The predictions were that welfare reform would lead to huge increases in child poverty and worsening conditions for the poor. This has turned out not to be the case. In fact, requiring social spending to be linked to real effort to find a job and get off welfare has led to significant economic and social improvement in the lives of what used to be known as the "permanent underclass". But it's not working out everywhere as some jurisdictions do what they can to sabotage the law and allow people to continue their decades long history of taking without giving in return and teaching their children to do the same.
This is eventually going to get broken as jurisdictions that don't trap welfare recipients rack up better records than jurisdictions that do but the entrenched interests will not give up their ideas without a fight.
Posted by TMLutas at May 2, 2004 09:29 AM