And for when contraception fails as it can do, easy free access to abortion. Yes abortion America. If you personally are "pro life" whatever you think it means then get out their and demand help for the moms who struggle to feed and raise their kids instead of terrorising yes terrorising for that is surely what you are doing, the brave doctor's who seek to provide this service.
80
Any reasonable person who had one ounce of feeling about the American people could have told you long ago this is what welfare reform meant. Congratulations on waking up a little. But do you have the guts to ask for more, or as a Clintonite you want incrementalism so that some people suffer a little less each year?
39
Is it wrong to wonder why she doesn't sell the house?
It's what I would do if I was in a dire financial situation, I wouldn't be looking for others to help me...that would be the last option.
It's what I would do if I was in a dire financial situation, I wouldn't be looking for others to help me...that would be the last option.
31
You can't have a viable system for working mothers without high quality affordable day care.
93
Thank you for that admission Mr Kristof. I was very dubious at the time, and the support of people like you made me a bit less dubious. Not that I had a vote...
Now, please take a good look at the universal basic income. The GOP and its sycophants hate it with a passion, so there has to be something to it, right?
Now, please take a good look at the universal basic income. The GOP and its sycophants hate it with a passion, so there has to be something to it, right?
33
Congratulations, and thank you, Mr. Kristof. Your article, and this picture will go far in dispelling the old myth that only Black Americans are recipients of welfare and the sole reason for "welfare reform".
Poverty is a far-reaching reality in America these days -- you'd have no trouble finding its victims in wealthier cities among what's left of the quickly disintegrating Middle-class.
Maybe go there on your next trip. You won't have to look far.
Poverty is a far-reaching reality in America these days -- you'd have no trouble finding its victims in wealthier cities among what's left of the quickly disintegrating Middle-class.
Maybe go there on your next trip. You won't have to look far.
49
The author quotes 2 presumably undereducated women who were ages 9 and 15, respectively, when welfare was "abolished" for the proposition that welfare would be abused if it existed? What kind of journalism is he teaching his contest winners?
38
"America the beautiful"? As a European I can only wonder.
30
Another great article by Nicholas Kristof. This article is full of passion, then why New York Times publishes all sorts of nasty editorials against India all the time ? After all poor people are poor in any part of the world, they need empathy and all kinds of support such as shown here including family planning methods. Why double standards ?
Yesterday Todd from NJ presented an unbelievably rosy picture about the poorest of poor in America while replying to me on a different topic pertaining to India. According to him they own a house, TV, smartphone and a car. Nicholas doesn't seem to have noticed such things there. I was compelled to point out certain things to Todd, which none liked of course since they are bitter facts.
In India I don't find any newspaper or magazine publishing nasty things about America from time to time, I know plenty but don't name them here. Hope everyone understands it. Let's not hit others below the belt. Let's help in whatever way it's possible or let's keep our mouths shut.
Yesterday Todd from NJ presented an unbelievably rosy picture about the poorest of poor in America while replying to me on a different topic pertaining to India. According to him they own a house, TV, smartphone and a car. Nicholas doesn't seem to have noticed such things there. I was compelled to point out certain things to Todd, which none liked of course since they are bitter facts.
In India I don't find any newspaper or magazine publishing nasty things about America from time to time, I know plenty but don't name them here. Hope everyone understands it. Let's not hit others below the belt. Let's help in whatever way it's possible or let's keep our mouths shut.
4
Get a clue, children. Children are a luxury, not an asset, in the modern overpopulating world.
51
It was utterly solipsistic for you to decide in 1996 - against the facts and in the face of racial coding - that this brand of welfare reform was necessary. You were blind to the underlying political purpose of the act - which was to solidiy the Republican majority while innoculating Clinton from liberalism to ensure his re-election. And it's utterly solipsistic now, after more than a decade of empirical evidence of its destructive effects on families, for you to do a 180. Your contrition for your 1996 error is too little and too late. Shame on you then and shame on you now for your weak mea culpa.
52
So dude now owns how wrong he was to support so-called welfare reform. So why continue to pretend that people can support themselves on minimum wage jobs. Oh those experts again.
41
Why is it that the intelligencia of the punditocracy had no idea how destructive welfare "reform" would be, yet working class activists knew what would happen the moment this monstrosity was peddled to the electorate?
Because people like Kristof are nothing but glorified peddlers of bad ideas for the 1%.
Because people like Kristof are nothing but glorified peddlers of bad ideas for the 1%.
44
Where have all the fathers gone?
59
We have more compassion for an ape in a zoo than we do for the millions of suffering kids in our midst. It's pathetic and cruel. It is also stupid. Without proper care and instruction these kids are the problems of the future. Those that survive will require expensive health care and possibly incarceration.
The intelligent thing for the richest nation to have ever existed is to provide a minimum income that would feed and clothe and house any HUMAN BEING. If some simply take advantage of it, so what. They are people, people.
The intelligent thing for the richest nation to have ever existed is to provide a minimum income that would feed and clothe and house any HUMAN BEING. If some simply take advantage of it, so what. They are people, people.
66
Does anyone think we would be having this conversation if it weren't for Bernie Sanders?
77
No one should go without electricity, gas, and water because they can't pay their utility bill. These aren't luxuries,
56
A few years before "welfare reform" I became friends with a coworker who was a single mother of three. She was single because she had finally left her abusive partner. One day she broke down crying. She had calculated that she would be better off not working and staying home with her children. She didn't ask for assistance because her family would never let her live it down. So she lived in constant stress trying to make ends meet, and trying to keep her preteen from getting into trouble after school.
43
I really do not know what the answer is, I find it crazy that in America children go to bed hungry, people get substandard healthcare, education, housing. On the flip side I am a retired person who worked for 45 years and now must depend on SS and medicare, which really provide very little. When I go to the local market and see many young, healthy people paying with food stamps, talking about their section 8 housing, free of substantiated health plans which cover 100% and even free cell phones I wonder what we have become.
41
I agree with Kristoff, but as he said we can never go back to the days of a perceived free lunch. As the women stated they would abuse it as would most folks on welfare. It's a crutch and it does dampen the drive to do better for yourself. But we can target the children more who are innocent in the parent's mistakes so we don't have another welfare generation. Welfare is generational, you learn to live down to what your income is, hard to believe but it's true. We need to help but use a carrot and stick approach pushing men and women on welfare into a lifestyle that is productive for themselves.
42
People with no education, no skills, and no jobs thinking that having children whom they will never, repeat never, be able to support is the real problem. While free contraceptives for all those who want they is a good idea what able the women who don't want them?
32
Maybe the really horrible thing is allowing children to live in homes where there is drug addiction, long-term welfare dependency, illness and inability to work. Maybe the 'rights' of the children for a chance at life should 'trump' whatever 'rights' their parents or grandparents have to raise them.
Maybe.
Maybe.
29
My heart is with your anguish but my head disagrees. A cash payment most likely would have ended up buying drugs or alcohol. I have volunteered in food pantries for years where no cash exchanges ever occur. I agree that safety net needs to be wider to cover utilities, housing and health on top of food, but without any cash transfer.
39
Thanks for tackling this wrenching problem. I met a man around here who once tossed off the line, "every species seems to exhaust the resources available to it. At the time we were talking about deer, but Americans seem to take it to another level - after we use up fish, copper, soil, oil, some of us are willing to throw people away. Please keep slugging.
14
Welfare cheats and scammers cost the taxpayer about $ 1.5 billion per year, while defense contractor fraud costs the taxpayer $100 billion per year--as pointed out by Sebastian Junger in his excellent book TRIBES. Only small-minded and resentful moralizers manage to work themselves into a frenzy about welfare cheats. And they are an easily manipulated group of voters who drink the racially flavored Kool Aid every time they vote Republican.
No one likes a cheat, but cheating the welfare system is just a form of upward mobility for poor people, who struggle to get by with off-the-books cash, and whatever it takes to get through the week. It's a miserable existence and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. And what's the solution? Prison for these "criminals"? Poverty is already a minimum-security prison of sad rural trailers, and urban projects.
I'd be happy to fund $15 per hour government jobs for cleaners , day-care workers, and caring for the elderly. There would be round-the-block lines of job applicants in poor communities. And yes, about the same percentage of cheats as we have in private sector jobs.
No one likes a cheat, but cheating the welfare system is just a form of upward mobility for poor people, who struggle to get by with off-the-books cash, and whatever it takes to get through the week. It's a miserable existence and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. And what's the solution? Prison for these "criminals"? Poverty is already a minimum-security prison of sad rural trailers, and urban projects.
I'd be happy to fund $15 per hour government jobs for cleaners , day-care workers, and caring for the elderly. There would be round-the-block lines of job applicants in poor communities. And yes, about the same percentage of cheats as we have in private sector jobs.
112
It's fine to expect able-bodied mothers to work. But if this is your expectation:
1) Make sure jobs are available to them;
2) Provide child care.
This is something we can and should be able to do.
1) Make sure jobs are available to them;
2) Provide child care.
This is something we can and should be able to do.
55
Long acting contraception is key. Women living chaotic lives don't take oral contraceptives properly. Subcutaneous Nexplanon and IUDs require no effort once they're in and they work for years.
79
Perhaps the two biggest factors for a reformed welfare system and in the true sense of welfare would be free education for life and single payer health care like medicare. It just so happens that these two factors help everyone not just the needy.
17
Why are the vast majority of Republicans so mean? What on earth did those that are less fortunate do to them? Throw in the Evangelicals and Mormons and a new definition of 'compassion' is born.
I don't think I will never understand.
I don't think I will never understand.
22
Saying that you were previously wrong is a brave thing to do, especially in these times when poverty has, for all intensive purposes, been turned into a crime. I hope others will find the same in themselves.
About solutions, though. Very thin. Especially about jobs. There are a variety of training and re-training programs available. The problem with them is that adults, with or without children are expected to attend and perform well with no support for living while in the program and the period between finishing and finding a job, a real one.
In my areas still, especially adults 45+ were never troubled with drugs, working and STILL find themselves in the grandmother's predicament described here. Imagine working and knowing that anytime, the utilities could be cut off when you get home. Idling in unexpected traffic to or from work worried that your planning for gas won't get you to work until your next paycheck, having paid everything out for bills and a couple essentials, like toilet paper.
This is life with the jobs created in Indianapolis. There is no respect to be had whether or not you work.
About solutions, though. Very thin. Especially about jobs. There are a variety of training and re-training programs available. The problem with them is that adults, with or without children are expected to attend and perform well with no support for living while in the program and the period between finishing and finding a job, a real one.
In my areas still, especially adults 45+ were never troubled with drugs, working and STILL find themselves in the grandmother's predicament described here. Imagine working and knowing that anytime, the utilities could be cut off when you get home. Idling in unexpected traffic to or from work worried that your planning for gas won't get you to work until your next paycheck, having paid everything out for bills and a couple essentials, like toilet paper.
This is life with the jobs created in Indianapolis. There is no respect to be had whether or not you work.
17
Does Bobbie have a garden? Probably not. The difference between poverty in Africa and poverty in the US is that in Africa it's the place that impoverishes you, in the US, it's the person and people don't like helping people who are incapable or indifferent to helping themselves.
54
Kristof, you just wrote an article about how - without cash aid - families can't pay rent, keep the lights on, buy clothes or sanitary products or transportation.
So how do any of your proposed ideas fix this? What is "financial literacy training" going to accomplish? We're going to pay financial advisers to lecture poor people on how to spend their nothing? Prekindergarden is wonderful - any tips on how you survive the first four years until you are eligible? Is this where the "parenting coaching" comes in? Does the coach teach you how to hitch a ride to the junkyard so you can try and find a crib?
Seems to me like the problem with poor people is that they don't have enough money. I'd rather give it to them then pay government workers a hefty salary to police their morals, their finances, and their wombs. Of course, you won't like this for the same reason you embraced welfare reform in the first place - because you think poor people are bad and immoral and degenerate, and you want them to either reform or starve. God forbid we just help.
So how do any of your proposed ideas fix this? What is "financial literacy training" going to accomplish? We're going to pay financial advisers to lecture poor people on how to spend their nothing? Prekindergarden is wonderful - any tips on how you survive the first four years until you are eligible? Is this where the "parenting coaching" comes in? Does the coach teach you how to hitch a ride to the junkyard so you can try and find a crib?
Seems to me like the problem with poor people is that they don't have enough money. I'd rather give it to them then pay government workers a hefty salary to police their morals, their finances, and their wombs. Of course, you won't like this for the same reason you embraced welfare reform in the first place - because you think poor people are bad and immoral and degenerate, and you want them to either reform or starve. God forbid we just help.
45
If you haven't yet read "$2 a Day," it's a must read and clearly lays out the negative impact of Clinton's welfare policy. The fact that we have the lowest poverty rate doesn't due much for the millions of Americans who are living in dire circumstances. Let's hope that Hillary can do better!
8
I find it very hard to take seriously anyone who, in 1996, didn't see all this coming once the economic boom of that era gave way to the next bust. It was obvious to anyone not wearing ahistorical, rose-colored glasses at the time and, while I suppose it's good to see you finally catching on, this does not dig nearly deeply enough into why you and many others missed so badly in your analysis.
20
This should make all Americans feel ashamed. Yesterday I read about how Bill Gates (net worth: $60+ Billion) was donating 100,000 chickens to a country to help end extreme poverty/ The Times article was praising Gates foe his generosity. He has more than $60 Billion and he donates 100,000 chickens? And that is praiseworthy? What a sport. Thank you Mr. Kristoff for reporting the truth. And I hope your student from Notre Dame will be inspired to carry on in your footsteps. How much would it cost to provide the support these people need to climb out of extreme poverty? Bill Gates could probably swing it on his own and not even notice. Or maybe the Walton family could chip in too. But like her husband Bill, Hillary will be more concerned with her relationship with her donors than with this disgrace.
19
It was an understandable mistake. After all, it was a Clinton calling for it. so what's a reflexive Lefty to do?
10
Education is the real emancipation, people on welfare are trapped, in a system
that does not allow them to educate them and bring them up to speed to get
a decent paying job and bring dignity to their lives.
that does not allow them to educate them and bring them up to speed to get
a decent paying job and bring dignity to their lives.
7
It always comes down to this. We are creating too many people. The poor have too many babies. Generally, the rich do more interesting things with their lives than just mindlessly breed.
27
If we only had enough resolve we could get the government to solve all of our problems.
8
Go to http://www.marketplace.org/people/krissy-clark and scroll down to How Welfare Funds College Scholarships. In MI 25% of federal welfare money goes to those who fit the traditional definition of "poor". Some of the rest goes to fund scholarships ($1800 each) to families scraping by on a little over $200k per year paying $45k per year tuition at elite private schools. This is why we should have federal block grants to states: states know so much better how to dole out the money.
Pretty interesting.
Pretty interesting.
4
Since Mr. Kristof is rethinking his endorsement of welfare reform, maybe he can also start rethinking his opposition to unions, the best force for ameliorating inequality.
19
Finally, a comparison between poverty in our country with the 3rd world poverty...I have been a witness to this as a special educator in Title 1 schools. It's about time the reality is written about in our country.
25
Locke or Hobbs? With all those admissions that any generous system is prone to abuse, how do we address inter-generational poverty?
So, sorry, but limiting lifetime benefits had to be done - by a Democrat. The implication is made that church donations are somehow inferior, but for those who see addiction as a weakness and not a disease, it remains the superior source for dispensing limited resources.
Read your own article's quotes; you don't find a social contract, just admissions that Hobbs - if they knew or cared who he was - predicted their attitudes.
So, sorry, but limiting lifetime benefits had to be done - by a Democrat. The implication is made that church donations are somehow inferior, but for those who see addiction as a weakness and not a disease, it remains the superior source for dispensing limited resources.
Read your own article's quotes; you don't find a social contract, just admissions that Hobbs - if they knew or cared who he was - predicted their attitudes.
5
Maybe the answer to finding sound public policy is ignoring the commentariat. Thomas Friedman typically finds a local cab driver to makes his point of the day, but Mr. Kristof does him one better: he quotes two poor people to justify his own horrible misjudgment ten years ago. And, unsatisfied with that horrendous failure, which came at no personal cost to him, he's back with more nostrums.
Will America's pundits never have the sense to butt out, where they know nothing?
Will America's pundits never have the sense to butt out, where they know nothing?
18
There is that major contradiction in the overall perspective of "welfare" and of so many American children suffering.
In Texas, Alabama, and other regressive States--which now de facto--"outlaw" abortion and also apparently hinder access to birth control, the so-called tragic cycle of poverty seemingly withstands.
The CONTROVERSIAL phenomena are too emotional to reach a decency consensus, recalling the seemingly sincere anti-abortion comments critical of the Texas woman's op ed anti-abortion law horror story a few days ago.
Given the cost of childcare, forcing welfare mothers to take jobs is insanity, though I admittedly avoid reading statistical laden articles that will seemingly reinforce my perception.
Bill Clinton's pragmatic compromise with Newt Gingrich regarding employment of the mothers makes perfect sense to absurdists.
In Texas, Alabama, and other regressive States--which now de facto--"outlaw" abortion and also apparently hinder access to birth control, the so-called tragic cycle of poverty seemingly withstands.
The CONTROVERSIAL phenomena are too emotional to reach a decency consensus, recalling the seemingly sincere anti-abortion comments critical of the Texas woman's op ed anti-abortion law horror story a few days ago.
Given the cost of childcare, forcing welfare mothers to take jobs is insanity, though I admittedly avoid reading statistical laden articles that will seemingly reinforce my perception.
Bill Clinton's pragmatic compromise with Newt Gingrich regarding employment of the mothers makes perfect sense to absurdists.
16
Welfare reform? Simply more of Clintonism's capitulation to Reaganism. We're all living it. And here comes more.
17
Can't we take the billions that the Wall Street Hyenas make and transfer that
into a jobs program for those who have no jobs ?
Can't we provide food/housing/medical care for children who are poor
through no fault of their own ?
Can't we do what is simply right for our fellow Americans ?
into a jobs program for those who have no jobs ?
Can't we provide food/housing/medical care for children who are poor
through no fault of their own ?
Can't we do what is simply right for our fellow Americans ?
19
How about throwing in some free vasectomies Mr. Kristhof? We could offer to freeze some sperm as a safety net.
33
Twenty years hence what will you be writing?
Your solutions are like those of the generals preparing for the last war they fought.
Someone needs to identify and confront the enormity of the roots of our present day socio-economic issues not just by flailing at their symptoms.
Global capitalism has winners and losers.
Millions of those losers are showing up in this election cycle as the disaffected, anti-establishment supporters of Bernie and Donald.
Marginalize and dismiss them now, as you will, as naive freeloaders and haters, but trying to maintain the status quo now is just another leg in our race to the bottom.
Time for a real change.
Twenty years hence what will you be reading?
Your solutions are like those of the generals preparing for the last war they fought.
Someone needs to identify and confront the enormity of the roots of our present day socio-economic issues not just by flailing at their symptoms.
Global capitalism has winners and losers.
Millions of those losers are showing up in this election cycle as the disaffected, anti-establishment supporters of Bernie and Donald.
Marginalize and dismiss them now, as you will, as naive freeloaders and haters, but trying to maintain the status quo now is just another leg in our race to the bottom.
Time for a real change.
Twenty years hence what will you be reading?
5
No welfare = no food = death. That sort of ends the cycle doesn't it?
11
" 'I think welfare reform was good,'Ashley Hene, 29, told me, even though she has run into the replacement program’s time limits. 'Everybody was taking advantage of it.' "
Welfare queens and kings.
