Social Welfare free essay sample

Welfare Historical Periods For The Early History of Social Welfare Policy in America you see a lot of early forms of governmental aid. The Elizabethan Poor Laws provided aid for those who were basically unemployed for example if a farmer’s crop does not produce that year, relatives would pitch in to aid that farmer so they could survive. As it progressed into the later years government was becoming more organized. Jobs were produced through industries in the city. In the Early Relief in the United States you saw forms of medical care, people who could not afford to take care of themselves or family members were placed under the care of someone who could afford to take care of them at a low cost. In the Rural to Urban Migration people would migrate from poor communities to cities hoping to find jobs there, to make a better life for themselves. We will write a custom essay sample on Social Welfare or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page You see this today in migration from other countries to America people come here to start a new life because of the better job opportunities. In the Progressive Era you would see people higher in society sacrificing things to help out the poor. You would also see people seeking to hold some sort of governmental office giving things to the poor to gain votes. You see this all the time today when politicians run for office, they always promise or do something to gain votes. In this period you see a lot of early forms of American government, even though they are basic they progressed into something much greater. In The Great Depression and FDR’s New Deal you see how America’s social welfare changed for forever. The stock market crashed and sent America directly into a depression, with this unemployment went through the roof. FDR’s New Deal called for relief, recovery, and reform. Things such as food assistance, and temporary work programs came into effect which you still see today. There is unemployment pay and food stamps today that allow those who do not have a job or simply can’t afford to pay for life’s essentials. Franklin D Roosevelt deal was also called for social insurance for those who were retired, which you still see this today with Social Security it is basically the exact same thing. In the More Expansion of Social Welfare the COLAs played a very significant social welfare change at this time. COLAs or cost-of-living-adjustments were designed to keep programs such as Social Security, SSI, and food stamp benefits in line with inflation. This allowed for people who were on these programs to still be able to afford the basic needs of life even though the price was going up. You do still kind of see this today, but programs like Social Security are struggling to survive. In the Regan and Bush Years the Privatizing of Public Services was a major change in social welfare. This allowed for programs such as child services to run by private’s organizations which allowed for them to be more cost efficient. This also impacted it in a negative way although it was more cost efficient they were unable to gauge how well these companies were working. Also by making these through private organizations many jobs were lost. The Presidential Years of Bill Clinton the Budget Enforcement Act played a major role in social welfare. This act allowed for the lessening of Americas debt. With this, certain things had to be cut such as money being spent in the DOD. You see this today in our economy since we are in a recession, the only way to reduce debt is to reduce spending and increase taxes. The budget this year for the DOD has been reduced and in major defense departments. Also like the BEA certain programs have been cut or reduced to cut spending. The George W. Bush Presidency had one major event that impacted our social welfare. September 11, 2001 changed a lot of not only in every Americas lives but also majorly in our defense departments. On September 14, 2001 congress authorized Bush to use any force necessary to retaliate against these terrorist attacks. Also Department Homeland Security (DHS) was increased after these attacks, things such as airport security became and other DHS agencies became just as important as the war in Iraq. With this more jobs were created but more money was spent. Our debt increased majorly but it was necessary to our survival. We are still fighting the war in the Middle East so our debt hasn’t stopped increasing. Jobs are being lost, so unemployment is still up, spending on healthcare for wounded soldiers is up, and our debt is through the roof all because of one day. Barack Obama’s Presidency: Year One is American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Had the biggest impact on social welfare. It aided recovery programs, they were to help with those who were unemployed. Although unemployment nearly doubled the money they barrowed helped stabilize America’s economy. Although temporarily stabilized, unemployment was still up and the economy was still in debt.