Economic Balancing of Social Welfare Programs

"Our foremost priority is the removal of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, disease and illiteracy. All social welfare programmes must be implemented efficiently. Agencies involved in the delivery of services should have a strong sense of duty and work in a transparent, corruption-free, time-bound and accountable manner." ~ Pratibha Patil

"For us democracy is a question of human dignity. And human dignity is political freedom, the right to freely express opinion and the right to be allowed to criticise and form opinions. Human dignity is the right to health, work, education and social welfare. Human dignity is the right and the practical possibility to shape the future with others. These rights, the rights of democracy, are not reserved for a select group within society, they are the rights of all the people." ~ Olof Palme

There was a paper written based in Denmark on the fact that cutting welfare programs, especially targeting minorities and immigrants can have long lasting negative consequences for children that are affected by such government cuts.

Most modern liberal democracies, when social welfare programs are cut by governments, there are tremendous negative impacts on the education of such children and those families.

Due to the socioeconomic financial stress within the family and within the community many of these children experience academic stress and anxiety which lowers their grade point averages and of course reduces potential academic performance. For many students that are affected by such government cuts, these children can be academically stunted due to a lower streamlining or pathway to achieve academic success which could reduce future post-secondary career options.

As mentioned above, a reduction of family income from government cuts to social welfare programming lead to a reduction of well-being. Not only the adults of such families, but there is tremendous emotional and psychological distress placed upon children of these families. For many of these children, mental health supports are cut in the communities and in the schools.

Due to government cuts in social welfare programming not only in Denmark but in other modern liberal democracies, there are lower employment rates and much lower earnings from adults and children that require support and social welfare programs.

Many of these families face a lack of job opportunities with low wages and high inflation, unable to save any money for food, clothing or entertainment. From any of these families, the lack of government funding through social welfare programs and the lack of employment and low minimum wages, there is tremendous stress and anxiety placed upon these youth of such families.

Whenever a modern liberal democracy cuts social programs, there tends to be lack of jobs and very low minimum wages which cannot cover the cost of basic necessities, such as paying for rent and food. In turn, many of these families, including the youth are exposed to violence and property crimes, and for many of these adults, there tends to be an increase of convictions within the criminal justice system.

Many economists and sociologists suggest whenever a modern liberal democracy cuts social welfare programs, there tends to be an increase in a necessity for survival for people living in poverty. For many people living in such hardship, many of the coping mechanisms are to seek for a improved socioeconomic situation to reduce the financial stress.

Whenever a government cuts social welfare programs, there tends to be a perpetuation of poverty across generations with in some visible minorities and immigrant communities. When this perpetuation of poverty happens, there is generational trauma within these communities.

Modern liberal democracies were historically envisioned and built on programs such as the "New Deals" of their societies, to have a strong socioeconomic incentive program for their citizens to be successful within society, but also to build and keep in place a strong economic balance of social welfare programs, so that no individuals or families fall through the economic cracks into disparity.

It seems, many elected politicians either ignore or truly don't have the intellectual capacity and understanding that by supporting and funding Social Welfare programs there is a reduction of crimes and social issues based on poverty.