Welfare queens and kings.
3
In his work An Essay on Criticism, the great poet Alexander Pope writes:
Public faction doubles private hate.
That is an apt description of Trump supporters. They hate for the most part anyone who is not a Straight. White, Christian Male who runs for 'their"office the presidency. A lot of us out here in non pundit land realized that this was from the beginning the alpha and omega of Trump's supporters. Ms. Dowd, up to now you have been nothing but a mark of the buffoon Trump. I guess better late than never.
Public faction doubles private hate.
That is an apt description of Trump supporters. They hate for the most part anyone who is not a Straight. White, Christian Male who runs for 'their"office the presidency. A lot of us out here in non pundit land realized that this was from the beginning the alpha and omega of Trump's supporters. Ms. Dowd, up to now you have been nothing but a mark of the buffoon Trump. I guess better late than never.
2
For anyone wanting to take action on this column, one option is writing your representative and senators. You can do that by googling their names or your county name with "representative" and on their website click on contact or "email me" and writing concisely and to-the-point what you want him or her to do and perhaps copying this column.
5
Mr Kristoff, I hate to put it this way but your cluelessness is appalling. Did you actually believe the politicians pushing for this so-called reform? Don't you remember that Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was vehemently opposed to this so-called reform. Moynihan was probably the only politician to thoroughly study social pathologies in this country. Yet you chose to see things as you wish they were rather than as they are. In 1996 I worked in a cash assistance program (not AFDC) in Connecticut. In my four years there I came to the conclusion that with rare exceptions, when politicians, Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conservative, speak about poverty they have not the faintest notion of what they are talking about. There is no single cause of poverty. There is no single cure. I won't hold my breath waiting for any of our so-called "leaders" get it. Finally Mr. Kristoff, you have come perilously close to validating what Karl Krauss once wrote; "A journalist is a person with no ideas and the ability to express them" Open your eyes a little wider. You are just beginning to see.
23
This is a bit of a tangential point, but it's an important point. If Mr. Kristof were a politician, he'd be accused pejoratively by detractors of being a flip-flopper. I commend him for having the intellectual honesty and personal strength to re-evaluate his previous views based on new data and his own additional life experiences. It's extremely unfortunate that ever since John Kerry was smeared with the flip-flopper label, politicians have become afraid to change their minds on anything lest they be seen as malleable or wishy-washy and tagged with this f-word. We should banish the term from our political vocabulary once and for all. Politicians should emulate the kind of integrity Mr. Kristof has displayed and be willing to change their minds when the facts warrant doing so, and voters should see this as a sign of strength, not weakness.
9
We didn't eliminate welfare, Mr. Kristof. We simply started paying all of the "benefits" to those who are already wealthy and who managed to buy enough legislators on both state and federal levels to pass laws that keep the welfare trough open for the one percenters to feed at.
31
It is very brave of you to admit you were wrong Nicholas.
I wonder if Pres.Bill Clinton shares your sentiment.
20:20 hindsight is great, but I wonder how many people had been badly affected within the 10 years?
I've always challenged some of my well-to-do contacts who does a lot for charities in developing countries (building schools, works in slumps etc.) & my typical question for them is whether they have considered helping the local kids who might grow up & might be forced to rob them.. sadly most thought it was my heretic/sarcasm.
IMHO, if the premise of “Winner-Take-All Politics” by Jacob Hacker was correct, namely US government is mostly influenced via lobbying by the well organised millionaires/ billionaires for their interests. If so, it would be a folly to expect their government to develop truly effective solutions for the poor.
#AskTheRightQuestion:
1.) how to help those that needed help most (as you highlighted)
2.) prevent those vulnerable from joining the statistics, in our age of networked economy/world, more effort & resources need to be devised to Empower people to help themselves, from schooling (KIPP School) to vocational skills (free MOOC courses)
3.) Philanthropists/community leaders should also be encouraged to #SelfChallenge to collaborate & join forces to create viable & sustainable solution re Finance/Capitalism/Long Term Investments/Welfare, they are all linked, we need a coordinated answer+action worldwide.
Thoughts?
@GarethWong
I wonder if Pres.Bill Clinton shares your sentiment.
20:20 hindsight is great, but I wonder how many people had been badly affected within the 10 years?
I've always challenged some of my well-to-do contacts who does a lot for charities in developing countries (building schools, works in slumps etc.) & my typical question for them is whether they have considered helping the local kids who might grow up & might be forced to rob them.. sadly most thought it was my heretic/sarcasm.
IMHO, if the premise of “Winner-Take-All Politics” by Jacob Hacker was correct, namely US government is mostly influenced via lobbying by the well organised millionaires/ billionaires for their interests. If so, it would be a folly to expect their government to develop truly effective solutions for the poor.
#AskTheRightQuestion:
1.) how to help those that needed help most (as you highlighted)
2.) prevent those vulnerable from joining the statistics, in our age of networked economy/world, more effort & resources need to be devised to Empower people to help themselves, from schooling (KIPP School) to vocational skills (free MOOC courses)
3.) Philanthropists/community leaders should also be encouraged to #SelfChallenge to collaborate & join forces to create viable & sustainable solution re Finance/Capitalism/Long Term Investments/Welfare, they are all linked, we need a coordinated answer+action worldwide.
Thoughts?
@GarethWong
5
This brings back memories of an almost simple question that -- while I got blue in the face asking it over and over again during the great welfare reform that was virtually a cornerstone of Clintonian triangulation -- no one ever came close to answering with any substance or evidence.
Great. XXX million people have been removed from the welfare rolls. Can you show me the data about where those XXX million people are now, what jobs they have, the extent to which they have replaced public assistance with anything else.
In retrospect, this clearing of the rolls was a grand experiment, not with abstract concepts, but with flesh and blood human lives. It was initiated with nothing approaching a clear plan for alternate support and was essentially a roll of the public policy dice that said, in so many words:
"Let's reduce the rolls, make grand claims about how it represents a fundamental blah blah blah shift toward self blah blah sufficiency, and wait to see what happened to everyone when the smoke clears.
Clinton got to bloviate about self-sufficiency and the pride of work and blah blah blah.
And I STILL want to know what happened to those people
Great. XXX million people have been removed from the welfare rolls. Can you show me the data about where those XXX million people are now, what jobs they have, the extent to which they have replaced public assistance with anything else.
In retrospect, this clearing of the rolls was a grand experiment, not with abstract concepts, but with flesh and blood human lives. It was initiated with nothing approaching a clear plan for alternate support and was essentially a roll of the public policy dice that said, in so many words:
"Let's reduce the rolls, make grand claims about how it represents a fundamental blah blah blah shift toward self blah blah sufficiency, and wait to see what happened to everyone when the smoke clears.
Clinton got to bloviate about self-sufficiency and the pride of work and blah blah blah.
And I STILL want to know what happened to those people
22
Two dollars? Two dollars?!?!
And the 1%? How many billions do they have?
If one would read that about any country in the world one would think: rotten to the core.
And the 1%? How many billions do they have?
If one would read that about any country in the world one would think: rotten to the core.
16
How about birth control for men!? How about every single male in the entire world on birth control from age 10 forward until they have proven themselves viable fathers? For god's sake! Stop making women responsible. How about enforced birth control AND gun control and see how the men of the planet handle that for a bit? Or a hundred years. Sheesh.
41
The jobs part of welfare reform never worked out because the Obama administration attitude, "you didn't build it, government did", has produced only 10 million minimum-wage jobs. The Obama administration has been hostile to business since day one. You get what you sow.
11
Better late than never. I was against ending welfare when Bill Clinton campaigned on it and did it. And I'm still against it. It's on the list of why I will never vote for a Clinton (and thankfully don't vote in a swing state, so I don't have to). Begrudging a woman $223 a month to try to raise a family was always absurd. I personally thought it wasn't enough money.
You say, "Instead of mitigating the problem, “welfare reform” has exacerbated it." I'm sorry, but what did you think was going to happen? And where is all that childcare it was supposed to come with? And going after deadbeat dads?
Where was all this current "incrementalism" in the 1990's? Welfare could have been fixed then. Good luck trying to bring it back in any form now.
You say, "Instead of mitigating the problem, “welfare reform” has exacerbated it." I'm sorry, but what did you think was going to happen? And where is all that childcare it was supposed to come with? And going after deadbeat dads?
Where was all this current "incrementalism" in the 1990's? Welfare could have been fixed then. Good luck trying to bring it back in any form now.
17
At least Mr. Kristoff, as distinct from the other Times Op-Ed columnists, actually gets his shoes dirty and probably pays for his own lunch.; two activities which anchor his observations to reality and not corner-office blather.
8
These are good suggestions with a thoughtful analysis, but political realities today are like those two decades ago. Congressional Republicans are not going to embrace social safety nets as such. The watered-down versions are tepid, but GOP legislators, rather than seek the best ways to help people get a footing, treat social programs like they need a carrot-and-stick approach. If they give someone assistance that they couch as "a handout," they want to slap wrists while they're doing it.
7
For God's sake, fund Planned Parenthood. I'm a flaming, over-the-top liberal, but even I know we can't keep having babies with no dads and mothers with no jobs. Those babies will have babies and those babies will have babies & we end up with jobless, uneducated fourth generation poor folks. Where will it end? Let's plan babies. Let's make birth control free. It has to stop.
38
Sorry, Nick. Your proposals just make too much sense. They'll never happen.
That would require an administration and congress made up of reasonable, intelligent people intent on solving problems. Too bad!
That would require an administration and congress made up of reasonable, intelligent people intent on solving problems. Too bad!
6
When it comes to the poor, everyone objects to the notion of a "free ride." But where's the outrage when the super-rich coast along on tax breaks and hidden money overseas? Do the math. Which hurts the country more?
While we're at it, let's ask which of these examples of "abuse" matters to the most children. There are a lot more children at the bottom than the top. And they don't care where the "cash" comes from when there's nothing to eat.
While we're at it, let's ask which of these examples of "abuse" matters to the most children. There are a lot more children at the bottom than the top. And they don't care where the "cash" comes from when there's nothing to eat.
19
Women and children wold also benefit from programs to strengthen family and social ties and to build a sense of community where sharing work and joys and sorrows could take place.
5
Assuming there's not something so unique about "Americans" that would preclude us doing so, why not look at what some other countries do for ideas on how to deal with the problem of poverty.
3
The primary problem in the poorest global communities, including in those in the Land of the Free, is not tbat 'young women' are getting pregnant but that young girls who should still be in school are getting pregnant.
16
The fact that you were strong enough to admit wrong is good enough for me. You are the best Mr Kristof. The problem is the likes of the folks in OK who vote the bozos who represent them at every level into office. A nice WPA in OK might kick some sense into their heads.
7
Nick it is good of you to admit that you were wrong, but I am sorry to say that you are still wrong, only on a slightly higher level.
First of all raising children is an important job and I don't see why parents shouldn't get paid for it. This would save money in the long run by diminishing the costs of crime and punishment and of treating physical and mental illness. You need to pay fathers as well as mothers or you would be discriminating in employment because of gender.
If you insist that the parents work you will have to create the jobs because for low-skilled people they aren't there. And you will have to give the children subsidized day care which will probably be inferior on the whole to being raised by their parents. It will only wind up costing more.
But in the longer run neither of these approaches will work because you will be swimming against the tide. Jobs will continue to get scarcer because the economy is winding down because consumers have less and less to spend. The economy is in a death spiral because the national wealth is being sucked up by the rich. So "welfare reform" is a non-starter. You have to fix the whole political/economic system so that it isn't rigged in favor of the people who have the money.
There are two possible approaches to this. You could take the money away from the rich and/or take the power away from their money. Both of these are hard but logically there is no other solution. Otherwise our circumstances will continue to devolve.
First of all raising children is an important job and I don't see why parents shouldn't get paid for it. This would save money in the long run by diminishing the costs of crime and punishment and of treating physical and mental illness. You need to pay fathers as well as mothers or you would be discriminating in employment because of gender.
If you insist that the parents work you will have to create the jobs because for low-skilled people they aren't there. And you will have to give the children subsidized day care which will probably be inferior on the whole to being raised by their parents. It will only wind up costing more.
But in the longer run neither of these approaches will work because you will be swimming against the tide. Jobs will continue to get scarcer because the economy is winding down because consumers have less and less to spend. The economy is in a death spiral because the national wealth is being sucked up by the rich. So "welfare reform" is a non-starter. You have to fix the whole political/economic system so that it isn't rigged in favor of the people who have the money.
There are two possible approaches to this. You could take the money away from the rich and/or take the power away from their money. Both of these are hard but logically there is no other solution. Otherwise our circumstances will continue to devolve.
21
Abortion is blasphemy until you need one. You can search the web for cases of Pro-Lifers who aborted and went back on the Anti-Abortion picket line two weeks later. It's all about hypocrisy and belonging to a group of your religious peers.
16
Additionally, child care is prohibitively expensive.
13
A hand up is always better than a hand out. And when welfare reform was enacted, that's what it promised to be. But over the years tea partiers have steadily removed many of the 'hand up' measures, and in a lot of places there isn't much left.
.
Thia is why welfare reform is failing. I don't think you were necessarily wrong about it back then, Mr. Kristof. Nobody can tell the future.
.
Thia is why welfare reform is failing. I don't think you were necessarily wrong about it back then, Mr. Kristof. Nobody can tell the future.
7
U.S. citizens resent Welfare for many reasons, some of which is racial. Ronald Reagan did a lot of damage with his "Welfare Queen" image of "lazy" black people with large numbers of children (never mind that most recipients are white). U.S. citizens also resent Welfare given to illegal immigrants who tend to be Mexican. Instead of becoming a viable social safety net, Welfare/TANF has become a hot-button issue for supporters of Donald Trump and partly why he is so popular. Even those who would benefit from Democratic candidacies will be voting for him. Truth is stranger than fiction in this case.
73
Funny how that Bible Belt seems to squeeze the life out of poor people.
263
So why do the citizens of Oklahoma, and other poor states, insist on continually electing Republicans? Why do people vote against their own best interests? Are these Trump supporters who think he will make them rich? How can these people be reached, with convincing arguments, to stop voting for people who DO NOT want to help them? So frustrating.
247
You always find a way to include a humane response to seemingly intractable problems and aren't afraid to offer a solution with at least a few details. Thank you for this thoughtful column.
We don't talk enough about poverty in America but instead revert to " a stronger middle class" rhetoric because of voting patterns.
The strongest point in your column is to expand early childhood education but in an age where wealth disparity is perhaps as large as ever in American history, we need to guarantee a job for those who can work and make certain that no family in America lives on $2 a day.
We don't talk enough about poverty in America but instead revert to " a stronger middle class" rhetoric because of voting patterns.
The strongest point in your column is to expand early childhood education but in an age where wealth disparity is perhaps as large as ever in American history, we need to guarantee a job for those who can work and make certain that no family in America lives on $2 a day.
3
If welfare is to be tied to finding work, the jobs must exist. Unfortunately welfare needs go up when the economy and both the number of jobs and the wages they offer decline.
This seems to be an obvious concept, but that requires a will to deal with the problem of poverty instead of wanting the problem to magically disappear whether or not poverty does. I have had people say to me during a recession, "Why don't those people get jobs?" When I replied, "What jobs? Are you hiring?", I got dirty looks.
I guess faith-based arithmetic rules.
This seems to be an obvious concept, but that requires a will to deal with the problem of poverty instead of wanting the problem to magically disappear whether or not poverty does. I have had people say to me during a recession, "Why don't those people get jobs?" When I replied, "What jobs? Are you hiring?", I got dirty looks.
I guess faith-based arithmetic rules.
22
Heart breaking. Having seen poverty up close in South Asia, it's incredible this is happening in America today in 2016. Our congress members who get paid a salary of $200,000 a year,, with first class state of the art Healty care, is too busy fundraising for their own re election to pay attention to poverty in this country.
14
The block grant for welfare has not increased since 1996. But can we all please stop blaming Bill Clinton for all of this?
He twice vetoed more draconian legislation. If he did not sign the Dole/Gingrich bill he would have lost the 1996 election and Dole would have signed a worse bill.
Thank to Clinton the GOP was unable to devolve food stamps or medicaid to the states. Clinton insured there would be national standards for both programs whereas under the Dole/Gingrich plan the states could have used that money for anything they wanted.
Democrats need to learn from Republicans, if they ever return to legislative power somewhere, anywhere in America, to time votes for maximum political leverage, as the GOP did with welfare reform or the 2002 Gulf War resolution, brought up for a vote just 3 weeks before the mid terms.
He twice vetoed more draconian legislation. If he did not sign the Dole/Gingrich bill he would have lost the 1996 election and Dole would have signed a worse bill.
Thank to Clinton the GOP was unable to devolve food stamps or medicaid to the states. Clinton insured there would be national standards for both programs whereas under the Dole/Gingrich plan the states could have used that money for anything they wanted.
Democrats need to learn from Republicans, if they ever return to legislative power somewhere, anywhere in America, to time votes for maximum political leverage, as the GOP did with welfare reform or the 2002 Gulf War resolution, brought up for a vote just 3 weeks before the mid terms.
13
The sad truth is that if unaccountable cash were to begin to flow in the amounts that the left wants it to is that Ms. Ingraham would have three children on her lap, not one, and no amount of cash based liberal kindness is going to change that. BTW I personally am enthusiastically for as much money as it takes for birth control, including tubal ligation for these people.
16
Mr. Kristof, I wholeheartedly agree with your concluding recommendations. I am especially in favor of FDR like jobs programs. We have plenty of "public works" to accomplish in America. (There are thousands of examples, but one might be clearing and cutting fire breaks in the West to prevent the devastation of wild fires.)
I recall reading that it costed the USA $2.1 Million per year for each soldier deployed in Afghanistan. https://www.yahoo.com/news/it-costs--2-1-million-per-year-for-each-soldi... It seems to me that we do not need a new government agency to create a "jobs program." Couldn't we put the military superstructure to work on public projects? How about a whole new branch of service dedicated to building America?
There is no doubt that we could create meaningful jobs the FDR way, that would do the public work that capitalism does not deem profitable.
I recall reading that it costed the USA $2.1 Million per year for each soldier deployed in Afghanistan. https://www.yahoo.com/news/it-costs--2-1-million-per-year-for-each-soldi... It seems to me that we do not need a new government agency to create a "jobs program." Couldn't we put the military superstructure to work on public projects? How about a whole new branch of service dedicated to building America?
There is no doubt that we could create meaningful jobs the FDR way, that would do the public work that capitalism does not deem profitable.
16
Mr. Kristof: Your top solution ("starts with free long-acting birth control for young women who want it") is so very right for both the US and the world. Maybe if this un-controversial idea was split off from Planned Parenthood (tarred as the abortion agency) it could get fully funded. Unplanned/provided for pregnancies are the root of all social-economic problems. We need to add investments to this root problem and not just hack at the branches.
14
First of all these people need to STOP having children they cannot afford or they would not be poor. We cannot continue to expand welfare with a country with a 19 trillion dollar debt, loss of jobs, educational debt, etc. Why can't this woman clean houses, do gardening, or become innovative to earn her own living. The government is not/was not suppose to be supporting people for decades and make them dependent upon government.
18
Yes, Nick, you were wrong. And you're still wrong, just not quite as wrong.
You too easily accept the unsupported and unsupportable myth of the welfare queen. The junk food-eating sloth who lives large on the public dole. Yes, there were/are a few of them, but their numbers are dwarfed by the hucksters and con artists who cheat on taxes, sell predatory credit schemes, use insider information to scam the markets, sell worthless insurance . . . I could go on.
