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Food Stamps

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There’s a certain perception society tends to have of welfare recipients: large, single-parent families, tinned food and TV dinners, hand-me-down clothes, and low-paying jobs. So what happens when we see a welfare recipient driving a nice car—how do the two images align?

 

The term “welfare Cadillac”, originally coined by Ronald Reagan and made into music by Western protest singer Guy Drake, is used to describe freeloaders who float by off the backs of others. Instead of taking responsibility for their own lives and working hard to earn a living, a welfare Cadillac will work the welfare system to his own benefit, giving social support users a bad name who may genuinely need the services.

 

The problem is, it only takes a very small segment of the American population to make a very large impact—the so-called ““tyranny of the minority”. One needs to look no further than the Occupy movement from two years ago when the majority of the country got fed up with the “1%” taking the icing and the cake, or the recent government shutdown that was driven by the minority Tea Party. The right people in the right situation can make a huge statement and because these groups are small, their views tend to not be shared by the majority, giving an unbalanced perception as to how things may really be.

 

Welfare and social security are no different. New Republic reports that only 1% of the American population earns greater than $250,000/year—the cutoff for wealth—with the middle class’ income stagnating, and 15% living below the poverty line of $23,500 (the amount the government figures is the baseline to feed, clothe and house a family of four). For the 46 million Americans living below the poverty line, there is a certain stigma tattooed on them, one that draw criticism and controversy if welfare recipients don’t “follow the rules” and look like they’re on welfare.

 

But the trouble with judging a book by its cover is a different truth may be hidden in the pages. Just over a quarter of all Americans aged 18 and older suffers from at least one diagnosable mental illness each year, or 57.7 million people. Often dubbed a “silent disease” because it can’t be visibly recognized the way a broken leg can, mental illness is a significant correlative factor in welfare receipt. Business Insider shows that between 1987 to 2007, 2.5 times more people with a diagnosable mental illness qualified for Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance. Although the reasons for this are many and complex, one of the main explanations is that people in psychological distress are much likelier to live in poverty as the stigma and challenges that go along with mental illness can create a heavy burden for them.

 

So, while there are people who abuse the system—and will continue to do so—there are also people who legitimately need the help. And while seeing welfare recipients driving a Cadillac or lobster and steak may raise eyebrows, it should be an entry point to a discussion, not a springboard to pariah-ism.

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