[[Image:Hitler.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Every advocate of the welfare state and of planning is a potential dictator.]]'''Welfare''' is a set of government programs paid for by the taxpayers that provide social or financial support programs specific sectors of the population deemed to be vulnerable, either financially, socially or physically. However, welfare programs can also be extended to much wider segments of the population, such as [[universal healthcare]] systems, [[vaccination]] programs etc. Some elements are opposed by [[libertarian]]s and [[conservative]]s. <center>'''''"Every advocate of the welfare state and of planning is a potential dictator." '''''<br>- Ludwig von Mises, renowned economist and philsopher</center> ==Welfare in the United States==Welfare expenditures in the United States have been growing for many years. The welfare system was established by President [[Franklin Roosevelt]], and extended by [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] as part of the [[Great Society]]. Opponents say that, since 50% of Americans pay over 96% of the taxes, <ref>Jackson, 2007</ref><ref>[http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/250.html]</ref> welfare is a [[socialist]] policy. Supporters may cite the supposed effectiveness of Roosevelt's policies to help end the Great Depression.<ref>http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/overview.htm</ref> Welfare also comes in the forms of [[food stamp]]s, free school lunches, and [[Medicaid]]. ==Corporate Welfare==This is a pejorative term used to describe business loans, subsidies, bailouts, and tax breaks, or a government providing a closed bid contract to a favoured company. The term is especially for these actions when directed toward large corporations, and especially in favoured sectors such as finance, energy, defence and motor industries. == Welfare Reform in the US==In the [[United States]], Conservative legislators passed the [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996]], which ended the AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) and radically changed the US welfare system. Tighter restrictions were placed on the eligibility and manner of receiving public aid in order to discourage families (mainly single, divorced, or widowed mothers with children)<ref>[http://futureofchildren.org]</ref> from remaining idle (outside of the work force). For instance, recipients are required to find employment within two years of receiving aid, and a single family could receive aid for a total of five years. If a mother gives birth to a child while on public assistance, states are allowed to establish "family caps" in order to deny further benefits the family may have been eligible for before the reform<ref>Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/welfare/welfare.htm#new]</ref>. Legal immigrants have also been made ineligible for any Social Security Income (SSI)<ref>Cornell University Law School</ref><ref>[http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/welfare]</ref>. == Welfare and Welfare Reform in Egypt ==The Egyptian welfare system is significantly different. Rather than specific programs aimed at helping vulnerable individuals or families, the government prefers to maintain price controls and subsidies, as [[poverty]] is regarded as the most serious social issue, and is widespread. Staple goods such as bread, cooking oil and fuel are all blanket subsidised, that is supplied at the subsidised price to the entire population, with no form of means testing employed. Although this is more expensive than a more targeted means-tested approach, it is administratively simpler, a major factor in a country where the civil service often has limited resources, and limited computerisation. The government also implements non-financial programs, including [[family planning]] (which has succeeded in halving population growth, but still faces many challenges), subsidised basic medical care at the village level, [[vaccination]] programs, and agricultural assistance programs. The government also provides more sophisticated medical services through a network of public hospitals, though care is not free at point of access and facilities are generally less sophisticated than in private hospitals, though geographic coverage is much more extensive. Attempts to reform the system, by reducing subsidises overall has been proposed many times by the government, and limited cuts have taken place, but there exists huge public resistance to deeper reform, especially amongst the poor, who comprise a huge percentage of the population. At present, there are no plans to drastically alter the provision of medical services, and most reform efforts are aimed at reform of the blanket subsidies on basic goods, and agricultural programs. == Finding welfare ==Welfare in the U.S. is administered at the county level. Search terms include welfare, social services, public assistance, and food stamps plus the name of the county. Like before the internet, phone books and yellow pages can be searched as well. == See also ==*[[Essay:Greatest Conservative Legislation]]*[[Capitalism]]*[[Social democracy]]* [[Welfare State]]==Notes=={{reflist}}[[Category:Government Programs]][[Category:Social Problems]]REDIRECT [[Category:Welfare StateCorporation]]