The vast majority of women want dignity and wish to be productive. When our society, and our men, leave them with children, with scars of neglect and abuse, with few opportunities and no assets, we should love and support them, even if they squander a few dollars on fleeting pleasure.
They don't need to be told to pull up on the bootstraps of the boots that kicked them when they were down.
You too easily accept the unsupported and unsupportable myth of the welfare queen. The junk food-eating sloth who lives large on the public dole. Yes, there were/are a few of them, but their numbers are dwarfed by the hucksters and con artists who cheat on taxes, sell predatory credit schemes, use insider information to scam the markets, sell worthless insurance . . . I could go on.
The vast majority of women want dignity and wish to be productive. When our society, and our men, leave them with children, with scars of neglect and abuse, with few opportunities and no assets, we should love and support them, even if they squander a few dollars on fleeting pleasure.
They don't need to be told to pull up on the bootstraps of the boots that kicked them when they were down.
24
This was part of Bill's Republican light strategy which included supposed anti crime laws, supporting the death penalty and the like. Many people at the time knew "welfare reform," for what is was then: an unethical, politically motivated move to assuage Republicans and turn the Democratic party to the right. I would like to think that if Hillary becomes President, the finger-in-the-wind policies that characterize so much the Bill Clinton White House will not play such a prominent role.
8
Perhaps what is needed is a combination of national service with an assembling of what Lewis Mumford called "the mega-machine." Roughly, instead of running a mechanized street sweeper to clean a street, let's get 100 brooms together, hand them to people and let them take care of the street for the same amount of money it takes to buy, maintain, and operate that mechanized street sweeper. Those of us in national service (meaning all of us) can help by setting an example and by showing those who do not know how to use a broom the best sweeping techniques.
5
Good piece, and I echo your concerns for that small girl and your suggestions for reform. But reform can't happen until the priorities of our government change. A staggering 60% of the US budget goes to the military (DOD, War, VA, Weapons programs) per the American Friends Service Committee. We're investing so much in death and destruction that there's little left over for families, jobs, education, health care, or infrastructure.
11
Sometimes I really can't take it when people who have never lived it have opinions about what it is to live on welfare.
I lived on welfare as a teenaged mother with my 2 small sons in the 1970s in Massachusetts. It was certainly the 'heyday' of welfare, at a time when everyone believed in 'welfare queens', as though we all lived easily and well on AFDC.
My sons and I starved - enough that when I bought a burger for myself on check day, I threw it up, because I hadn't eaten a thing in the 3 previous days. Enough that we lived with rats and mice in a project apartment. Enough that I have heard my son cry because all I could afford to put in his bottle on the last day was sugar water, or because he was wearing diapers I had to rinse and dry in the sun but could not wash, because I had no money for detergent, and you can't buy that with food stamps.
At the same time, I was able to restart my life by going to college, because welfare at the time would pay for day care for my boys. I couldn't afford lunch or coffee while there, but it was worth it. Medicaid paid for asthma meds for my oldest and dental care for all -- things we struggled to afford after college, when I was working.
After several years of working after college, off AFDC, I was able to go to law school while working and still raising my kids -- because I had been able to go to college while on it.
We lived a miserable, scrounging, anxious life on AFDC - but it gave us a future. It is so much worse now.
I lived on welfare as a teenaged mother with my 2 small sons in the 1970s in Massachusetts. It was certainly the 'heyday' of welfare, at a time when everyone believed in 'welfare queens', as though we all lived easily and well on AFDC.
My sons and I starved - enough that when I bought a burger for myself on check day, I threw it up, because I hadn't eaten a thing in the 3 previous days. Enough that we lived with rats and mice in a project apartment. Enough that I have heard my son cry because all I could afford to put in his bottle on the last day was sugar water, or because he was wearing diapers I had to rinse and dry in the sun but could not wash, because I had no money for detergent, and you can't buy that with food stamps.
At the same time, I was able to restart my life by going to college, because welfare at the time would pay for day care for my boys. I couldn't afford lunch or coffee while there, but it was worth it. Medicaid paid for asthma meds for my oldest and dental care for all -- things we struggled to afford after college, when I was working.
After several years of working after college, off AFDC, I was able to go to law school while working and still raising my kids -- because I had been able to go to college while on it.
We lived a miserable, scrounging, anxious life on AFDC - but it gave us a future. It is so much worse now.
31
A few months ago my wife and I drove past a corner where a neatly dressed young woman, Hispanic, stood several feet back from the street and, obviously embarrassed, refused to make eye contact with the occupants of cars as they passed. She held a hand-printed sign to the effect that her job had been eliminated and she needed money to feed her children. She was practically hiding behind a small tree.
I pulled into a gas station across from the corner where she stood to fill my tank. As I pumped the gas, I found I could not help looking back at her and noting that not a single car stopped to beckon her over, just as I had not. When I got back in the driver's seat my wife said, "Go out this way," as she opened her purse and pulled her wallet out, as I was already doing at the same time.
There was no falsity in the young woman's "Thank you," when I handed her a few bills.
My wife and I said very little after we pulled away and I wiped more than one tear as we drove home.
Though my wants, to my mind, are insignificant, the truth is, I want for nothing. My real regret as I drove, was that I could not bring myself to turn around, return to that corner and empty my billfold into that woman's hand.
I pulled into a gas station across from the corner where she stood to fill my tank. As I pumped the gas, I found I could not help looking back at her and noting that not a single car stopped to beckon her over, just as I had not. When I got back in the driver's seat my wife said, "Go out this way," as she opened her purse and pulled her wallet out, as I was already doing at the same time.
There was no falsity in the young woman's "Thank you," when I handed her a few bills.
My wife and I said very little after we pulled away and I wiped more than one tear as we drove home.
Though my wants, to my mind, are insignificant, the truth is, I want for nothing. My real regret as I drove, was that I could not bring myself to turn around, return to that corner and empty my billfold into that woman's hand.
19
Please look at Vermont's model. We were the only state where child wellbeing did not decline during the Great Recession, in part to our investment in the very solutions that you suggest.
13
"That starts with free long-acting birth control for young women who want it."
I am many others have been saying this for years. The best way to stop poverty is to make children planned, and to educate people about the benefits of having children that are planned. This is nearly as important as job training and placement.
It's time that the anti-women crowd stop getting their knickers in a twist over this. It's for the good of our children and our country. And it's cheaper than paying for children people can't afford to have.
I am many others have been saying this for years. The best way to stop poverty is to make children planned, and to educate people about the benefits of having children that are planned. This is nearly as important as job training and placement.
It's time that the anti-women crowd stop getting their knickers in a twist over this. It's for the good of our children and our country. And it's cheaper than paying for children people can't afford to have.
17
There is no silver bullet here, but we would get the biggest benefit from making birth control free and readily available. Moreover, its use should be encouraged for indigent women. And it should be required for any woman known to be a drug user.
14
Companies do not want to hire workers. They prefer to pay their stockholders, while hiding their record profits overseas.
It's time for a Guaranteed Minimum Income alongside a massive green infrastructure/transportation emergency project.
All this talk about people using welfare as a crutch is just not true to the extent people assert. When jobs open up, there are lines around the block.
Many, many people want more hours but can't get them.
A woman here in NJ a couple years ago died from carbon monoxide poisoning while taking a nap in her car while she was navigating her regular exhausting day of getting to and from three different jobs.
It's getting late. The poor aren't the problem. We make them poor on purpose.
It's time for a Guaranteed Minimum Income alongside a massive green infrastructure/transportation emergency project.
All this talk about people using welfare as a crutch is just not true to the extent people assert. When jobs open up, there are lines around the block.
Many, many people want more hours but can't get them.
A woman here in NJ a couple years ago died from carbon monoxide poisoning while taking a nap in her car while she was navigating her regular exhausting day of getting to and from three different jobs.
It's getting late. The poor aren't the problem. We make them poor on purpose.
232
A hungry child anywhere is the world is tragic. A hungry child in the US is reprehensible given our resources. It is not an "either or" cash or no cash decision. While this is debated by worthless politicians, our Haileys bear the brunt. If we have >3million extreme poverty families, we also have 3 million strong families who can step up and provide sponsorship. My husband and I do this here in San Jose for our trailer park kids, our 100% free lunch schools. A lot can be done by connecting with one family and helping them connect the resource dots. And caring.
11
This is all well and good, but nothing to solve these problems will be done until we have a secure Democratic majority in Congress.
And it is more than "Save the Children", what kind of prospects does a 47 year old ex-addict like Ms. Ingraham have? With proper coaching and Child Care, she can work in Fast Food until she turns 67? She is unlikely to find employment in Child Care, even after school programs, her record is just too chaotic. I see plenty of people like her, eating in the local soup kitchens because their miserly Social Security checks just don't quite cover the bills.
Maybe if we made Paul Ryan actually WORK as a Social Worker for his entire summer vacation? Just plunk him down on the intake desk at the local welfare agency.
And it is more than "Save the Children", what kind of prospects does a 47 year old ex-addict like Ms. Ingraham have? With proper coaching and Child Care, she can work in Fast Food until she turns 67? She is unlikely to find employment in Child Care, even after school programs, her record is just too chaotic. I see plenty of people like her, eating in the local soup kitchens because their miserly Social Security checks just don't quite cover the bills.
Maybe if we made Paul Ryan actually WORK as a Social Worker for his entire summer vacation? Just plunk him down on the intake desk at the local welfare agency.
10
I applaud Kristof's honesty - "Yet it’s also true that the old welfare system was a wreck, creating dependency and cycles of poverty ..."
And yes, the Welfare Reform Act wasn't perfect. In part, though, he's missed the bigger picture in our safety net. The largest program is now not TANF, but rather EITC which has been expanded by both Republican and Democratic Presidents. The message EITC sends is similar to TANF - If you work, the government will encourage your effort by basically giving you a negative income tax (Friedman's idea).
Two problems with this:
1. Fall through the cracks - In any group of 10 people, there will be some like Ingraham who simply will not respond to government or market incentives. But if you remove the conditions (work requirements) then some of those 10 people who otherwise would work will not do so.
2. Working Poor - The bigger problem is that the work incentive in TANF and EITC is necessary but not sufficient. Too many Americans work full time but possess such low skill level, that they cannot earn enough to meet their basic needs. Forcing higher wages through min wage will simply hurt the least skilled more. I agree with your conclusion that we need more programs which help people make better decisions (e.g. birth control, parenting coaching). But more broadly, we should use our subsidies not just to incentivize work, but also the two things that most help break the cycle of poverty - education and a two-parent family.
And yes, the Welfare Reform Act wasn't perfect. In part, though, he's missed the bigger picture in our safety net. The largest program is now not TANF, but rather EITC which has been expanded by both Republican and Democratic Presidents. The message EITC sends is similar to TANF - If you work, the government will encourage your effort by basically giving you a negative income tax (Friedman's idea).
Two problems with this:
1. Fall through the cracks - In any group of 10 people, there will be some like Ingraham who simply will not respond to government or market incentives. But if you remove the conditions (work requirements) then some of those 10 people who otherwise would work will not do so.
2. Working Poor - The bigger problem is that the work incentive in TANF and EITC is necessary but not sufficient. Too many Americans work full time but possess such low skill level, that they cannot earn enough to meet their basic needs. Forcing higher wages through min wage will simply hurt the least skilled more. I agree with your conclusion that we need more programs which help people make better decisions (e.g. birth control, parenting coaching). But more broadly, we should use our subsidies not just to incentivize work, but also the two things that most help break the cycle of poverty - education and a two-parent family.
10
What blows me away is how many public intellectuals are wrong on matters vital to other people's lives (Mr. Kristof here and Tom Friedman as cheerleader for invading Iraq) and still have jobs as "pundits" in venues like the Times. I am perfectly willing to make horrible mistakes of judgement for a fraction of the pay.
14
...and benefits to mothers to allow them to stay wit and cate for their baby !
Raising a baby well is the most valuable work anyone can contribute to society and isn't it interesting that you don't even mention this, mr Kristof ?
Now this is a goal worth fighting for.
Raising a baby well is the most valuable work anyone can contribute to society and isn't it interesting that you don't even mention this, mr Kristof ?
Now this is a goal worth fighting for.
7
SHAME On the GOP for its permanent tax cuts to the 1% paid for by the bottom 1% of the poorest in the US, who live on $2 per day per person, a level of poverty that is equal with that in Africa. When Reagan took office, I was concerned about a war on the middle class, which he did start. But I naively wished that those receiving welfare would still be helped somehow. Well they weren't. Neither were the rest of the 99% who have borne the brunt of the tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires. Where were all the voices of the church leaders who claimed to support traditional family values? AWOL. We can more clearly see the results of years of the GOP scorched earth war of attrition against the 99%. If Trump's circus side show lets people see the true intentions of the GOP, maybe they will start to demand being treated as fellow human beings, rather than being portrayed as parasites by the 1% who laugh all the way to the bank, while the lowest 1% starve. For shame GOP. This is not the US that the Founders fought to establish? It's more like the exploitation people fled in Europe to seek a better life here.
11
The answer to poverty is to bring back Malthusian population control? And how are "financial literacy" and job training going to accomplish anything -- other than making quasi-liberals feel better about themselves -- when there are ever fewer jobs and those that do exist pay unlivable wages? This is veiled victim blaming obfuscating the fact that poverty has little do with lifestyle and everything to do with capitalism.
19
I'd have more respect for Mr. Kristoff and this column if he made at least an attempt to trace the sordid role the media played in bringing about "welfare reform" and its ceaseless preoccupation with fraud in welfare programs.
13
I am five years older than Ms. Ingraham. She has had 30 years to work... I started working at age 14 and have not stopped, and had the good fortune to marry a man who also works. The big problem here is people not working, and then having kids they can't support. I did not have a child until I was married. I did not take opiates. It is really not that hard.
17
This was Clinton's greatest mistake. He kowtowed to Republican's overwhelming idiocy in the Conservative era.
12
I can't understand why you think that a grandmother in very poor health who has stepped up to take care of a baby should also be working full time? What is wrong with financial support for mothers and children? If we'd rather mothers put their kids in daycare so they could work, why is that? Is there some kind of shortage of workers in this country right now?
22
You left a key fact out of your op-ed. Clinton vetoed Welfare Reform in the Spring of 1996. The identical bill word for word came up in August of 1996. He signed it. Why? Because Bob Dole was winning the election on this issue. Poor people were having children to increase their monthly benefit check. AIDC, Aid for Dependent Children act. Welfare ended the cycle of dependency. Education is the solution, yet YOU never mention how the ATA tries to kill every Education Bill. Here we sit 20 years later, Education for the poor is still pathetic and you never mention Education is 100% controlled by the Democratic party. Why Mr. Kristof?
13
Why not pay utilities for people like Bobbie Ingraham? How are people supposed to live without heat, electric or water? A co-worker of mine who had a house fire had her water shut off, and while the water was off, the house was condemned, meaning she was not permitted to live in it.
Even if a job was found for Ms. Ingraham, does she have a reliable car and gas money to get to said job, and decent child care for her granddaughter? I guess Mitt Romney would consider Ms. Ingraham a "taker." This attitude of many in this country toward helping the poor makes me ashamed.
Even if a job was found for Ms. Ingraham, does she have a reliable car and gas money to get to said job, and decent child care for her granddaughter? I guess Mitt Romney would consider Ms. Ingraham a "taker." This attitude of many in this country toward helping the poor makes me ashamed.
24
J.K. Rowling was receiving government assistance when she wrote the Harry Potter series. I am willing to bet that she has given back to society much more than she ever received in temporary assistance.
20
Lately, there seems to be a *theme* running throughout the NYT op-ed pieces by Conservative-leaning word-crafters; a kinda-sorta "can't quite get there' Mea culpa.
Years of touting policies without nary a care about the consequences. Never giving one inch of space to examining the effects these policies have/had on the lives of citizens. My thoughts about Nicholas, are the same as they are about "The Good "Doctor", Brooks, et al.- too little- far too late.
Years of touting policies without nary a care about the consequences. Never giving one inch of space to examining the effects these policies have/had on the lives of citizens. My thoughts about Nicholas, are the same as they are about "The Good "Doctor", Brooks, et al.- too little- far too late.
7
Oh, but Nicholas, what you propose requires our Congress to compromise and spend money. Surely you know that is less likely than that storied very hot place freezing over.
3
The state of OK would be paying someone hundreds of dollars for foster care if the grandma was not able to step up. The system needs to be overhauled to be sure.
9
The Chief in New York says, "people who have children who cannot afford to are going to have the miserable lives that they deserve." Thank you, Chief. I'm sure the hapless children of these parents deserve to be miserable as well. What a generous and noble soul you are to write them off as well.
14
Politicians like the Clintons (and, one may presume, pundits like Kristof) were all for "welfare reform" when they thought it was only going to starve urban African-Americans, the least deserving of the undeserving poor. Now they discover (20 years after everyone else) that white folks are starving to death, too, in Oklahoma of all places, so it's time to rethink it.
Here in New York State, we're up in arms about heroin addiction. Governor Andy and the heroes in the state legislature discovered a drug that was killing white Staten Islanders, so they're rushing to man the barricades. Funny how it took white people dying of drug addiction--rather than African-Americans dying from crack--to realize that the punitive approach to drug addiction wasn't working.
Here in New York State, we're up in arms about heroin addiction. Governor Andy and the heroes in the state legislature discovered a drug that was killing white Staten Islanders, so they're rushing to man the barricades. Funny how it took white people dying of drug addiction--rather than African-Americans dying from crack--to realize that the punitive approach to drug addiction wasn't working.
14
I always wonder why the "solution" isn't to create a decent society. Oh well.
8
As a kid, I grew up in poverty, so I know a bit about the distress of not having enough food, no social programs either.
That was then, but now with the population EXPLODING and uncontrolled immigration, we can not expect the middle class to keep supporting all these people.
Some how, we have got to make birth control available to women and yes, encourage vasectomies for young men if they impregnate those women.
Invest in affordable child care for every mother so she can get to work two months after the baby's birth.
Support her with food stamps, but the debit card must be only useful with picture identification.
The woman in the article is 47 years old; she should be out working and that child needs to be in day care.
How will she secure her retirement income?
If she does not work at 47, does that mean society will be supporting her for the rest of her life?
Yes, she was on drugs when she was young, but while she was having fun, other women were being responsible parents.
At 47 years old, I worked 14 hours a day and helped with the grand children on my days off from work.
Parents need to stop looking for a hand out and take responsibility.
This from a leftie.
That was then, but now with the population EXPLODING and uncontrolled immigration, we can not expect the middle class to keep supporting all these people.
Some how, we have got to make birth control available to women and yes, encourage vasectomies for young men if they impregnate those women.
Invest in affordable child care for every mother so she can get to work two months after the baby's birth.
Support her with food stamps, but the debit card must be only useful with picture identification.
The woman in the article is 47 years old; she should be out working and that child needs to be in day care.
How will she secure her retirement income?
If she does not work at 47, does that mean society will be supporting her for the rest of her life?
Yes, she was on drugs when she was young, but while she was having fun, other women were being responsible parents.
At 47 years old, I worked 14 hours a day and helped with the grand children on my days off from work.
Parents need to stop looking for a hand out and take responsibility.
This from a leftie.
15
Mr Kristoff, you're dreaming. How does that feel?
