TANF

I have been truly bothered by the information I learned about TANF this week. I did not understand the ramifications of the welfare reform before this week. A five year lifetime maximum on benefits seems like a ludicrous facsimile of assistance. The idea that most states have a shorter limit is beyond upsetting. How can country that claims to be one of the most civilized locations on earth support such a program? How can we ignore all these people? How can we allow people to go hungry?
I was bothered by the idea that people thought those on welfare were lazy. Many of the people on welfare were performing unpaid labor in their home because it did not make senses to work outside the home. As a stay at home mom (more or less for a year) I can tell you that I worked harder when I stayed at home than I ever did in the workforce. There were no scheduled breaks or days off and I was basically on call 24 hours a day. That is not the type of work that allows for laziness. People also do not take into account what working truly costs a single mom. If this woman is earning minimum wage and has two children in daycare she basically brings home $50 a month. No person can be expected to work 200 hours a month for $50. Then there are the time constraints and human costs to figure into the equation which would basically mean this woman was paying to work.
The other idea to consider in all of this is that in order for our economy to work we need people performing the lower level jobs. How would our country survive if there were no trash collectors, cashiers or food service workers? Our society needs to revalue this kind of work and offer some sort of subsidy program to the people performing these needed services.
Welfare certainly needed reformed but TANF is not a reasonable answer. How can our country claim to be a human rights advocate and still allow our own people to go hungry and without shelter? Another answer to welfare must be reached to ensure the safety and well being of everyone.