I have recently reviewed the application used for individuals to fill in and request assistance from the government for food, medical, and cash benefits. The extensive number of questions reminded me of the significant change the United States has been going through. What surprised me the most is the degree a person’s assets are being asked to fill in this form. The reason I was surprised, as I felt I was reading the request for information that typically would be for financial planning on the private client and wealth areas of investment firms including banks. The big difference is that this request is not to help the individual to financially plan and improve their economic station in life, not really. It is clarifying why assistance would be needed. This is opening the door for the government to have access to agencies, companies, institutions so as to have confirmed information on a person. The individual would receive assistance, but at what cost for their future and independence.
This is shocking to me, and yet the United States has experienced an enormous increase of its population that had been largely of undocumented immigrants which had occurred during the no-border timeframe during the Biden Administration, and it has appeared to have been done more quietly to the public in previous administrations.
The application booklet covers a range of topics, such as convictions, violence, previous SNAP use, medical bills created in previous 3 months, rentals. There are 2 pages on the topic of health coverage from jobs and eligibility. A large list of possible immigration statuses, 21 in counting, with “other” covering the remainder not noted. This includes trafficking victims and his/her spouse, child, sibling or parent. Pages 59 through 68, is a section titled, “Read about your rights and program rules.” This section contains detailed information which includes contacts that the reader may want to connect with for further information.
While I have been aware through podcasts and other news-related venues of the many changes the United States has been experiencing and the many fraud cases being discovered, and yet, reading much of this application, I find I am in shock as to the level that this application has gone to include the many areas pertinent to many in the population that seem to represent a large standard deviation from what the population had been just even 10 years ago!
I advocate both for the ability to make money through many capitalist opportunities, and yet I do hold a heart for the humanitarian approach of respect and dignity of others, despite their cultural differences. That being said, a culture from another part of the world should not move the United States citizens who have lived here all their lives, to be disenfranchised, dominated, or pushed out of the way for the newcomers. As a rule people can relate and work with others of other cultures to create a symbiotic level of respect within society as a whole in a country. There have been many hands and minds behind the scenes, I imagine, which would prefer to change the United States culture beyond recognition to the longtime U.S. resident citizens.
Somehow, despite all the political views, we must work together to support the freedoms and allowance for self-decision making, so as to create lives of meaning, enjoy material aspects in life, and take on social responsibility where opportunity is provided to help others thrive by teaching others how to fish themselves, versus having another making that decision for a person who then becomes dependent on a system.