Why does the US and UK? governments had out Free Food Benefits so easily to so many people?

[Dynamicfather736]

what it does for THEM? as back in the 1940s and 1930s they didnt have this "Free Food" offer so much did they?

when , how and why became this way?

also, for those in the USA ..how and why it is MUCH EASIER to get more benefits now that Obama is in office? when became this way? are they almost LOOKING FOR people to get "Free food"? why again?

[Mark]

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...535AAAwRvh

Why do you keep asking this?

[Nick Cllins]

cause the economy for both of us is pretty bad right now and there are probably a lot more homeless people than there were back then. and idk, ask Obama.

[TommyMc]

In the US, prior to the Great Depression the only social safety net was churches and volunteer organizations. These weren't adequate to cope with the depth of poverty during the depression (1930's) and Roosevelt instituted The New Deal...a set of programs to put people back to work and reform the economy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal

I think that was a watershed in the belief that government had a responsibility to facilitate a basic level of support for it's citizens. It continued with Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty". It's easy to find examples of folks taking advantage of the system, but at the same time, public assistance can be the step up that people need to pull themselves out of poverty.

I'm not aware that eligibility for welfare benefits has been relaxed under Obama. Because of the poor economy, more people are eligible under the existing rules. Unemployment benefits have been extended...for people who were working but had their jobs eliminated. That's not exactly free food. It's not people taking advantage of the system. It's relief for working people so they don't lose their homes while searching for work in a tight job market.

It's not to anybody's benefit if there are hoards of homeless and hungry people. Whether they have a "right" to government handouts is a matter of where your heart is. As a matter of defense and a stable society, it's a smart thing to do.