This column rings hollow, and self important, in light of Kristof and the NYT's casual dismissal of the one presidential candidate who is genuinely concerned with starving children and families. Who puts this concern first. Who does not see his concern as a dream.
This column rings hollow, and self important, in light of Kristof and the NYT's casual dismissal of the one presidential candidate who is genuinely concerned with starving children and families. Who puts this concern first. Who does not see his concern as a dream.
9
How are those conservative "Christian" values working out for the poorest among us?
Not so well apparently.
Not so well apparently.
8
Kristof doesn't really know much about welfare policy or reform and he doesn't really have solutions. It's great for him to meet people suffering the worst forms of poverty and to make us aware of them to encourage us to try to do more for them. But his pronouncements on what does or doesn't work don't really mean much.
2
This child ought to be receiving benefits for being in foster care, no? Which would bring in some cash for necessities. Or does OK not believe in child welfare? After the baby's born, not just in utero.
7
In the beginning welfare was a well-intentioned program, and still is today. But along the way there have been unintended consequences. To me one of those has been that some recipients become addicted to it. I believe there are some who could have become productive and prosperous had we not purchased their incentive to better themselves.
18
The "well-intentioned program" has been gone for twenty years now, and it's strange that people don't know that. The "reform" part of "welfare reform" is just one of the reforms that meant destruction of the program and more money for other things and people instead. Just watch how "social security reform" and "Medicare reform" will work to keep those lazy old 80-year-olds on the job market.
7
This analysis is less an indictment of the broad consequences of the mid-90s welfare reform than an argument in favor of further mid-2010s reform: moving in the direction of a Universal Basic Income. Kristof assesses "cash welfare" only, and acknowledges that in-kind safety-net programs are not part of his assessment of income for $2/day/person families. His preference for cash rather than in-kind safety net transfers is well placed, though of course in-kind benefits shouldn't be ignored in a full assessment. Given leakages in existing programs (costs that don't result in well-directed benefits), the inefficiency of in-kind transfers (economists have known for centuries that transferring "stuff" provides less bang than transferring cash), the mis-direction of benefits to corporations, the middle class and others, rather than the poor, the capture of programs by the non-poor including by bureaucrats who administer the programs or intrude on lives as social workers -- given all these inherent and worsening problems with in-kind programs, it's time to get the most bang for the buck and transfer actual bucks instead of stuff.
11
Excellent ideas. Until we get rid of Republicans, or they stop seeing children as righteous punishment of women for the sins of everyone, we won't be able to implement birth control or parent coaching. Children are neither a gift nor punishment; they are what our genes are programmed to do - make more genes. They do this by making lonely little girls desire a baby to love, thus children having children. We are a smart enough to society to break this cycle with compassion if we want to.
35
My own dad was among the drifting unemployed during the 1930's depression. Finally, the WPA gave him dignity as he worked on the new Pardee Dam in California. Today we have huge needs for infrastructure, schools, rebuilding our aged housing stock and inner cities, transportation and investments in space, parks, resources and energy options. Yet we continue to relegate people to the "bottom drawer" of our society by degrading their lives with no opportunity, no help, no concerns. Our homeless shoot up in misery and despair, our abandoned moms struggle to just feed and house their families, our disabled are left to fend for themselves in a climate of suspicion and denial of benefits. The average battle for SSI benefits is at least 3 years to 5 years, during which time there is no other help. Those who continue to rail against welfare cheats, welfare queens, call people lazy and addicted, should themselves suffer the same pain of living on the streets, begging for any help, or seeing their children cry out in pain and hunger. Why are we, the richest society on earth, so cruel?
359
Consider the times. When welfare reform was passed in the 90s the economy was booming and jobs were available to anyone who breathed. Since then we've had eight years of a republican administration that drained the treasury with foreign wars, then a disastrous financial meltdown, and another eight years of economic stalemate thanks mostly to a republican congress. This meant that the work requirement or welfare reform has become a barrier for many to accessing financial support. Welfare needs to be adequately funded at the Federal level and the work requirement needs to be linked to jobs available/unemployment rate in fairly specific markets.
7
How about an honest days wages for an honest days work? Ie: a livable wage. The work as punishment of Pres. Clinton always had a strange, elitist energy to me. I know the real parasite class will have to take a cut in dividends but the quickest way to strip work of dignity, it's undoubted assist in self esteem and all other good things that flow from it, is not pay for it adequately. There are countries who pay 80% of wage in unemployment and have much lower rates of "welfare dependency." Punishing the poor to sustain the wealthy is not progressive. And limiting their child bearing is more than a little chilling. So. All in all, still wrong.
6
The manner in which public education is funded (I.e., largely through property taxes) keeps that education in largely impoverished communities at a low quality. Additionally, many wealthier tax payers often fight increases in school budgets if they do not have children attending school there. Poorer parents, many of whom work 2-3 minimum wage jobs in order to pay rent, utilities and buy food do not have the free time to attend school board meetings to have their concerns heard. What is to be done? Perhaps, public education should be funded entirely via a national income-based tax and disbursed per child but, alas, states rights advocates would have a kniption.
9
Sen. Alan Simpson, a moderate Republican when such things were possible, once gave a long answer to a question about America's foreign aid programs. Yes, he said, some of it went to line the pockets of unscrupulous leaders and people who would take advantage of our generosity but if it could help one needy family in a misbegotten area of the world, shouldn't we try? Well welcome to the misbegotten States of America, Mr. Simpson. My sister has a disease that mirrors MS but is much more virolent. In a period of 6 years she has gone from a vibrant mother of three to a head on a bed that can't move a single muscle below her neck. During these last 6 years her family has had to jump through so many hoops to prove her ailment is real to government officials ranging from local to state to federal that you would think we were criminals. Indeed, I've been left to wonder how anyone finds it profitable to be a Welfare cheat. The documentation alone has been staggering, the humiliation endless and the indifference stunning. All along I've wondered why we treat our own people like foreigners and foreigners like our closest relatives.
24
Thanks to Nicholas Kristof for documenting some of the disgraceful inequities in standards of living in our society. We cannot claim to be a civilized people, so long as so many of our brothers and sisters have inadequate access to food, shelter and health care, and live in constant insecurity for their basic well-being, while all our interest and our praise go to self-regarding self-enriching successful competitors. Competitiveness is the root of all moral evil; and capitalism poisons everything.
8
So how about a guaranteed basic income? There is an increasing number of people who don’t have the skills to contribute economically and don’t have what it takes to acquire the skills that would make them employable. Once we needed all hands on deck—and there was work for people with few skills. Now we can live decently with fewer people doing less work. So, arguably, it’s time to retire the Protestant Work Ethic.
14
whew! the blue in the face club welcomes you to membership.
ok. roosevelt-type programs would have to be tweaked to fit today's circumstances (but we could tear down the damns, built in good faith then, harmful now, and do a lot of conservation and infrastructure work with minimal training and orientation)...it would not be hard to frame initiatives based the four freedoms model that would be a measure of our humanity and a step toward restoring the health of our society.
first, draw a line, below which we we will not allow anyone to fall - a base level of food, shelter, health care and education/opportunity that will ensure the dignity and well being of every citizen...the benefits could be earned by those in the jobs programs or programs or (yes!) national service, two years active in various capacities, (military, domestic peace-corps, etc.) two years reserve for emergency/disaster, etc., call-ups...still others due to circumstances maybe subsidized outright in hopes that they and certainly their children, free from the painful distractions of hunger and homelessness will contribute their energies and talents to the greater good.
above and below this line, education for all qualified by achievement, should be "free," supported by government and private sources encouraged by off-shore quality tax breaks.
above and below this line, health care should be universal.
below, no tax, above, fair personal and corporate fixed rates, according only to income...no buts.
ok. roosevelt-type programs would have to be tweaked to fit today's circumstances (but we could tear down the damns, built in good faith then, harmful now, and do a lot of conservation and infrastructure work with minimal training and orientation)...it would not be hard to frame initiatives based the four freedoms model that would be a measure of our humanity and a step toward restoring the health of our society.
first, draw a line, below which we we will not allow anyone to fall - a base level of food, shelter, health care and education/opportunity that will ensure the dignity and well being of every citizen...the benefits could be earned by those in the jobs programs or programs or (yes!) national service, two years active in various capacities, (military, domestic peace-corps, etc.) two years reserve for emergency/disaster, etc., call-ups...still others due to circumstances maybe subsidized outright in hopes that they and certainly their children, free from the painful distractions of hunger and homelessness will contribute their energies and talents to the greater good.
above and below this line, education for all qualified by achievement, should be "free," supported by government and private sources encouraged by off-shore quality tax breaks.
above and below this line, health care should be universal.
below, no tax, above, fair personal and corporate fixed rates, according only to income...no buts.
8
Nick, if you want to end poverty and despair try urging the rebuilding of jobs and manufacturing in America. You note that 3 million American children live in households with incomes of less than $2 per person per day. That is just criminal. Even Wal Mart realized that it must raise wages not because of public opinion or political pressure but because its own employees could not afford the products offered by Wal Mart.
Extreme poverty exists not just because of Wal Mart but because major manufacturers and industries have moved overseas. Whether they move to avoid taxes or seek cheap labor is not relevant. Those business and jobs leave.
The result is a gutted middle class unable to fend for itself and unable to create the engine of creativity and opportunity necessary for the middle class to survive, prosper and expand.
We no longer make shoes, shirts, tools or other essentials in the U.S. We don't make appliances. We don't build machine tools. Too, Hillary Clinton admitted she went to far in compelling the closing of the last of the coal mines in the U.S. We don't make sewing machines or washing machines. Hell, Mr. Kristof we don't even make buttons! Every knife, fork and spoon comes from overseas. Plates, cups and saucers are no longer made in America. Socks aren't produced here. The apparel and textile industry is gone!
And you finally acknowledge you were wrong! Its not just that you're wrong. You still don't get it. Bring back industry and development! End poverty.
Extreme poverty exists not just because of Wal Mart but because major manufacturers and industries have moved overseas. Whether they move to avoid taxes or seek cheap labor is not relevant. Those business and jobs leave.
The result is a gutted middle class unable to fend for itself and unable to create the engine of creativity and opportunity necessary for the middle class to survive, prosper and expand.
We no longer make shoes, shirts, tools or other essentials in the U.S. We don't make appliances. We don't build machine tools. Too, Hillary Clinton admitted she went to far in compelling the closing of the last of the coal mines in the U.S. We don't make sewing machines or washing machines. Hell, Mr. Kristof we don't even make buttons! Every knife, fork and spoon comes from overseas. Plates, cups and saucers are no longer made in America. Socks aren't produced here. The apparel and textile industry is gone!
And you finally acknowledge you were wrong! Its not just that you're wrong. You still don't get it. Bring back industry and development! End poverty.
25
My wife, Janet, who is much smarter about some things than me, has been saying for years that America should be teaching financial literacy in high school. Now, thanks to Kristof and others, this idea is, indeed, perking up into the public debate.
When she first mentioned it, I countered by saying that the credit card companies, the banks and other money grubbers would adamantly oppose such courses because it would mean they would make much less money by robbing the poor of their last dime. But, older now, I also see how utterly determined many young people are upon hitting 18, 19 and 20 to screw up royally as their parents did. Smoking, drinking, drugging and getting down to sexual business are on a high order of priority for many, especially those whose parents were locked at or near the poverty line and who may feel, or might not be able to imagine, that they have much of anything in their future. Taking care of their own desperation of the moment takes priority.
We don't have enough jobs in this country for the highly qualified and well educated. Employers plot night and day about how to ease educated, skilled workers out of their jobs when they pass 50, the better to hire younger, cheaper and more pliable replacements.
Yes, financial education can help save some people and, over time, it might add up to millions rescued. Yet, college students have been taken for a trillion dollar debt ride. Could it be our system is just far too predatory and utterly untamed?
When she first mentioned it, I countered by saying that the credit card companies, the banks and other money grubbers would adamantly oppose such courses because it would mean they would make much less money by robbing the poor of their last dime. But, older now, I also see how utterly determined many young people are upon hitting 18, 19 and 20 to screw up royally as their parents did. Smoking, drinking, drugging and getting down to sexual business are on a high order of priority for many, especially those whose parents were locked at or near the poverty line and who may feel, or might not be able to imagine, that they have much of anything in their future. Taking care of their own desperation of the moment takes priority.
We don't have enough jobs in this country for the highly qualified and well educated. Employers plot night and day about how to ease educated, skilled workers out of their jobs when they pass 50, the better to hire younger, cheaper and more pliable replacements.
Yes, financial education can help save some people and, over time, it might add up to millions rescued. Yet, college students have been taken for a trillion dollar debt ride. Could it be our system is just far too predatory and utterly untamed?
24
Work of some sort - any sort - must be available to the unemployed at a livable wage. Yes, the nation can afford it. [see: Tax Policy].
Tax policy has become less and less efficient, less and less just as it has been evermore flattened by the wealthy and special interests with their own set of tax laws. [See: Capitalism in the United States].
The brand of capitalism as practiced in the United States has been unsuccessful with respect to being fair and just. Further, welfare for the wealthy has not trickled down - rather it has trickled offshore. How did/does this happen? [See: Money in Politics].
Money in politics? Get it out, people. Otherwise you will be engaged in delusion - no politician will care about you in the least. Seems like the Supreme Court would take care of that problem. [See: The Supreme Court is the problem].
The wealthy are entrenched. Time to shake things up. Start by electing Democrats across the board. If your favorite uncle is the Republican candidate for county commissioner, tell him that you are voting for him but don't. This election is far too important to lose to those who have stolen your hard work.
Tax policy has become less and less efficient, less and less just as it has been evermore flattened by the wealthy and special interests with their own set of tax laws. [See: Capitalism in the United States].
The brand of capitalism as practiced in the United States has been unsuccessful with respect to being fair and just. Further, welfare for the wealthy has not trickled down - rather it has trickled offshore. How did/does this happen? [See: Money in Politics].
Money in politics? Get it out, people. Otherwise you will be engaged in delusion - no politician will care about you in the least. Seems like the Supreme Court would take care of that problem. [See: The Supreme Court is the problem].
The wealthy are entrenched. Time to shake things up. Start by electing Democrats across the board. If your favorite uncle is the Republican candidate for county commissioner, tell him that you are voting for him but don't. This election is far too important to lose to those who have stolen your hard work.
23
For over fifty years I have contributed to the support of two children at a time through Child Fund (formerly Christian Children's Fund). The first ones I sponsored were in Brazil. Then in Africa. But now I support one in West Africa and one in Texas. When my West African Child ages out of the program I will be supporting two in this country, most likely both in Republican controlled states.
19
Welfare can't punish people for succeeding. Assume a minimum floor income, say $30k annually. If a recipient gets a job earning $10k, that should decrease their benefit by that amount, not make them ineligible for assistance. We also have to figure out how to avoid punishing families for staying together. Men can't be shunned from their families for the sake of maintaining eligibility. And we'd better accept that some people would rather live on a small subsidized income versus work, no matter what. That reality doesn't make it acceptable to deny the worthy and innocent. There are worse things than laziness: calousness, indifference, vindictiveness.
23
I'd rather pay single mothers to raise their children right than have them working 2 jobs and funding some child care company. What's the ultimate cost of kids with no parents who become part of the criminal justice system? Maybe we should tax the anti-abortion churches to fund woman who decide to bring ther kids into the world, these groups should willingly partcipate a such a program if they really believe in their cause.
44
Bill's Welfare "Reform" is so often a club wielded against Hillary, but Kristoff strikes the right note here when he urges us to look backward only to learn from experience.
The child in her grammy's arms is what overwhelms the distracting distinctions of race, class, and (on the popular front, mostly half baked) ideologies.
Instinctively we know that child has the potential - and the drive - to avoid a life of crime, idleness, and malign forms of dependence.
We are all dependent on each other. The idiot elite (.1%) bunch of baby men who toy incompetently with our society, our politics, our culture, and our economy are just as dependent on the rest of us as we. They get their hand-outs without being humiliated, but our culture and laws still have a long way to go in terms of ensuring they behave more responsibly too.
But that's on us!
The child in her grammy's arms is what overwhelms the distracting distinctions of race, class, and (on the popular front, mostly half baked) ideologies.
Instinctively we know that child has the potential - and the drive - to avoid a life of crime, idleness, and malign forms of dependence.
We are all dependent on each other. The idiot elite (.1%) bunch of baby men who toy incompetently with our society, our politics, our culture, and our economy are just as dependent on the rest of us as we. They get their hand-outs without being humiliated, but our culture and laws still have a long way to go in terms of ensuring they behave more responsibly too.
But that's on us!
14
I don't think you were wrong Mr. Kristof, at least not at first. Welfare reform worked - until the Tea Partiers broke it again. A hand up instead of a hand out was a very smart idea, but it had to be coupled with job placement programs, education and daycare funding, and improved access to health care (including addiction treatment). At first it was, but the Tea Partiers methodically cut those programs until there was almost nothing left.
28
I see little hope of fixing this because we lack the will to do so. I come from Appalachia. My three brothers all all on disability. Therefor, they are not counted properly as to their real problem-drugs and alcohol. (the drugs and booze caused the disabilities). Somehow, we need to identify these habitual users, and intervene, the earlier, the better. I'm all for legalizing drugs. Raise taxes on the rich and get rid of the damn loopholes. Double the tax on booze. Put a similar tax on drugs provided by pharmaceutical companies. Provide free places for rehab using the money. Some of these places might be mandatory for habitual abusers. I believe the benefits would be widespread-drug related robberies and assaults would go down. That alone would be a huge boon to the economy. Their should always be places where the poor can get wholesome food and medical care. Ending the war on drugs and properly taxing business would, in my opinion, more than pay for this. Those of us who are well off should be encouraged to give time to the community. I've never lived in a community that couldn't use more volunteers-"big brothers" home builders, day care, clean up, you name it, there are things those of us who have "made it" should be doing. By the way, I've never met a volunteer who didn't feel the work didn't make them feel better about themselves, as a part of their community. I'm also a realist. Greed and laziness will have their way. Will we do this? Not likely.
20
Having spent most of my professional career in juvenile court I had a box seat view of the roots of child neglect, abuse, delinquency, school failure including suspension and expulsion, predominately the exhaust fumes of capitalism, a large underclass of adults who are jobless, addicted, imprisoned, hopelessly entombed in the cycle of poverty. These are overdue observations, but salient ones by Mr. Kristof in this election cycle that has buried these issues in the reality TV show farce of a never ending election campaign. I invite politicians to visit juvenile court to witness countless scenarios as presented in this column and to consider the blunders of supply side economics, corporatism, and welfare and crime reform which has only exacerbated conditions and ramifications of abject poverty in the US. We need child centered platform that includes birth control education, investment in infrastructure to create jobs along with job training, improved mental health systems, education with a focus on preschool, family supports and less testing, universal health care for children and families, and other well researched reforms to prevent abuse, neglect, and delinquency. And none of this will be possible if voters continue to vote against their economic interests and fall for the bait and switch tactics of Conservatives who have allowed corporations to stash money in foreign accounts and siphoned wealth to top 1 percent.
17
Again, a U.S. social policy failure is discussed without comparing it to results in other wealthy nations.
This is the disease of "‘Amurican' exceptionalism - the mistaken belief that we cannot learn/apply/imitate policies that have been shown to work better in other nations.
Astonishing, coming from a cosmopolite.
This is the disease of "‘Amurican' exceptionalism - the mistaken belief that we cannot learn/apply/imitate policies that have been shown to work better in other nations.
