensive to enforce and nebulous “attempt to work” requirements. Let’s take care of them and focus on job training and matching services. Coal jobs aren’t coming back, but coders are the new manufacturing jobs, and there are plenty of specialized jobs out there like the ones Wrangor needs that don’t require anything like the advanced degrees that litter this message board. Let’s figure out what those needs are and target people for job specific training. Sure there might be some people who would still choose to just sit on their ass and not work anyway. But I say that’s fine. Because I think for most people, if they are presented an option that gives them a chance at real upward mobility, they are going to take.
I don’t believe it necessarily follows that without expectations from the system itself, hard times become a life sentence. I just think we need to do a better job of providing an outlet for the people who use it.
