Thanks for posting that link. It is a bit dated though since AFDC has long been replaced with TANF or Temporary Aid to Needy Families.
I wrote somewhere else on here about my and my family members' experience with welfare and how most people aren't even aware of the effects of welfare reform nowadays.
"Welfare Queens" are no longer even possible. There is a strict and set time limit to how long people can collect welfare in their lifetime. Once that limit is reached you can never be on welfare again. Food stamps don't have time limits but they do have work requirements. It used to not be that way.
People also think it's so easy to get this aid. I'd ask anyone who never has to wait in a welfare office for hours for your appointment or to fill out and do all that is required to get these benefits. And you must do this every three or six months in order to determine your continued eligibility.
It's not easy, trust me. In fact many choose to forego the hassle altogether even though they'd be eligilible. My own state is one of the poorest in the country and it has many more people eligible for aid than are actually receiving it. Yeah, it's good for your pocketbook, but is it good for society as a whole to have so many people in need not getting any help?
And i'd remind everybody that many of those on government assistance are working people who still can't get by on what they earn. I'd hope people who oppose higher minimum wages would consider that when forming their opinions about that. Aid might not be necessary for so many if they got paid a fair and livable wage.