Astonishing, coming from a cosmopolite.
10
I was working for a child care association in Louisiana and noticed one real benefit of welfare reform. A child care subsidy for licensed child care centers was available to those who went to school or work. This made a world of difference as might be imagined. However, pockets of poverty rarely had licensed centers. So former welfare recipients began to establish small centers in their neighborhoods. The subsidies were sufficient to support these small businesses, and for the first time there were actually enough centers.
However, when Bush became President, he drastically cut the child care subsidies. All those mothers had to quit school or work because there was no affordable child care. Plus all those centers set up in poor neighborhoods went out of business.
I always felt that was the beginning of the decline for welfare reform, and I've wondered why it wasn't given more coverage. Welfare reform wasn't a failure. It was the budget cuts that destroyed it. The reform was a good beginning and could have led to a much better system if Republicans hadn't taken over.
However, when Bush became President, he drastically cut the child care subsidies. All those mothers had to quit school or work because there was no affordable child care. Plus all those centers set up in poor neighborhoods went out of business.
I always felt that was the beginning of the decline for welfare reform, and I've wondered why it wasn't given more coverage. Welfare reform wasn't a failure. It was the budget cuts that destroyed it. The reform was a good beginning and could have led to a much better system if Republicans hadn't taken over.
450
If the old welfare system was so bad, then why have the socialist Scandinavian countries done so well in that poverty is negligible -- if not non-existent-- in such countries? The real issue is that that income inequality and an economy that excludes the poor needs to be addressed. When Jesus feed the multitudes, he was not worried about whether the masses he fed would become lazy by giving them all of that "free stuff'.
22
I worked as a social worker at Public Aid Dept in 1967. Many moms with their children stayed on welfare for generations before and after that. When I went back to Dept. of Human Services in 2009 there was a huge emphasis on the 5 year limit of receiving welfare or "TANF." My role was to interview clients and talk with them about how they see themselves moving toward self-sufficiency. Efforts were made to help them through job training and referrals, child care programs, etc. to become self sufficient.
Every program/system is imperfect but welfare reform was needed to begin to break the endless cycle of mothers making the same "choices" as their mothers.
Every program/system is imperfect but welfare reform was needed to begin to break the endless cycle of mothers making the same "choices" as their mothers.
11
Whenever I read the online version of my local paper, I see the pernicious effects of right-wing AM radio propaganda.
The commentators know that overtly racist sentiments will be removed, but they disguise their sentiments in phrases like "welfare mothers who pop out one baby after another to get more money" or "illegal immigrants who get free housing, free medical care, and free food" or "Why should I work when those gangbangers can get everything free down at the local welfare office just because they don't want to work?"
When I see the same sentiments expressed in identical words in the comments, I have to assume that they were the theme of the day on AM radio.
Several times, I have challenged the commentators to quit their jobs, go down to the county welfare office, declare that they don't want to work, and see what happens.
As far as I know, no one has taken me up on it. But the same sentiments are repeated week after week, every time there is an article about poverty.
I rarely wish evil on people, but some of those hard right types desperately need some experiential learning about poverty.
The commentators know that overtly racist sentiments will be removed, but they disguise their sentiments in phrases like "welfare mothers who pop out one baby after another to get more money" or "illegal immigrants who get free housing, free medical care, and free food" or "Why should I work when those gangbangers can get everything free down at the local welfare office just because they don't want to work?"
When I see the same sentiments expressed in identical words in the comments, I have to assume that they were the theme of the day on AM radio.
Several times, I have challenged the commentators to quit their jobs, go down to the county welfare office, declare that they don't want to work, and see what happens.
As far as I know, no one has taken me up on it. But the same sentiments are repeated week after week, every time there is an article about poverty.
I rarely wish evil on people, but some of those hard right types desperately need some experiential learning about poverty.
17
The solution is jobs. And if the private economy can't provide sufficient jobs (it never has, that's why we have unemployment) the government should provide them. That puts cash, and some dignity, into families today that are impoverished by our stupid policies. The Constitution gives the federal government monopoly power over the money supply. Use it for heaven's sake. Inject debt free money into the economy and hire people. Insfrastructure, street sweeping, making dinner for poor people--whatever. Debt free. That's how Lincoln raised $450 million to fund the Civil War. Called Greenbacks, these Treasury notes circulated for more than a century after the war ended. Wall Street wanted to lend Lincoln the money at 24 percent interest. Lincoln said he feared the bankers more than he did the Confederate soldiers. We are ignorant of all this. I'd say 'stupid' but the real problem is pure ignorance. Even Kristoff doesn't know this.
20
Mr. Kristof, glad for your acknowledgment of your grievous error-- although it's 20 years too late!
You also continue to perpetuate a myth about the old welfare -- that *it* was the cause of a cycle of poverty. Go back and read Michael Harrington's *pre-welfare* analysis Poverty in America and then William Ryan's classic, Blaming the Victim, where the meager support and stereotypes of the poor and minorities were exposed-- his dissection is still relevant today.
1. Most people who were poor then as now are white and many elderly and disabled.
2. The cycle of poverty is a bankrupt concept as most "poor" people are not permanently poor. No, there is a constant churning as people fall in and out of poverty. Economic insecurity is the issue.
3. Economic cycles, inequality, and capitalism produce poverty and unemployment and the need for welfare. So, you still have the causality backwards as did people back then.
Welfare payments were always insufficient, training and work were always lacking, and inequality was always left unaddressed.
If it weren't for food stamps, we'd have the sweeping malnourishment and hunger that Harrington and Bobby Kennedy exposed.
Beyond restoring fully-funded welfare and employment with living wages, we need to end the real scourge of welfare-- corporate welfare and the dependent military-industrial complex.
You also continue to perpetuate a myth about the old welfare -- that *it* was the cause of a cycle of poverty. Go back and read Michael Harrington's *pre-welfare* analysis Poverty in America and then William Ryan's classic, Blaming the Victim, where the meager support and stereotypes of the poor and minorities were exposed-- his dissection is still relevant today.
1. Most people who were poor then as now are white and many elderly and disabled.
2. The cycle of poverty is a bankrupt concept as most "poor" people are not permanently poor. No, there is a constant churning as people fall in and out of poverty. Economic insecurity is the issue.
3. Economic cycles, inequality, and capitalism produce poverty and unemployment and the need for welfare. So, you still have the causality backwards as did people back then.
Welfare payments were always insufficient, training and work were always lacking, and inequality was always left unaddressed.
If it weren't for food stamps, we'd have the sweeping malnourishment and hunger that Harrington and Bobby Kennedy exposed.
Beyond restoring fully-funded welfare and employment with living wages, we need to end the real scourge of welfare-- corporate welfare and the dependent military-industrial complex.
45
When Great Society welfare was designed inequality had been decreasing for decades and it was thought that poverty would be eliminated entirely before long. Instead, by the end of the 60's wages stagnated and inequality began to grow. While wages at the low end did not keep up with the high inflation of the 70's, welfare benefits were indexed, so it became less and less rational from an economic point of view to work instead of drawing welfare.
It was not welfare which failed, it was the wage income from private enterprise. This in turn has been influenced by various government policies, especially the cutting of tax rates for high incomes. It's as if policies were deliberately designed to increase inequality and poverty. The growth of inequality has continued through both Republican and Democratic administrations and all the changes of control of Congress.
It was not welfare which failed, it was the wage income from private enterprise. This in turn has been influenced by various government policies, especially the cutting of tax rates for high incomes. It's as if policies were deliberately designed to increase inequality and poverty. The growth of inequality has continued through both Republican and Democratic administrations and all the changes of control of Congress.
31
While this article touches briefly, very briefly, on two very important pieces of a complicated puzzle...free birth control for young women so they can grow up and complete their education, also reducing abortion rates at the same time...and more support for infants and children....you gloss over other major social issues as if they were only incidental. You cite drug use in this case, and I assure you it is an underlying cause in a sizable percentage of poor families. Drug use clouds the ability of those under the influence to make reasonable choices, including the choice to make sure that all children go to school and are supported at home and get a good education. If our society would work on the drug problem, which is also the source of much of the violence in our nation, and improve the education system so that every child had an opportunity for a free public education from pre-school through at least two years of college, we would be a stronger nation indeed.
12
Kristof constantly does what Brooks only promised to do recently - to actually go to different places and talk to people, rather than just theorizing about them. Whether you agree or disagree with Kristof, what he writes about has an empirical foundation.
21
Anecdotes, not data. The data he gets second hand and it seems a bit cherry-picked. There will always be a sliver of the population that needs more than 5 years of stipends.
5
Any system designed to address a problem will almost always reach the low-hanging fruits-- the easy cases. Everyone knew this would be so with welfare reform. There is a segment of the population that does not respond to enhanced reward and punishment, the system that for many years most believe could change behavior.
.
.
2
I think you mean incentives and disincentives, to use that jargon. It isn't necessarily reward and punishment, so much as the actual choice architecture of programs doesn't reflect the reality of their existence. It's that supposed "actor" in a theorizer's model that don't exist except perhaps only in the marginal cases. The perceived choices that one makes may be radically different between someone comfortably situated versus someone under the unceasing stress of real deprivation every day. The theorizers are always from the comfortably situated side. So I applaud Mr. Krisof.
5
Individual problems don't necessarily translate into big government, one-size-fits-all solutions; yet, the desire to "rescue" people from their problems is so great, Mr. Kristof cannot resist.
Start with the long-acting birth control. Does Mr. Kristof plan to force young women to have birth control inserted in their bodies? He mentions unplanned pregnancies but fails to mention that these pregnancies don't necessarily happen because women don't have access to birth control. More likely is their failure to use the birth control they already have.
So while removing the responsibility to actually use birth control would be a godsend, first they have to get it in their bodies. That requires a decision, an act of personal responsibility. That's where a lot of the big government solutions fall down. Even when available and free, people don't always avail themselves of what is good for them.
In the end, we'd be better off spending all that money on teaching personal responsibility. No government program can replace this basic trait. All that government money might actually do some good then.
Start with the long-acting birth control. Does Mr. Kristof plan to force young women to have birth control inserted in their bodies? He mentions unplanned pregnancies but fails to mention that these pregnancies don't necessarily happen because women don't have access to birth control. More likely is their failure to use the birth control they already have.
So while removing the responsibility to actually use birth control would be a godsend, first they have to get it in their bodies. That requires a decision, an act of personal responsibility. That's where a lot of the big government solutions fall down. Even when available and free, people don't always avail themselves of what is good for them.
In the end, we'd be better off spending all that money on teaching personal responsibility. No government program can replace this basic trait. All that government money might actually do some good then.
12
Norplant, a safe, effective, and cheap form of birth control that is, yes, implanted, as a tiny rod in the forearm, was provided free to young women in a study in Colorado. It brought the rate of unplanned pregnancies (and abortions) down drastically and was deemed a huge success from a public health point of view. Does it surprise anyone e to hear that the Republican legislature defunded this project, presumably on "religious" grounds?
11
Very misguided view, based only on your wishful thinking. If you have no money you have no insurance, = no BCP. One can't even get to your made up premise until you get to the point you have access to BCP.
4
Making long-term birth control available works: a recent program in Colorado that made IUDs available was quite successful in lowering teen pregnancy rates.
3
We haven't eliminated the culture of dependency, only that which is depended upon by the poorest in our country. We should at least be researching the concept of a guaranteed income, a policy advocated by conservative paragons such as Friedrich Von Hayek and Milton Friedman.
10
A robust, well paying govt jobs program to repair disgraceful infrastructure is long overdue and the single most effective cure to most of our ills. It would increase tax revenues, drive up private sector wages, give people spending money and hope, and help us out of a deflationary cycle.
37
And equally important, it teaches the beneficiaries the dignity of earning a living. That translates into more civil and political engagement, fosters an interest in learning and how education (even informal education) leads to personal betterment, plus it teaches the benefits of thrift and budgeting. All of that gets passed down to the next generation too.
3
Instead of targeting children, target mothers and working women, as other international non-profits and relief agencies are doing. Study after study has shown that investing in the women and mothers of a community offers the best chance for lifting people out of poverty. Mothers and grandmothers will start businesses, open savings accounts, purchase food and clothing staples for their households, invest in education for their children, and lift their families and communities up. Grameen knows this. Clinton knows it too.
28
Nicholas is right. Any long term solution to poverty must include free birth control for any woman who wants it. Any short term solution requires jobs with benefits and decent wages. If we could get that much done, a lot of our social problems would gradually diminish if not disappear.
20
And the so called conservatives will line up to help out? Just read a couple of the "let em starve letters in this thread."
1
Mr Kristof, I applaud your concern for these children. However, you not only misstated facts but your policies will reinforce this exact pattern generation after generation. These families are not living on $2/day. Between the earned income tax credit, WIC, medicaid, subsidized housing options, etc, the real tax payer paid for benefits is measured in the 10's of thousands per year. This family had children when they were incapable of caring for them, are drug abusers, had children at a young age, have a pattern of raising children incapable of being self sustaining citizens and are criminals despite your description of "mostly" writing fake prescriptions (when counting multiple criminal acts, I'd suggest not simply disclosing the least important). To suggest they have no cash to pay utilities, ignores the use of cash for drugs.
So, why would you design a system to provide resources to proven parental disasters believing that this 47 year old grandmother, drug abuser will now become an amazing mother if you give her more cash and resources. Instead, remove children from these families and put our tax resources into families with demonstrated track records of success
So, why would you design a system to provide resources to proven parental disasters believing that this 47 year old grandmother, drug abuser will now become an amazing mother if you give her more cash and resources. Instead, remove children from these families and put our tax resources into families with demonstrated track records of success
17
This comment is spot on. Hailey should be removed from her grandmother's care, and, if there is no alternative, raised by the state. This is the only hope to break the cycle of poverty and dysfunction typified by this family.
In addition, no one else in families such as this should ever receive cash payments of any kind, and the adults should be cut-off from any payments when the state must step in to save their children from the horrors these "parents" create.
Anyone, including Mr. Kristof, who ignores human nature and the ample evidence that the "Great Society" has failed, are morally responsible for the plight of children like Hailey. Keep clinging to your liberal orthodoxy and watch these unfortunate children rot in the hell you perpetuate to avoid admitting you are wrong.
In addition, no one else in families such as this should ever receive cash payments of any kind, and the adults should be cut-off from any payments when the state must step in to save their children from the horrors these "parents" create.
Anyone, including Mr. Kristof, who ignores human nature and the ample evidence that the "Great Society" has failed, are morally responsible for the plight of children like Hailey. Keep clinging to your liberal orthodoxy and watch these unfortunate children rot in the hell you perpetuate to avoid admitting you are wrong.
3
1. And put these kids where?
2. Responsibility to do something constructive is easily washed away when all you have to do is blame the victim.
2. Responsibility to do something constructive is easily washed away when all you have to do is blame the victim.
3
So people get subsidized or free housing, food stamps, etc. You can't use that to pay the phone bill, buy kids' shoes or school uniforms, etc.
1
Most of the horror stories of poverty that are reported from the US tend to be individuals with drug addiction issues. Do we demonise drug users way too much? I have known closet drug users that seem to be able to get by without attracting adverse attention - and this in in the tech hubs of Northern California. I do understand that drug usage may interfere with work that requires regular hours, but there must be other opportunities for work that do not. At least those should open their doors to drug users - so they do not have to resort to crime and become perpetually destitute.
5
Mr. Kristof is right when pointing out the old welfare system was a failure that had too low a threshold for participation and created a cycle of dependency. He ignores however the massive expansion of transfer payments that have occurred since that time regardless of reform. The truth is profoundly bad decisions made by a very small percentage of our population results in likely irreparable harm to their children. No amount of welfare can undo the damage brought by drug addiction and violent broken homes. How to address it is indeed a very difficult dilemma.
9
He gives you the answer: free long term birth control for all women who want it.
Unplanned pregnancies are usually unwanted. Women struggle to become mothers and take care of their kids. But planned pregnancies are planned because the woman/family has done the work of getting ready to take care of a child. That won't solve the drug problem but it will prevent unplanned pregnancies. Some folks disagree saying birth control encourages unsafe sex. But an unplanned, unwanted child faces a life of struggle often suffering from abuse and neglect. Unsafe sex is unsafe for those who participate, it should not result in unwanted children.
Unplanned pregnancies are usually unwanted. Women struggle to become mothers and take care of their kids. But planned pregnancies are planned because the woman/family has done the work of getting ready to take care of a child. That won't solve the drug problem but it will prevent unplanned pregnancies. Some folks disagree saying birth control encourages unsafe sex. But an unplanned, unwanted child faces a life of struggle often suffering from abuse and neglect. Unsafe sex is unsafe for those who participate, it should not result in unwanted children.
11
memosyne:
As I noted elsewhere, it's not just a matter of making birth available and control free. Many unintended pregnancies occur because women don't use the birth control they already have in their possession (Guttmacher Institute describes it as their having a "poor relationship" with birth control). While long-term birth control removes the burden of having to use it regularly, you still have to get it inside the women.
And then it has to remain there. The assumption that women will do the right thing because a good option is available is flawed. Personal judgment factors heavily into these situations.
If their judgment were sound, their situations would be different.
As I noted elsewhere, it's not just a matter of making birth available and control free. Many unintended pregnancies occur because women don't use the birth control they already have in their possession (Guttmacher Institute describes it as their having a "poor relationship" with birth control). While long-term birth control removes the burden of having to use it regularly, you still have to get it inside the women.
And then it has to remain there. The assumption that women will do the right thing because a good option is available is flawed. Personal judgment factors heavily into these situations.
If their judgment were sound, their situations would be different.
4
Unfortunately, Mr. Kristof did not clarify what he meant when he said, "the old welfare system was a wreck." Per the most comprehensive study of the old welfare reform conducted in the 1990s, about one-third of parents (almost exclusively women) used welfare one time and then never used it again. Another one-third of women cycled on and off welfare - and that was often due to circumstances related to job loss and/or child sickness. Per research, only one-third of parents on welfare were chronic users.
Thus, it's inaccurate to call the former system a "wreck" as for two-thirds of users, welfare worked.
Mr. Kristof also misses one of the most significant and deleterious outcomes of TANF - the inability of parents with challenged and/or troubled children to take a leave from work so they can provide the support and nurturing needed by these children.
While I applaud Mr. Kristof's attention to the failures of TANF, I wish he had done his homework before writing this piece.
Thus, it's inaccurate to call the former system a "wreck" as for two-thirds of users, welfare worked.
Mr. Kristof also misses one of the most significant and deleterious outcomes of TANF - the inability of parents with challenged and/or troubled children to take a leave from work so they can provide the support and nurturing needed by these children.
While I applaud Mr. Kristof's attention to the failures of TANF, I wish he had done his homework before writing this piece.
26
Well said. In this era in which the Horatio Alger ideal had been revealed to be a myth, clearly what keeps poverty-stricken people dependent on entitlements is not entitlements, but poverty.
5
1/3 permanent and 1/3 semi permanent is not a wreck?
2
Welfare currently dictates that one be idle or find a job that will pay enough to support a family. What is needed is a welfare program that reduces benefits over time as income from work increases. At present there is a counter incentive to finding a job which will in all likelihood offer insufficient income to support a family. The ennui that overtakes a family caught in this trap is an illness of boredom that is almost unendurable. But instead of fixing the problem we target and blame people caught in the trap. Our welfare system is a shameful indictment of our nation rather than of the people caught in its coils. All this, we should remember, while the US has become a plutocracy once again!
