We'll just have to disagree about it. In any event if we can't do away with welfare because of political impasse then I wish we could address, have a political debate among the parties, about a way to make welfare kids successful and break the dependency cycle.
Bread, I really don't have time these days to argue this with you--other pressures in my life. But, quickly, on this score, the best way to break this cycle is to put a great deal more money into public urban and rural education, particularly, into pre-k. As I recall, you were more than skeptical that would work.
Just cutting benefits does only one thing. Puts more folk in serious health dangers.
Pre 1950 we didn't have welfare women women begging. One because there were so few unmarried mother's (relatively speaking in terms of percentages), and two, their families took them in--unlike today where they, the families, see it as the government's job.
Don't know whether you are familiar with Michael Harrington's 1960s book on poverty which was one of the great stimuli for increased attention. One of his central points was that poverty was simply invisible to much of the country. It existed and the pain and suffering of it. Most of the country simply didn't see it. |
