By Matthew Bailey | Staff Columnist
In his 1976 campaign for the Republican nomination, Ronald Reagan spoke about a woman who represented the worst in the United States’ welfare system. He talked about a woman in Southside Chicago who had “80 names, 30 addresses, 12 Social Security cards and is collecting veterans benefits on four non-existing deceased husbands. And she’s collecting Social Security on her cards. She’s got Medicaid, getting food stamps and she is collecting welfare under each of her names. Her tax-free cash income alone is over $150,000.”
In addition to that being dog-whistle politics, that woman never existed. Many think she was based off a woman in Chicago, Ill., who was found to have gotten an extra $6,000 that she had to pay back, but Reagan’s stereotypical welfare queen never existed. That story and the effect it has had on American politics show only a small amount of the distrust that we have come to have toward those who get help from the social safety net based entirely on anecdotes and stereotypes.
The story about welfare recipients receiving huge sums of money from the federal government is far from the only negative stereotype we have. The idea that those getting welfare are likely to do drugs is now getting laws passed. The first state to require drug testing of welfare recipients was Arizona. Under that program, welfare recipients were tested when there was “reasonable cause” to suspect they were using illegal drugs. The total number of people caught from the 87,000 tests was one. The state saved $560.
Florida passed a more expansive law, which is currently halted on court order, requiring drug testing of all Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients. In order to get the benefits, they had to pay between $30-$40 for the test, which would be refunded later if they passed. The testing resulted in fewer than 3 percent testing positive, but many families were unable to come up with the money to take the test and therefore no longer received benefits. The total savings for Florida was -$45,750.
The requirement that welfare recipients undergo a drug test is a perfect example of how our society has extremely negative views of welfare recipients. The small percentage of welfare recipients who have tested positive for using illegal substances is well below the national average for illegal drug users, but we continue to try to pass more of these laws based on the idea that welfare recipients are drug users.
Attacks on welfare recipients do nothing to solve the real problems of American poverty, homelessness or those who do not have sufficient food. They’ve not even shown that they’re worth paying for in many instances. Instead, the attacks only perpetuate the racially tinged negative stereotypes and perceptions regarding those who receive help from the social safety net.
Matthew Bailey is a second-year law student. His column runs biweekly on Mondays.