13
One problem with 1990s welfare reform is that it ignored low-income fathers - apparently assuming that the normative low-income family would be the single mother-child household. Yes, the reform called for nonresident fathers to pay child support but many such fathers lacked education and job opportunities. In addition, child support obligations often created work disincentives, mounting arrears and penalties - even prison time. We have to make work pay for fathers as well as mothers.
17
I believe that we need work programs where adolescents can find a haven of support and education. I have written my congress people and have been preaching this to my friends. My uncles were in the CC programs during the great depression. It lifted the family of eight when the 3 older boys were given a safe haven and they had a small check to send home. One of them saved his the other two willingly shared almost the entire amount Both of my grandparents had to work with my grandmother living outside of the home for her ladies companion job so the safe and crimefree location for these boys was a lifesaver and it lifted some of the worries. Once someone experiences something like this it effects future generations of that family. It sure effected me and my work ethic and life style.
10
So what is to be done with/for those who cannot/will not/are not going to be able to support themselves ever? Is cradle to grave public support the answer? "Training" is not going to accomplish anything significant. There may be a few diamonds in the rough who just need a hand up to climb out of their rut but they are the exception not the rule. The soft skills required to land and excel in a job that will provide a decent living are not taught in a class. The hard skills require a certain level of innate ability and focused study. Prospects are dim for many. Not to mention there is plenty of competition from those who are also struggling yet have far less baggage.
17
That's where free birth control matters. If people of very low character or ability can be gently persuaded to avoid producing offspring, the transgenerational cycle of poverty could be broken. Perhaps birth control should be mandatory for anyone receiving public assistance.
10
The Republicans have no problem with shoveling money to the military. Then they complain about waste and budget deficits when real American citizens, including infants, need help. Virtually all of the Republicans claim to be faithful Christians and students of the Bible, especially in the South. I was wondering where in the Bible it says to let the poor and their children fend for themselves. I must have missed that passage, or maybe they added something.
48
People in the South, including very poor states like Alabama and Mississippi, give a significantly higher proportion of their income to charity than do people in the Northeast. Many even tithe. A former New Yorker, I spend most of my time in the Southeast today, and I'm struck by the incredible amount of giving and volunteering that goes on the help the hungry and the needy. It may not be enough, but you are incorrect, in my view, in saying that Christian actions are missing. At the same time, distrust of government programs is rampant.
1
None of these Republicans have a Christian bone in their bodies. Some think they do (they're woefully misinformed) and others are flat out lying. They are political before they are religious, but claim Christianity as their guidepost, rather than conservatism or inhumanity.
Makes me wish for a second coming, if only to set the record straight.
Makes me wish for a second coming, if only to set the record straight.
4
I agree with the person who claims that people receiving "public" assistance are all but forced to "cheat".
After my parents divorced in 1965, my mother and I depended upon AFDC for food security and shelter - fortunately, we had the small home Dad had built to live in. Mom tried to find a path to a gainful, reasonably secure income that would eventually fund food, clothing, and home related expenses. We might even raise the thermostat a degree or two during winter months. She, in order to survive, cleaned houses and hid the income we needed to make ends meet - not progress, but subsist. I was not allowed seek any form of income for fear of jeopardizing access to AFDC. So I cleaned house, washed dishes, clothes, and prepared my own "government surplus" meals. And, delivered meals to other needy people as a volunteer with my grandmother's Girl Scouts.
I can't tell you, and your imagination can't adequately inform you, about what it feels like as a child to be labeled as inferior or defective in some immaterial way because of circumstances that are painfully, inscrutably, limiting. We are here to lift each other up, whether with a fleeting smile, or cash, or a gift, or education, opportunity to gain self-worth....let's stop questioning the value of other peoples' place in our community and help each other. It's part of what makes us a superior species, isn't it?
After my parents divorced in 1965, my mother and I depended upon AFDC for food security and shelter - fortunately, we had the small home Dad had built to live in. Mom tried to find a path to a gainful, reasonably secure income that would eventually fund food, clothing, and home related expenses. We might even raise the thermostat a degree or two during winter months. She, in order to survive, cleaned houses and hid the income we needed to make ends meet - not progress, but subsist. I was not allowed seek any form of income for fear of jeopardizing access to AFDC. So I cleaned house, washed dishes, clothes, and prepared my own "government surplus" meals. And, delivered meals to other needy people as a volunteer with my grandmother's Girl Scouts.
I can't tell you, and your imagination can't adequately inform you, about what it feels like as a child to be labeled as inferior or defective in some immaterial way because of circumstances that are painfully, inscrutably, limiting. We are here to lift each other up, whether with a fleeting smile, or cash, or a gift, or education, opportunity to gain self-worth....let's stop questioning the value of other peoples' place in our community and help each other. It's part of what makes us a superior species, isn't it?
89
I can't stress enough that our national disgrace is handing our more billions to billionaires and investing close to nothing on these children and our weakest citizens.
We had zero problem giving welfare to Big Pharma who were peddling opioids. We had no problem with them giving children Adderall which is basically cocaine and then kicking them to the curb as young adults with an addiction.
We have also had no problem subsidizing Wal Mart because they refuse to pay a livable wage. We pay their food stamps and their medical, not the company who is making billions. How is that not welfare. Privatize profit for a very few and socialize cost for the rest of us.
How is someone who lives in poverty supposed to pack up their belongings and go to another state to find healthcare and a place to live and a job all because their governor and legislature are jerks? They are doing this to their own citizens, failing miserably at it and then blaming the less fortunate.
We were once a collectively great, innovative, thriving country where anything is possible. We are going down the rabbit hole and it doesn't have to be like that. No trickle down economics, it's trickle down despair for so many.
And let's not do false equivalancies. rich kids get rehab, poor kids get jail.
We had zero problem giving welfare to Big Pharma who were peddling opioids. We had no problem with them giving children Adderall which is basically cocaine and then kicking them to the curb as young adults with an addiction.
We have also had no problem subsidizing Wal Mart because they refuse to pay a livable wage. We pay their food stamps and their medical, not the company who is making billions. How is that not welfare. Privatize profit for a very few and socialize cost for the rest of us.
How is someone who lives in poverty supposed to pack up their belongings and go to another state to find healthcare and a place to live and a job all because their governor and legislature are jerks? They are doing this to their own citizens, failing miserably at it and then blaming the less fortunate.
We were once a collectively great, innovative, thriving country where anything is possible. We are going down the rabbit hole and it doesn't have to be like that. No trickle down economics, it's trickle down despair for so many.
And let's not do false equivalancies. rich kids get rehab, poor kids get jail.
189
Recently, I read that the old-fashioned cash welfare system was based on the belief that it was important for women to be able to stay home and care for their children. I remembered a program on PBS that featured interviews with a young woman who was worried about how she would be able to care for her child and an older woman whose response to the concerns was that the young woman will just have to deal with it.
I now wonder how the "successes" of the welfare to work mask failures in the care of children. As work has become harder to get and wages are stagnant, it has also become apparent that there are fault lines in this new system.
It's true that people take advantage of programs intended to help. We all know stories that prove that point. But anecdotes aren't really evidence.
Back in the olden days, public employment was a route to advancement for minorities. How many children of immigrants began careers working for a government? We've been sold a bill of goods that taxes are evil and public employees are takers.
Unions are even worse. An acquaintance told me emphatically that unions had undermined the work ethic. Right to Work doesn't mean what it sounds like. Unions take away "flexibility" for business executives to transfer profits to their own pockets.
Unions weren't perfect. They were sometimes corrupt and favored discriminatory practices. Doing away with unions hasn't made the world of work less corrupt and less discriminatory.
I now wonder how the "successes" of the welfare to work mask failures in the care of children. As work has become harder to get and wages are stagnant, it has also become apparent that there are fault lines in this new system.
It's true that people take advantage of programs intended to help. We all know stories that prove that point. But anecdotes aren't really evidence.
Back in the olden days, public employment was a route to advancement for minorities. How many children of immigrants began careers working for a government? We've been sold a bill of goods that taxes are evil and public employees are takers.
Unions are even worse. An acquaintance told me emphatically that unions had undermined the work ethic. Right to Work doesn't mean what it sounds like. Unions take away "flexibility" for business executives to transfer profits to their own pockets.
Unions weren't perfect. They were sometimes corrupt and favored discriminatory practices. Doing away with unions hasn't made the world of work less corrupt and less discriminatory.
36
Taxes are not "evil" -- until you have to pay them. Most of the people who are calling for higher taxes, imagine some mysterious other person -- "that rich person, there behind that tree!" -- will pay for all their lefty liberal wishes. They never imagine the tax bill will fall squarely on their own shoulders.
Private industry unions are neither evil or angelic. They remain an effective way to bargain collectively for better wages. However, no public employee should be permitted in a union (per FDR) because it is intrinsically corrupt -- they can influence politicians with donations, to give in to ridiculous demands.
Private industry unions are neither evil or angelic. They remain an effective way to bargain collectively for better wages. However, no public employee should be permitted in a union (per FDR) because it is intrinsically corrupt -- they can influence politicians with donations, to give in to ridiculous demands.
3
We certainly have relative poverty in the US, but in no way does the extreme tail of the US poverty bell curve compare to the world poverty standard of $2 / day consumption, not income BTW. Ms Ingraham is certainly consuming more than $2 / day of goods and services from the economy, inclusive of government support.
Most Americans know someone like Ms Ingraham, who had some bad luck in life, compounded her problems with her own choices, was / is otherwise a good person, may occasionally exhibit ambition but has grown complacent in her subsequent quality of life. Not everybody aspires to a middle class values way of life.
Ms Ingraham and folks like her probably doesn't like or feel that she deserves living on the edge of financial chaos, but its familiar turf that doesn't mandate a massive and difficult individual change. For those welfare recipients with drug habits, chemical change to the neurology, respiratory, cognitive systems is pretty intense. There are many reasons why such people struggle until they don't.
Welfare reform ought to be a considered conversation based on data and debated politely until a decision is reached on what the policy should be at what cost with what expected outcomes. It will mean compromise and at this level of GDP impact it will come with a price tag.
The price tag may / not be affordable. But the process of getting to a decision is how things like "welfare reform" become policies and shape the overall American quality of life.
Most Americans know someone like Ms Ingraham, who had some bad luck in life, compounded her problems with her own choices, was / is otherwise a good person, may occasionally exhibit ambition but has grown complacent in her subsequent quality of life. Not everybody aspires to a middle class values way of life.
Ms Ingraham and folks like her probably doesn't like or feel that she deserves living on the edge of financial chaos, but its familiar turf that doesn't mandate a massive and difficult individual change. For those welfare recipients with drug habits, chemical change to the neurology, respiratory, cognitive systems is pretty intense. There are many reasons why such people struggle until they don't.
Welfare reform ought to be a considered conversation based on data and debated politely until a decision is reached on what the policy should be at what cost with what expected outcomes. It will mean compromise and at this level of GDP impact it will come with a price tag.
The price tag may / not be affordable. But the process of getting to a decision is how things like "welfare reform" become policies and shape the overall American quality of life.
2
Designing a system that works is an admirable goal. However designing one system for the broken parts of a previous system is a bad recipe because it entraps all people trapped into poverty into a stereotypical steamroller.
I teach career readiness to TANF adults. In a class of twenty each and every person in the class has a different set of problems, a different outlook on their future, and a different set of downfalls waiting to trap them into their own circle of poverty.
Each student comes to the classroom with a different set of skills and few social community skills in their toolbox. Most come in with very little knowledge of technology with the exception of their iPhones (usually provided by a family member). You don't want to lose the adults that are trying so very hard, and are so consumed by a litany of stress, abuse, and a painful lack of information by taking care of their children.
The children are what keeps many going. It is their purpose. The children are their connection to an outside world that wants nothing they are selling. It isn't the lack of want to work it is often the inability to join society in a way that works to produce a living wage AND helps their children cope at home without any resources.
A one-on-one mentorship relationship with someone NOT a government employee would be a much better idea (think Big Brother/Sister for Adults) for the majority I work around. Make those in addiction, or just out of it, a special case.
I teach career readiness to TANF adults. In a class of twenty each and every person in the class has a different set of problems, a different outlook on their future, and a different set of downfalls waiting to trap them into their own circle of poverty.
Each student comes to the classroom with a different set of skills and few social community skills in their toolbox. Most come in with very little knowledge of technology with the exception of their iPhones (usually provided by a family member). You don't want to lose the adults that are trying so very hard, and are so consumed by a litany of stress, abuse, and a painful lack of information by taking care of their children.
The children are what keeps many going. It is their purpose. The children are their connection to an outside world that wants nothing they are selling. It isn't the lack of want to work it is often the inability to join society in a way that works to produce a living wage AND helps their children cope at home without any resources.
A one-on-one mentorship relationship with someone NOT a government employee would be a much better idea (think Big Brother/Sister for Adults) for the majority I work around. Make those in addiction, or just out of it, a special case.
10
"... three million American children live in households with incomes of less than $2 per person per day"
This is Incredible!
Not to mention utterly and completely unacceptable.
This article suggests that at the very least 6 Million people are living with LESS than $4 income per Adult with Child per day (assuming 2 people per household with one of them being a Child.) of course, it is probably a greater figure than 6 Million people.
It also states at a level Less than $2 per per person per day in each of 3 million Households and thus begs the question How Much Less??
I'm sorry...but in the richest country in the world with a tax minimizing executive class that earn incomes of 10 Million a year and so much more as well as sustaining a military that spends that amount in under an hour , every hour, 24 hours a day , 7 days a week. And other amounts , often for little or no return or effect, yet these people are expected to live a life and raise a child on less than $4 a day without any recourse from society other than basic food relief and the hope that a church fete or private charity will provide what's needed or should be done...hopefully?
Really?
By doing Nothing, 3 Million Children's (as well as at least 3 million adults ) lives have effectively been ruined. A pessimistic future at best , and decided to let happen before they are even out of the Nappies they don't wear, as can't be afforded, in houses with no power or water, just a parents hope.
Fix this Now.
This is Incredible!
Not to mention utterly and completely unacceptable.
This article suggests that at the very least 6 Million people are living with LESS than $4 income per Adult with Child per day (assuming 2 people per household with one of them being a Child.) of course, it is probably a greater figure than 6 Million people.
It also states at a level Less than $2 per per person per day in each of 3 million Households and thus begs the question How Much Less??
I'm sorry...but in the richest country in the world with a tax minimizing executive class that earn incomes of 10 Million a year and so much more as well as sustaining a military that spends that amount in under an hour , every hour, 24 hours a day , 7 days a week. And other amounts , often for little or no return or effect, yet these people are expected to live a life and raise a child on less than $4 a day without any recourse from society other than basic food relief and the hope that a church fete or private charity will provide what's needed or should be done...hopefully?
Really?
By doing Nothing, 3 Million Children's (as well as at least 3 million adults ) lives have effectively been ruined. A pessimistic future at best , and decided to let happen before they are even out of the Nappies they don't wear, as can't be afforded, in houses with no power or water, just a parents hope.
Fix this Now.
14
The trouble is, taxes on the wealthy are now coupled with the globalization of jobs markets. We are in an international race to the bottom to minimize the cost of labor, and maximize corporate returns and executive pay.
.
Normal Americans look at the numbers as you did: shocked that people in the first world could be expected to live on $2 a day per person. Globalizers look at the numbers and say "myeh, they're still too expensive -- they should be able to live on $2 a day per HOUSEHOLD like my workers in rural China do!
.
Normal Americans look at the numbers as you did: shocked that people in the first world could be expected to live on $2 a day per person. Globalizers look at the numbers and say "myeh, they're still too expensive -- they should be able to live on $2 a day per HOUSEHOLD like my workers in rural China do!
5
Another piece that should be added is universal health and dental care, expenses that bankrupt even the working. Access to health care is not a disincentive to finding a job
38
"expenses that bankrupt even the working"
There are many people who receive benefits who also work. I do agree that universal health and dental care for adults (not just children) would keep many of the poor from falling even further if they get sick. The jobs they have generally don't come with any benefits, including paid sick leave. Land in the hospital and you've lost your job, your apartment and all your belongings. That is not an exaggeration.
There are many people who receive benefits who also work. I do agree that universal health and dental care for adults (not just children) would keep many of the poor from falling even further if they get sick. The jobs they have generally don't come with any benefits, including paid sick leave. Land in the hospital and you've lost your job, your apartment and all your belongings. That is not an exaggeration.
4
Sorry, but this outcome was entirely predictable at the time. But who was speaking up?
Worse, it was the intended effect -- a big step on the way to paradise for capitalism and hell for almost everyone else. It consolidated an underclass in permanent misery and insecurity, as a warning to everyone else to shut up, accept their lot and keep working for whatever the plutocracy deemed a "living wage".
What's especially ironic -- and equally predictable -- is that the middle class, which supported this move at the time in the deluded view that they were ultimately better off, is now rapidly being pushed into the same state.
To paraphrase Niemöller -- they came for the poor, and I did not speak up because I was not poor...
Worse, it was the intended effect -- a big step on the way to paradise for capitalism and hell for almost everyone else. It consolidated an underclass in permanent misery and insecurity, as a warning to everyone else to shut up, accept their lot and keep working for whatever the plutocracy deemed a "living wage".
What's especially ironic -- and equally predictable -- is that the middle class, which supported this move at the time in the deluded view that they were ultimately better off, is now rapidly being pushed into the same state.
To paraphrase Niemöller -- they came for the poor, and I did not speak up because I was not poor...
65
I volunteer for CASA, which advocates for children who are in the foster system. Most of the children live with impoverished grandparents because their Mom is either a drug abuser who is unable to care for children, in jail, or MIA. Dad is often unknown. The grandparents try but don't have the energy, resources or stability to care for these children. They are essentially being raised by an older person who failed to parent their mother (sometimes it's the father's mother). It is an almost hopeless advocacy because there are no good options for which to advocate. If only these children had the chance to be "airlifted" into a new home. I fantasize about residential boarding schools away from the inner city that could provide education, stability and a future. While welfare may have been limited, it still supports the kids in such care in most states and still perpetuates the cycle of multi-generational poverty. I just read the article about Obama's parents. He was lucky to have employed, steady grandparents.
29
I am a physician in an economically mixed area so I have dealt with the poor in depth over many years. Significant issues that contribute to poverty are drugs and mental health issues just like what is afflicting Hailey's mom and grandma in this article. Sadly, there is little funding for mental health treatment and therefore, good practicing psychiatrists and psychopharmacologists are few and far between, even in physician-rich states like MA. If there is any hope of alleviating US society's ills, there needs to be more funding for mental health and drug treatment.
36
Here in Monroe County, a single mother with one child gets a little less than $700 a month to pay for rent, utilities, clothes, school supplies, transportation, toilet paper--everything--except what she can buy with food stamps. So the first rule is the system makes a liar and a cheat out of every recipient, because nowhere in NYS can they survive on $700.
All the things you mentioned, particularly a quality education and vocational training, are important. But much of generational poverty has to do with cultural norms and expectations. And legalizing drugs. When the movie The Godfather came out, there was a line about the money to be made in selling drugs was so good, you can't pay your people not to do it. Well, that's the truth. After 30 years of serving people in poverty and the criminal justice system, it's the most common scenario I see: why should I work at Walmart for $10 an hour, or even a better job at $20 an hour, when I can make 100 times that moving product?
