A group of sixth graders prepares to leave for their graduation pictures. But one little boy holds back. "What's the matter?" his teacher asks him softly. The boys eyes filled with tears."It's almost the end of the month," he says. "The welfare money has run out, so my mother can't afford to pay for a picture until the next check arrives." Welcome to life on welfare.
In the summer of 1996, Democrats and Republicans finally agreed on a compromise bill that was signed by President Clinton. The new law was expected to save $55 billion in welfare over six years. It also established a limit of five years for welfare payments to any family. The new law also required most adults to work within two years or loose benefits. In addition, welfare would now be administered by the states, which would receive block grants from the federal government. This was called welfare reform, the attempt to improve welfare as a whole.
Government spending
English: Official White House photo of President B...
Poverty stands right in front of youPresident Bill Clinton promised serious welfare reform, but when congress sent him to legislation [in December 1995 and January 1996] that would have accomplished this, he vetoed it. Welfare reform still remains a major domestic issue till this day. So, is new welfare reform necessary?
In a survey released by the Public Agenda Foundation in 2000 a large majority of Americans say they believe the welfare system is seriously mismanaged and needs to be
changed. In 1965, the war on poverty began, since then government spending on welfare skyrocketed. In constant dollars, federal, state and local welfare spending rose from $158 billion in 1975 to $324 billion in 2000 according to Robert Rector, a senior policy analyst and welfare
researcher at the Heritage Foudation. "The prolific amount of spending has contributed to a breakdown in values and...