Response to Free Lunch. . .Free Breakfast

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If you read the Hattiesburg American today, you saw the article "Free Lunch. . .Free Breakfast." It shows kids at N.R. Burger School eating a free lunch. According to the story, the school serves 550 kids free lunch, and 350 kids free breakfast everyday. Well, if you read the paper format, you did not get the full story. Log onto Hattiesburg American.com and you will read the hate-filled responses that several angry residents posted about the article. There are accusations of welfare abuse, and misapproiation of funds, etc. But this whole mess made me wonder who is actually getting the most from the welfare system?

Despite prevailing stereotype, Whites, not Blacks, collect the greatest share of public aid dollars. Say the word "welfare" and immediately the image of the lazy Black welfare queen who breeds for profit surfaces in the minds of those who have come to believe the hideous stereotype. It is a myth that persists despite government figures and authoritative studies showing that Whites overwhelmingly reap the lion's share of the dole.

"For some people, there is a need to believe that there are professional welfare recipients who are deliberately trying to get not only what they need to survive, but more," says Anne D. Hill, director of programs for the National Urban League. "People say to themselves: 'I work. How come this person who appears to be healthy isn't working?' We tend to equate our condition with others without fully knowing their circumstances."

Hill and other welfare supporters argue that numbers, and not erroneous stereotypes, tell the real story about public assistance clients: Some 61 percent of welfare recipients are White, while 33 percent are Black, according to 2000 Census Bureau statistics, the latest figures available.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 16, 2010 at 11:20 AM

    Got a question. Where did you find the statistics on the 2000 U.S. Census Bureau Statistics. About the percentage of welfare recipients. I looked everywhere even on the TANF website and at the TANF reports turned into Congress and they do not list those statistics by race. They only list the total number of recipients and do not break it down by race.

    If you add information about where you find your statistics it would help you cause.

    I have never thought that Martin Luther King Jr. or John F Kennedy meant for some people to totally loose their civil rights while others gained more of the lions share of civil rights. Just my opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Lumberton InformerJune 17, 2010 at 2:29 PM

    The information I posted was taken from the following website: www.demographicsnow.com (this site charges a subscription fee.) Although the numbers show that Whites get the biggest chunk of public aid dollars, welfare critics still charge that Blacks shouldn't collect 33 percent of welfare benefits when they only make up 12 percent of the general population. So, anyone can finagle the numbers to either side.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJune 18, 2010 at 4:02 PM

    Thank you for the info! I needed to know where you found it so that I can show some people what we are getting ourselves into. And for the record I don't think any able bodied person under the age of 65 should be getting welfare. I believe that for some reason everyone is trying to make themselves slaves to our government. Just a pity! I wish that the welfare recipients of all races would realize that they can get out there and work with the best. Probably have better sense than most of the current politicians and better money management skills. For some reason I've noticed real self-esteem issues with them all.

    ReplyDelete

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