One particular social issue that i find to be quite interesting is the welfare system, and who qualifies/who does not. This is a topic that has been thoroughly discussed both in my sociology as well as my politics classes. Anytime the welfare system is brought up, mentioned, or debated on, there is always a great divide in who supports the system, who thinks it should be abolished, and who thinks it needs reform. I believe this is one of the reasons this social issue in particular is of most interest to me- it does not have such a clear divide as other social issues, and it isn't an issue such as poverty that has more agreement to it. 

In my research on Catholic Social Teaching and the church's opinion on welfare, there seems to be a divide there as well. It does not seem to be a clear-cut opinion. One article I found mentioned that to begin with, the church has a lot of support for the welfare system (or, in its initial stages, mainly just assistance to the poor not what the welfare system has grown into today). The church's opinion on welfare has altered over the ages, with its present opinion to be slightly wary and less in favor of the system. John Paul II was especially critical of the welfare system, though he made sure to clarify it was not the whole system, but certain policies he did not approve of. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong place, but I could not find a solid answer on Catholic Social Teachings' opinion on welfare, other than it does believe in support for the poor--in the specific case of welfare, it is not as definitive (reference: http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/hargrave/05601.html).

I believe my perspective on the welfare system has greatly changed while being here at Loras. My view of the welfare system pre-Loras was the stereotypical view of the welfare system, with its envisioning of "welfare queens," or African-American single mothers who have children just to get money, and lazy people who choose to be on welfare and not work. After taking an Intro to Sociology course, my mind was opened to the complexity behind the welfare system and its truth. Although there are indeed people who choose to take advantage of the welfare system, overall this is not the case. Although not 100% sure on where I stand with the welfare system, I do have less of a stereotypical view of it after coming to Loras.