Posted on 08/22/2013 4:11:58 PM PDT by raptor22
Incentives: A new study shows that in most states welfare programs pay more than a minimum-wage job, and in some states government aid can be more than the earnings from a regular, entry-level job.
Back in 1996, a Republican House led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, working with Democratic President Clinton, helped enact genuine welfare reform that included three main elements, the most important of which was the work requirement. Within five years of the law's implementation, stagnant welfare rolls were halved, employment among low-income Americans soared and child poverty rates plummeted.
This was after a 1995 study by the Cato Institute that found packages of welfare benefits for a typical recipient in the 50 states and the District of Columbia were not only well above the poverty level, but also more than a recipient's annual wages from an entry-level job.
The 1996 law turned the federal welfare program into state block grants under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and for a while it worked very well. A safety net was provided for those truly unable to work or lacking basic skills, but the able-bodied were incentivized to seek work and most found that getting up and going to work each day could be rewarding in both self-esteem and remuneration.
Enter the Obama administration and the beginning of the "fundamental transformation" of America, with its emphasis on redistribution of, rather than the creation of, wealth. Once again, the poor were told they were poor because the rich had taken their money and had rigged the zero-sum game to their advantage. We were soon on our way to becoming a food-stamp nation.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.investors.com ...
This article has some serious problems.
First of all, there seems to be a problem with “some” states, “many” states, and “most” states.
The second thing: “Back in 1996, a Republican House led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, working with Democratic President Clinton...”
That’s utter nonsense. The house *forced* Clinton, who opposed welfare reform every inch of the way, even threatening to veto it. Then when it was passed and rapidly turned into a success, Clinton claimed *exclusive* credit for it, not even mentioning the contribution of the congress at all.
And the Republicans should be chided for letting him do that, being so happy with the result of their work that they didn’t care if the lying, cheating, scoundrel of a POTUS pretended that he had done it.
What makes it so galling is that Clinton even claims it as one of *his* “great economic success” stories, for which his real legacy is precisely bupkus.
This is incredible. We've come to a point where you'll reap more financial rewards for producing more bastard offspring than for having a degree in computer science.
Redistribution in progress plain and simple.
Well this is how the leftists will erase income inequality.
ROFL
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