All the things you mentioned, particularly a quality education and vocational training, are important. But much of generational poverty has to do with cultural norms and expectations. And legalizing drugs. When the movie The Godfather came out, there was a line about the money to be made in selling drugs was so good, you can't pay your people not to do it. Well, that's the truth. After 30 years of serving people in poverty and the criminal justice system, it's the most common scenario I see: why should I work at Walmart for $10 an hour, or even a better job at $20 an hour, when I can make 100 times that moving product?
21
Kristof is simply wrong here. the $ 2 a day extreme poverty definition is consumption. People are able to consume $2 a day worth of goods and services. This to pay for housing, heating, washing, clothes, food, cooking, health care, everything. Yes, at modern American prices too. Buy your whole lifestyle in Walmart on $2 a day.
That's the extreme poverty of Africa, that's what 800 million are still stuck in.
Our lady in Tulsa has a house (rental value, say, $600 a month) and food stamps of perhaps $350. That's consumption ability for the two of them of $15 a day each.
Sure, that ain't great and no doubt we can do a lot better. But less than $2 a day in cash income and consumption opportunities of less than $2 a day simply are not the same thing.
But then of course that's why that book made the comparison - in order to fool the well meaning into thinking that poverty in the US is anything like that extreme poverty elsewhere.
It ain't, it really just ain't. And Mr. Kristof you've been suckered. Must do better.
That's the extreme poverty of Africa, that's what 800 million are still stuck in.
Our lady in Tulsa has a house (rental value, say, $600 a month) and food stamps of perhaps $350. That's consumption ability for the two of them of $15 a day each.
Sure, that ain't great and no doubt we can do a lot better. But less than $2 a day in cash income and consumption opportunities of less than $2 a day simply are not the same thing.
But then of course that's why that book made the comparison - in order to fool the well meaning into thinking that poverty in the US is anything like that extreme poverty elsewhere.
It ain't, it really just ain't. And Mr. Kristof you've been suckered. Must do better.
16
We all drank the cool aid some with Bill Clinton. But quickly, I saw the outcome. Mothers had to leave their children to work, and often the children were not cared for. The money that was gotten in low paying jobs was never enough to live on, and welfare was worse. So there was and is quite a bit of working under the table for cash. It's been happening throughout the economy for a couple of decades, that people are not reporting income. If they did, they simply could not make it, with housing soaring, food expenses rising, and no transportation to work if there is any work. The US government has not reported honestly on the inflation of food and housing for over a decade. Other countries have been wary of the US dollar because of it. Taxes on low income people are onerous, while the rich pay little. The whole economy is upside down, benefitting the rich while the poor get poorer and poorer. Well educated people are working minimum wage jobs. We are not talking about the poor always wth us. We are talking about the middle class having disappeared. The economy has become totally financialized, making money on money, leaving great swaths of the popultaion without a meaningful way to earn a living. Birth control might help, but Europe is not producing enough population to sustain their economies. So, it seems to me the answer is adjusting what we consider to be a successful economy. What we need is a sustainable one.
19
Going only to Oklahoma, Kansas, or any red state is perhaps the cruelist form of social safety net benefit programs in the 1st World Western Industrial societies. The blue states are better but the United States remains last in modernized nations to provide any assistance to its citizens. God forbid that anyone becomes disabled, sick, suffer mental illnesses, or lack any seed money to enter higher education. We just got some national health care that at least tries to provide some backstop for any quality medical services.
Welfare has been a terrible joke that Borders on outright cruelty to people, mostly single mothers from the beginning of its inception. Why would a "Welfare to Work" program be any step in the right direction. We Americans hate people who need assistance. They burden us with taking taxpayer money. They don't carry their own weight and don't get started on health care expenses. We literally have the most backwards thinking, least Humane, and disrespectful social safety net programs in the Western World. The only positive thing to come out of the Welfare reform laws is we didn't have to listen to republicans screaming about "Welfare Queens". Of course now we get bombarded with "Entitlements" as something only "slacker's" need and they all need to be privatized so someone else can cheat us out of the rest of our monetary benefits. I'm very glad that Mr. Kristoff has finally figured some of this out. Better late than, oh what's the use.
Welfare has been a terrible joke that Borders on outright cruelty to people, mostly single mothers from the beginning of its inception. Why would a "Welfare to Work" program be any step in the right direction. We Americans hate people who need assistance. They burden us with taking taxpayer money. They don't carry their own weight and don't get started on health care expenses. We literally have the most backwards thinking, least Humane, and disrespectful social safety net programs in the Western World. The only positive thing to come out of the Welfare reform laws is we didn't have to listen to republicans screaming about "Welfare Queens". Of course now we get bombarded with "Entitlements" as something only "slacker's" need and they all need to be privatized so someone else can cheat us out of the rest of our monetary benefits. I'm very glad that Mr. Kristoff has finally figured some of this out. Better late than, oh what's the use.
23
Oh, they're still screaming about "welfare queens" because they haven't been bothered to keep up with news of welfare reforms. They're still distributing diatribes about how rich you can get by having more children and all those steaks piling up in the grocery baskets of those on food stamps.
4
The belief that the poor are not worthy of help, is an decades long push by conservatives and some conservative Democrats like Bill Clinton, is pervasive. Conservatives have also been successful in making the public believe that only African Americans are on welfare, which feeds into this need by society to get rid of the program. Lost in all this are the children. Also lost in all this are the cuts made to poverty programs by states controlled by Republcians, the party that claims to care about children.
According to worldhunger.org, 19.9 million Americans live in extreme poverty, that is families making ten thousand dollars a year for a family of four. How are those children faring with all the cuts to poverty programs by Republcians in congress and in the states?
According to worldhunger.org, 19.9 million Americans live in extreme poverty, that is families making ten thousand dollars a year for a family of four. How are those children faring with all the cuts to poverty programs by Republcians in congress and in the states?
31
Lots of information was left out of this article, but all in all, I salute Mr. Kristof for illuminating the needs and despair of the very poor.
It was Clinton's welfare destruction, coupled with the loss of manufacturing jobs to China and Mexico (NAFTA) and the rise of the "bought for" Congress that did in the poor in America.
Sure, a guaranteed jobs program would go a long ways to help, but all in all, the only thing that would work would be a massive federal effort to bring manufacturing back to America.
If that cannot be done, HUD needs to really step up and triple its funding to public housing and section 8. Those cutbacks devastated many of the poor. The waiting list for subsidized public housing is years long, in Eugene Oregon both the Section 8 list and the single bedroom list is not even open.
No jobs, no housing, no way to live with dignity, that is the plight of the very poor in America, and why I will never again vote for a moderate Republican pretending to be a Democrat who runs to the left in the primaries named Clinton.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene
It was Clinton's welfare destruction, coupled with the loss of manufacturing jobs to China and Mexico (NAFTA) and the rise of the "bought for" Congress that did in the poor in America.
Sure, a guaranteed jobs program would go a long ways to help, but all in all, the only thing that would work would be a massive federal effort to bring manufacturing back to America.
If that cannot be done, HUD needs to really step up and triple its funding to public housing and section 8. Those cutbacks devastated many of the poor. The waiting list for subsidized public housing is years long, in Eugene Oregon both the Section 8 list and the single bedroom list is not even open.
No jobs, no housing, no way to live with dignity, that is the plight of the very poor in America, and why I will never again vote for a moderate Republican pretending to be a Democrat who runs to the left in the primaries named Clinton.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene
18
Trump will solve it all.
Almost all social safety net programs have built in "poison pills" designed to make people and the bureaucracy fail. Then comes the tweaking, the adjustments, the restrictions, the loopholes, and the criticisms of not only the Government but people who try to be responsible. For example, having a welfare check is clearly a public disgrace, regardless of the reasons. Likewise food stamps came in the form of very identifiable paper money that resembled monopoly "play money". Then should a recipient make any real effort to get a job, the welfare money was reduced, dollar for dollar. Unless a person got a high paying job, no one could possibly afford to work, particularly single mothers who are completely time consumed in raising their child, or children. How could they possibly even get back to school, training, or re-training if many teenage mothers even had any real educational background at all.
This began during the Sixties when Medicare was just beginning, and Medicaid barely existed. Should a young woman get married then money was again deducted or completely forfeited. Even living together with a male partner, forget about any LGBT arrangement, the same punitive rules were enacted. And these were the best times for welfare recipients.
This began during the Sixties when Medicare was just beginning, and Medicaid barely existed. Should a young woman get married then money was again deducted or completely forfeited. Even living together with a male partner, forget about any LGBT arrangement, the same punitive rules were enacted. And these were the best times for welfare recipients.
16
I am disappointed that your analysis did not dig deeper into the degree to which federal support for programs under the original welfare reform have been resourced and supported during the years since Clinton left office. My guess is that the Bush Administration was not committed to this effort, other than getting people off welfare, and into jobs which will allow them to live independently. The things you advocate are all good, but they won't come to pass without funding, and the Republicans are not likely to provide that since their ideology is that the reason these people are on welfare is because they are lazy crooks trying to live off taxpayer's money.
20
Exactly! And it would be very interesting to see what happened if those Republicans took a good, long look in a mirror to see the hypocrisy of supporting corporate welfare and denying support for the most vulnerable.
3
Kristof seems to be misrepresenting a very complex situation for political expediency. Stating "cash welfare" is dead does not square with the lines one (especially republicans) can see in poor areas of St. Louis, for example, at ATM machines at midnight when welfare recipient EBT cards are reloaded. As before the card, I understand that there's an underground economy surrounding these trade-able, "cashless" cards, and their cash is again often used to buy over-priced alcohol, cigarettes and extreme junk food (particularly for single guys who don't really have dependents.) In places like Ferguson, Jennings, Normandy, the kids are typically raised by their grandparents and aunts where then $125/month is spread VERY thin. In rural white areas of the state the situation is also dismal. The frequency of two-parent household's might be a little higher here, but the trends are similar. The 'trailer folks' do seem to be a little more amenable to progressive political ideology critical of capitalism/consumerism and more open to major, socioeconomic reform - possibly. because for them money is not a symbol of being free from slavery. What is needed, in my view, are jobs that pay enough for one parent to stay home and some sort of incentives for keeping couples with kids together. This is surely difficult after three plus generations of single (grand)parent households and multitudes of step-siblings. And these jobs should NOT be given to local alderman to dole out.
14
Mr. Kristof, I agree with what you write, but you are wrong again. Welfare reform was the right thing then. This thing were we all look back at the 90s and declare how things were so bad is a lie. Bill Clinton beat George Bush and we had our first Donkey president in over 12 years. Conservatives dominated and were on the rise. On the left, we had welfare queen and pimps taking advantage of a bad system and almost no idea of how to stop the GOP juggernaut. They key though, is that there was a booming economy, so there was no need for a government program to put people to work. It was the beginning of the Dot.com bubble and real estate was hot. Your suggestions are great but they are made with all of us looking backwards and learning. 20/20 hindsight does not make the decision wrong we made then. Our choices then were to cut the cash payments or leave them and the cycles of poverty they created in place. I was a black kid who grew up on welfare and I know it was progress that we ended the old system. The mean racist GOP does not like helping anyone not white and Christian. They are the real obstacle to us simply focusing on the problem of poverty in America. Better you take shots at the endemic white American racism that fosters sadistic government policies and their icons of hate and denial, beginning with Ronald Reagan.
10
A reasonably good job in retail, around here, yields about $10 an hour and 35 hours a week. That is about $18,000, and the hours will not be predictable.
Child care runs about $15,000, ending at 6 pm. You can see the problem, yes?
Child care solutions for the working poor must be cobbled out of opportunity: friends of friends who will look after a bunch of children, semi-legally, for cash. Environments which may or may not help a toddler learn language, prepare for school. An environment that might be fine, or might be parked in front of a TV all day. A job, after taxes, doesn't pay the child care bill, let alone rent, food, healthcare, transportation....
The cycle is vicious.
I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that our obsession with the Grasshopper and the Ant - our fear that all those grasshoppers will be lazy and want us ants to take care of them - is causing misery to people who cannot get ahead enough to figure out how to join the colony. And it is our nation's children that suffer for it.
Children should be the goal of our welfare system. "Suffer the little children, and let them come to me..." actually doesn't mean we should let them suffer. It means we should bring them forward, into daylight, and care for them and teach them, and let them grow to be good people.
Child care runs about $15,000, ending at 6 pm. You can see the problem, yes?
Child care solutions for the working poor must be cobbled out of opportunity: friends of friends who will look after a bunch of children, semi-legally, for cash. Environments which may or may not help a toddler learn language, prepare for school. An environment that might be fine, or might be parked in front of a TV all day. A job, after taxes, doesn't pay the child care bill, let alone rent, food, healthcare, transportation....
The cycle is vicious.
I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that our obsession with the Grasshopper and the Ant - our fear that all those grasshoppers will be lazy and want us ants to take care of them - is causing misery to people who cannot get ahead enough to figure out how to join the colony. And it is our nation's children that suffer for it.
Children should be the goal of our welfare system. "Suffer the little children, and let them come to me..." actually doesn't mean we should let them suffer. It means we should bring them forward, into daylight, and care for them and teach them, and let them grow to be good people.
72
Maybe avoiding having children should be the goal of the welfare system. As you point out, bottom tier earners cannot afford to be parents, and even with the forms of assistance we have today, both parents and children will struggle to succeed.
2
As you point out by visiting Oklahoma, the problem with welfare reform was the Republicans. The idea was to stop simply giving women money while leaving them trapped in depressing circumstances and instead pay for education, training, and the dignity of work. But the problem was that once the Republicans got President Clinton to agree to welfare "reform" they cut funding for the education and training programs. There is backup in states run by Democrats, but in sad Republican strongholds like Oklahoma, people are left to suffer pretty much on their own.
25
The old system was based on AFDC --aid to families with dependent children. The core payment was child based-- it was a monthly payment for each child of a family with no wage earner. The grant was diminished if a parent worked or if an unmarried woman married. Consequently women had many children and maintained the appearance of not having a husband and scrupulously avoided working because that was the only way to bring in enough monthly cash. The incentive structure was perverse. We should be very careful in restoring some kind of benefits if that becomes a possibility.
20
When I read stories like this I think to myself that I am so lucky I wasn't born in countries like Somalia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan or the USA. I, and my friends in Europe are astounded how the USA is so backwards in some respects.
The US is such a rich country and offers so much potential for it's citizens. However, if you're born to poor parents, have a below average IQ, or mental health issues, you are doomed to a life of struggle and heartbreak. And I mean real struggle.
I was gobsmacked to learn recently that the US has 22% of the worlds prison population and that people are locked up because they can't pay fines leading to even more poverty and crime. Throw in a glut of guns for good measure. These people a locked into a cycle of poverty, crime and joblessness and no-one seems to be able to connect the dots as to why.
Health care is exorbitantly expensive and even people on average incomes and insurance can be bankrupted by an illness.
It seems that American leaders govern for only some of the people and the rest are left to fend for themselves.
The US is such a rich country and offers so much potential for it's citizens. However, if you're born to poor parents, have a below average IQ, or mental health issues, you are doomed to a life of struggle and heartbreak. And I mean real struggle.
I was gobsmacked to learn recently that the US has 22% of the worlds prison population and that people are locked up because they can't pay fines leading to even more poverty and crime. Throw in a glut of guns for good measure. These people a locked into a cycle of poverty, crime and joblessness and no-one seems to be able to connect the dots as to why.
Health care is exorbitantly expensive and even people on average incomes and insurance can be bankrupted by an illness.
It seems that American leaders govern for only some of the people and the rest are left to fend for themselves.
163
Generalizing over many specific facets, European countries comparably wealthy to the USA, but with less extreme poverty, manage to mostly avoid it not through expensive and heavily abused welfare payments (although more money is provided in direct support to the poor than in America) but mainly by providing better public services in general: universal health care, affordable and effective public transit, quality education, and the lower crime rates that accompany this. It is a pity that Mr. Kristof was unable to open his eyes to which US presidential candidate this year was most squarely and convincingly advocating such common sense approaches. But, of course, such policies can be truly effective only with long term commitments, and not achieved once-and-for-all by one single election.
31
"universal health care, affordable and effective public transit, quality education, and the lower crime rates that accompany this."
Agreed. Those were the missing pieced of Clinton's reform, in addition to child care and affordable housing, that would have made his plan a success.
Agreed. Those were the missing pieced of Clinton's reform, in addition to child care and affordable housing, that would have made his plan a success.
2
I guess I have to read the book Kristof mentioned to get the facts and details. So much "information" on this is anecdotal and partisan that I really cannot get a true picture of the actual state of affairs. All I can say is that I do not feel the sadness and agony of people now that heard and felt before welfare reform.
4
good thoughtful column. Feeding the kids and exposing them to positive situations is a must. A child growing up surrounded by drug addicts and petty criminals has to be extremely strong to not fall into that pattern particularly with fewer jobs available. Birth control must be part of the solution and sex education. Support groups made up of child caregivers, parents and psychologists would also help, it helps in other areas and all drug addicts and former ones should attend drug addiction support programs to help them get off and stay off drugs and alcohol. It helps to talk to people going through the same thing whether it's child raising, drug addiction or a medical illness. All people need meaning in their lives; giving them that opportunity and support can only help.
14
I notice that all the "evidence" of the abuse of cash welfare is anecdotal - quotes from a couple of people in one town in the hellhole of Oklahoma. What about the statistics? How many people were on cash welfare in Oklahoma before "reform"? How many of those moved to work? How much did all this cost, compared to other state programs? Did the feds kick in some money to help with cash welfare? If so, how much?
I'm sorry, a few quotes from aspirant cash-welfare abusers is not convincing evidence for a widespread habit in the system. In any case, every government program is going to run into people who will game the system. This includes the Pentagon. But I don't hear calls to shut down the Pentagon.
That the richest country on the planet has millions of people earning $2 a day should be a matter of shame for all of us, a crisis in need of immediate fixing. But many, many millions of us have internalized the right-wing attitudes of selfishness and personal greed to such an extent that not only do we not care about the poor in our midst, we excoriate them as losers who deserve their fates.
A shining city on the hill, indeed.
I'm sorry, a few quotes from aspirant cash-welfare abusers is not convincing evidence for a widespread habit in the system. In any case, every government program is going to run into people who will game the system. This includes the Pentagon. But I don't hear calls to shut down the Pentagon.
That the richest country on the planet has millions of people earning $2 a day should be a matter of shame for all of us, a crisis in need of immediate fixing. But many, many millions of us have internalized the right-wing attitudes of selfishness and personal greed to such an extent that not only do we not care about the poor in our midst, we excoriate them as losers who deserve their fates.
A shining city on the hill, indeed.
47
Nicholas Kristof should be fired. Any property or assets he has should be stripped away. Nobody should hire him. Then after a few months he might have something useful to say about welfare. Visiting poverty for a few hours doesn't give one any deep insights. Being dead broke, and dependent on the inadequate and complex social services mechanisms the US provides, for a year or two might just evoke some genuine understanding.
31
Welfare benefits could be made much more generous, but only if long-lasting birth control is mandated and unskilled immigration is stopped. Otherwise, a small population of US taxpayers will end up paying for a rapidly growing American underclass (which already grew sharply from the 1960's to the 1990's) plus a big share of Latin America's poor, who have now learned to make use of immigration deferrals, working under the table, collecting earned-income tax credits and child tax credits, and other ways to siphon benefits out of the tax system. Their numbers will grow explosively once they get a path to citizenship, and can import non-English-speaking relatives from their rural villages.
In the meantime, children should be fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner at school. (Many Title I schools already provide most of their children's food needs at school.)
In the meantime, children should be fed breakfast, lunch, and dinner at school. (Many Title I schools already provide most of their children's food needs at school.)
24
You say schools should provide breakfast, lunch and dinner. I agree. But what happens when school is out and on the weekends? N
The military should be given a war they can actually win. Specifically, they should be tasked to give every poor small child in America a good breakfast, nursing or medical care, and Head Start type pre-schooling.
This would actually do more good than killing millions of foreigners who may not like us but do not do us much harm. Foreign terrorists have killed fewer than five thousand people in America since 2001. But poverty and indifference have killed millions of American children.
And the American military has been deceived into collaborating in the murder of millions of people in foreign lands who have not harmed us. Let's give them a job they can succeed at. American kids all need good food, good schools, and good health care. That is a better use of our military budget.
To see what else is needed go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 min 9 sec) Thanks! [email protected]
This would actually do more good than killing millions of foreigners who may not like us but do not do us much harm. Foreign terrorists have killed fewer than five thousand people in America since 2001. But poverty and indifference have killed millions of American children.
And the American military has been deceived into collaborating in the murder of millions of people in foreign lands who have not harmed us. Let's give them a job they can succeed at. American kids all need good food, good schools, and good health care. That is a better use of our military budget.
To see what else is needed go to YouTube and watch Comedy Party Platform (2 min 9 sec) Thanks! [email protected]
22
Bill Benton : Brilliant comment, I salute you wholeheartedly. Further your invaluable suggestion should be globally implemented. You have made my day, thanks for the same.
Another biggest advantage is that it saves precious lives of soldiers, provides immense happiness to them in serving people and their family members have nothing to fear about their lives. Whatever minor hurdles they might come across, they are quite capable of handling the same and there will be no more psychiatric disorders and heartbreaks for their family members. It's a win win situation and the money so saved by not going to war can be used for the betterment of poor, simply great.
Another biggest advantage is that it saves precious lives of soldiers, provides immense happiness to them in serving people and their family members have nothing to fear about their lives. Whatever minor hurdles they might come across, they are quite capable of handling the same and there will be no more psychiatric disorders and heartbreaks for their family members. It's a win win situation and the money so saved by not going to war can be used for the betterment of poor, simply great.
1
The American military has murdered 'millions'? I agree the welfare system needs reform but how then do we jump to hyperbole about our military? Let's try to color somewhat within the lines.
The old Welfare system didn't work; the revised system doesn't work. No Welfare system will work until those who can physically and mentally work do so. Their children should receive day care, food and clothing allowances by voucher at specially supervised outlets so that no one will 'cash out" benefits. Family benefits should have a maximum no matter the number of family members and should include both the mother and father. People in the working segment of society only produce those children that they can support; there is no reason that Welfare recipients should produce as many children as they want so as to benefit from the largesse of society.
There are those who cannot work. If a panel of professionals consisting of Medical, Social and Psychological professionals agree, then he/ she must be taken care of in a respectful way. Drug addiction should be treated by detoxification. If it doesn't succeed, there is no reason to give this person cash in the welfare track.
There are those who cannot work. If a panel of professionals consisting of Medical, Social and Psychological professionals agree, then he/ she must be taken care of in a respectful way. Drug addiction should be treated by detoxification. If it doesn't succeed, there is no reason to give this person cash in the welfare track.
17
Funny thing here Dr. Sam. This neat, fixed, and regimented set of rules hasn't ever worked here in the USA or anywhere for that matter. How many countries that have respectful social safety net programs do we hear a lot about abuses? None! The way a nation organizes its minimum standards of living is generally how the whole society functions. Treating people differently, with strict guidelines that force people to be identified as poor and receiving government assistance creates a divisive class system of social conflicts. Very self defeating and more violent with higher crime rates. Allowing people the dignity of anonymity in the general Inclusive model creates a heathier, wealthier, and mutually respectful society. Less violence, less crime, always leads to greater dignity for all.
You try taking vouchers to a government outlet store and watch how fast you lose your self esteem. We all need to change our thinking, count our own blessings and know that everyone wants way more than mere existence.
You try taking vouchers to a government outlet store and watch how fast you lose your self esteem. We all need to change our thinking, count our own blessings and know that everyone wants way more than mere existence.
7
Actually we have a system like Dr. Sam described. What is needed is a social worker. Unfortunately, Hailey's grandma does not have the wherewithal to have her evaluated under IDEA by the local school district, where Hailey will attend and where she will be eligible for Chapter 1 Education Act benefits. Given her family history, she also should be evaluated for SSI. SSI and SSA/disability benefits have a family maximum cap on benefits, just like Dr. Sam suggests.
Grandma may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation, and may be eligible to be placed in pay status while she is in the program. If she is actually too sick to work, she may be eligible for SSI, which is really welfare for sick people.
It is true that welfare is dead unless the client has a Philadelphia lawyer to navigate the system.
Grandma may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation, and may be eligible to be placed in pay status while she is in the program. If she is actually too sick to work, she may be eligible for SSI, which is really welfare for sick people.
It is true that welfare is dead unless the client has a Philadelphia lawyer to navigate the system.
2
In the modern economy, there are many more unskilled laborers than jobs for unskilled laborers, and because of that, the jobs that exist pay little. The unemployment rate is truly higher than the official one, because so many people have given up, or are being forced to work part-time or are unederemployed. In this market, what possible "jobs program" would help substantial number of poor unemployed, almost all of whom are unskilled, get well-paying jobs?
14
Welfare is all good but it needs to be a transitory measure, a safety net for people caught in a bad time while they look for a job. Welfare should not become a permanent state of life for any able-bodied person.
And in a large country such as the USA, with crumbling infrastructure and a desperate need for rebuilding from the inside, what is needed is a government-sponsored jobs program, to put people back to work, make them productive members of society, help them get their self-respect back again.
And of course people in difficult situations like the single mums described here will need free pre-school child care, flexible hours, guaranteed parental leave and free health care.
Expensive, you might think. But as this country debates whether to develop a new generation of useless and pointless long-range nuclear weapons at a cost of several tens of billions of dollars, I would say that it's about time we started spending that money on our own citizens and on the future of our society. We can afford it.
And in a large country such as the USA, with crumbling infrastructure and a desperate need for rebuilding from the inside, what is needed is a government-sponsored jobs program, to put people back to work, make them productive members of society, help them get their self-respect back again.
And of course people in difficult situations like the single mums described here will need free pre-school child care, flexible hours, guaranteed parental leave and free health care.
Expensive, you might think. But as this country debates whether to develop a new generation of useless and pointless long-range nuclear weapons at a cost of several tens of billions of dollars, I would say that it's about time we started spending that money on our own citizens and on the future of our society. We can afford it.
20
I agree, but I do not think time limits are necessary.
There simply needs to be enough 'better options' so that being on welfare for a long time is simply not your only option.
In the past, the cost of childcare and medical insurance kept many women stuck on welfare, on medicaid, and in poverty.
If they got a job, the cost of childcare and medical bills and health insurance would take up their whole paycheck and they would have nothing left to live on and would end up worse off - no money left over for rent or food.
If the option for free childcare exists as well as expanded medicaid (like in the ACA or expanded further) then there is nothing to hold them back if they are able to work and if they do not have a disabled kid at home or a disabled elderly parent, etc.
So, going to work should be a choice, but at least this way, it would actually be an option, they would not be stuck in poverty, and would have a way to better their lives.
There simply needs to be enough 'better options' so that being on welfare for a long time is simply not your only option.
In the past, the cost of childcare and medical insurance kept many women stuck on welfare, on medicaid, and in poverty.
If they got a job, the cost of childcare and medical bills and health insurance would take up their whole paycheck and they would have nothing left to live on and would end up worse off - no money left over for rent or food.
If the option for free childcare exists as well as expanded medicaid (like in the ACA or expanded further) then there is nothing to hold them back if they are able to work and if they do not have a disabled kid at home or a disabled elderly parent, etc.
So, going to work should be a choice, but at least this way, it would actually be an option, they would not be stuck in poverty, and would have a way to better their lives.
11
I agree with much of what you say, particularly that government sponsored schemes to repair crumbling infrastructure, plant forests, recycle rubbish and beautify the landscape are the fastest ways to get willing workers back to work. But by the time a country has intergenerational unemployment, and both your country and mine do, providing jobs is no longer enough. We need large scale social programmes to teach those who have never worked, how to work. Also, those responsible for the sole care of children should not be expected to work. Sure, put those who should be on depo contraception, give those who need it literacy courses etc, but finance them to raise their children. There is also the issue of women's liberation which did some good things, also some that were very bad. There is now an expectation that both parents work and a whole consumer society has been built around it.
Probably 75% of society's present ills would disappear if two parent families became one worker families or half time worker couples and their children were given appropriate supervision by the freed up parent. Available employment would jump upwards immediately. And for those who believe in "trickle down" effects, older people (50+) could be paid to retire so others could be promoted to fill their positions. With increasing mechanisations, unemployment can only get worse, so serious planning about wealth redistribution is needed NOW.
Probably 75% of society's present ills would disappear if two parent families became one worker families or half time worker couples and their children were given appropriate supervision by the freed up parent. Available employment would jump upwards immediately. And for those who believe in "trickle down" effects, older people (50+) could be paid to retire so others could be promoted to fill their positions. With increasing mechanisations, unemployment can only get worse, so serious planning about wealth redistribution is needed NOW.
7
In reply to Andy -- This could happen -- but only when Democrats hold a majority in House, Senate and Supreme Court. Having Bernie Sanders as President would have been a start.
2
From what I remember, there were good and bad things about the reform.
The good things were that childcare was paid for in the welfare to work programs so that moms could work and look for work (the cost of childcare was as expensive as welfare but conservatives were happy and did not seem to notice) and for some moms they now had a way to work since childcare would have taken up most if not all of a paycheck and going to work would have been impossible prior to the reform.
Poverty for children under 6 actually plummeted under Clinton after the reform while the economy was doing well. It dropped from about 25.6% to levels not seen since the Carter admin 17.8%.
https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/historical/people.html
Even by 2007, under Bush, child poverty was still 5% less than before the reform at 20.8%.
Until the collapse of the economy.
The problem was that when the economy tanked there was no safety net for that scenario. Welfare to work programs only work when there are jobs and state funds. Childcare funding was often cut or eliminated in the recession.
The other problem was time limits and lowed cash amounts. In AZ, for a mom and 1 kid, the max is now less than $200 a month. Considering long wait lists for subsidized housing and the fact that rent for a dump is more than 3X that amount, well that is why you see moms in parking lots of hotels with kids and blankets in the back seat. Shelters help, for a time, but why should they become homeless?
The good things were that childcare was paid for in the welfare to work programs so that moms could work and look for work (the cost of childcare was as expensive as welfare but conservatives were happy and did not seem to notice) and for some moms they now had a way to work since childcare would have taken up most if not all of a paycheck and going to work would have been impossible prior to the reform.
Poverty for children under 6 actually plummeted under Clinton after the reform while the economy was doing well. It dropped from about 25.6% to levels not seen since the Carter admin 17.8%.
https://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/historical/people.html
Even by 2007, under Bush, child poverty was still 5% less than before the reform at 20.8%.
Until the collapse of the economy.
The problem was that when the economy tanked there was no safety net for that scenario. Welfare to work programs only work when there are jobs and state funds. Childcare funding was often cut or eliminated in the recession.
The other problem was time limits and lowed cash amounts. In AZ, for a mom and 1 kid, the max is now less than $200 a month. Considering long wait lists for subsidized housing and the fact that rent for a dump is more than 3X that amount, well that is why you see moms in parking lots of hotels with kids and blankets in the back seat. Shelters help, for a time, but why should they become homeless?
12
Bill Clinton's touted by his wife, joined by some of her co-conspiratorial supporters, as the brains behind the economic prosperity during his administration. But the Clinton prosperity never reached most of the poor. Yet former First Lady Mrs. Clinton promises to restore that kind of inequality by restoring both Bill and his economy if we're such fools as to elect her President. More such Clinton welfare reforms and our streets will resemble India's, with more beggars, poor families,and street vendors living at subsistence levels. Productive people are seldom frozen in.poverty and unhealthy lifestyles.
9
Tax payer money would be better spent on cultural and spiritual education for Hailey's generation of kids so that maybe they can escape the cycle of nihilism and self pitying indulgence of the two generations before her. They don't need cash handouts, they need a crash course in avoiding short term gratification and humanistic values focused on resilience and empathy. Mr Kristof, with all due respect to you, engaging in stereotypical bleeding heart liberal knee jerk response to a very complex issue would be just as much a mistake as your original support for welfare reform. The cultural and social decline aspect of the recent rise in drug addictions and suicides among the whites in America cannot be ignored while attempting to find solutions.
7
“Rich people are motivated by getting still more money. Poor and sick people are motivated by getting still less money.”
This conservative idea is not unique to USA and the Republicans. But you have to be a conservative to understand the logic.
Welfare programs can work. Easily. They just have to be designed the right way. Perhaps they should be designed by the people who need the welfare and not by the people who are going to provide the welfare. - Rich people really don’t know the problems that poor people have. (Yes, yes. I know. There has to be some upper limit to social welfare programs. But also these limits need to be set in an intelligent way.)
Perhaps your next trip ought to go to one of the Scandinavian countries. Here you can see programmes that actually work. And health care programs that don’t ruin either people or the country. Free medical care from doctors and hospitals to everybody for about 50 percent of US cost per capita.
I think that you will return from the trip with the feeling that welfare reform can work.
This conservative idea is not unique to USA and the Republicans. But you have to be a conservative to understand the logic.
Welfare programs can work. Easily. They just have to be designed the right way. Perhaps they should be designed by the people who need the welfare and not by the people who are going to provide the welfare. - Rich people really don’t know the problems that poor people have. (Yes, yes. I know. There has to be some upper limit to social welfare programs. But also these limits need to be set in an intelligent way.)
Perhaps your next trip ought to go to one of the Scandinavian countries. Here you can see programmes that actually work. And health care programs that don’t ruin either people or the country. Free medical care from doctors and hospitals to everybody for about 50 percent of US cost per capita.
I think that you will return from the trip with the feeling that welfare reform can work.
20
Torben, you make some good points, but I question the premise that Scandinavian socialism can translate to the US. These countries, until recently, have been much more homogenous than the US; homogeneity makes it easier for people to share with others they perceive are like themselves. And from what little I know about Scandinavian culture, people take the responsibilities of life pretty seriously, and do not tolerate slackers or foolishness. In the US, at least in some factions, mores about responsiblity and norms are seen as oppressive.
2
There is no such thing as free medical care or free anything. Someone is paying for it.
1
I admire your editorial, but you are still wrong.
Destroying Welfare destroyed families. Women and their children were separated as the women were forced to go to work.
The most important, impressionable and formative years of those children were replaced with child care away from their nurturing mothers. Families were destroyed by the Republicans who initiated the end of welfare and now they claim to be the great heroes of families.
Was the dependence so widespread that the entire program had to be destroyed? I don't think so.
Now the kids go to jail while the mothers work costing the government even more than had they kept the families together.
And what is the new idea? Expanding child care.
Whatever happened to the idea of a mother caring for and teaching a child? I guess single mothers don't count.
Bill Clinton was raised by a single mother. He should have known better.
Destroying Welfare destroyed families. Women and their children were separated as the women were forced to go to work.
The most important, impressionable and formative years of those children were replaced with child care away from their nurturing mothers. Families were destroyed by the Republicans who initiated the end of welfare and now they claim to be the great heroes of families.
Was the dependence so widespread that the entire program had to be destroyed? I don't think so.
Now the kids go to jail while the mothers work costing the government even more than had they kept the families together.
And what is the new idea? Expanding child care.
Whatever happened to the idea of a mother caring for and teaching a child? I guess single mothers don't count.
Bill Clinton was raised by a single mother. He should have known better.
24
"Pro-life" are we? Except not the actual living. "Trickle down economics"; "wealth creators", "government is the problem". Rank hypocrisy top to bottom. Vote these people out - they're destroying our country. Make America great again and vote for humanity and opportunity. Taxes on the rich, health care, gun control, a fair deal from banks. Gosh, wouldn't that all be nice. And the US could then resume its place among civilised nations.
54
Many poor mothers do not apply for food aid that may put them on Child Protective Services radar. Often there is domestic violence at home and fear of losing the children trumps all else. With blue collar jobs scarce and poor people isolated from mainstream opportunities, school becomes the center of support for our Haileys.
17
Critics such as William Julius Wilson warned at the time that Clinton signed welfare reform into law that it would fail if the US ever underwent a sustained economic downturn. Moreover, the program lacked a mechanism for providing public service jobs in the event that the private sector could not provide employment for welfare recipients. The critics were right. The proponents were over optimistic. It's absurd to require people to have a job if no appropriate job is available.
67
Who determines what an appropriate job is?
It is ironic that we have ostracized the act of receiving welfare with people electing to hang on to pride while children go hungry while at the same time we allow corporate welfare through tax credits, subsidies, tax evasion, corporate grants, etc. The rich and powerful have achieved the delusion of the masses with the poor being the scapegoat while they enjoy lavish and rich lifestyles at the expense of the poor and middle class. We are truly in a bad place as it relates to our treatment of the poor and especially children growing up in poverty. We removed the safetynet for the poor while we strengthened the safetynet for the rich. God must be so pleased with our nation.
101
I would have been much more impressed if you had chosen a student from an affordable Community College.
14
No, a community college student most likely could quote chapter and verse about serious financial struggles. It's good to take a person from an elite college who may not have had any kind of exposure to extreme financial insolvency.
It maybe should be a require college course.
It maybe should be a require college course.
12
Hi Janice,
I have to agree with the previous poster. Underprivileged Americans already know what's it's like to start life with less. It would be a wonderful thing for all high school graduates, particularly those from affluent backgrounds who have a greater chance of being represented by the federal government that their parents love to demonize, to visit other countries and live among those that will never ever have the opportunities that affluent people have. It's easy to see extreme poverty from a distance and look away. My life has been changed forever by living from day to day constantly seeing people live in extreme poverty. That the United States has so many children living in extreme poverty speaks volumes about the character it's citizens.
I have to agree with the previous poster. Underprivileged Americans already know what's it's like to start life with less. It would be a wonderful thing for all high school graduates, particularly those from affluent backgrounds who have a greater chance of being represented by the federal government that their parents love to demonize, to visit other countries and live among those that will never ever have the opportunities that affluent people have. It's easy to see extreme poverty from a distance and look away. My life has been changed forever by living from day to day constantly seeing people live in extreme poverty. That the United States has so many children living in extreme poverty speaks volumes about the character it's citizens.
4
I am amazed at how many people on the right still cling to the notion that one can get generous cash assistance, free public housing, food assistance and medical care with no effort and thereby match the living standards of middle class Americans. I find this resentment voiced in sentiments on social media and in private discourse. People really believe that you can have a decent standard of life by what they perceive as cheating the system. Life is hard, hard, hard for those forced by whatever circumstance to subsist on public assistance. Those complaining about so-called welfare cheats really have no idea what life is like for those on public assistance.
183
Middle class people have no idea how difficult it is to apply for and get benefits.
I know because even though I had a brilliant education: a Phi Beta Kappa key and thirty credits past my M.Ed. I got very sick and had to apply for benefits.
I couldn't believe how difficult the paperwork was and how easy it is to lose a benefit. I'm reapplying for one now because I failed to send in some forms I never got. I'll be out a big chunk of my income (I'm at the national poverty level) until it's corrected.
I also had to take on my health insurance carrier this year when they dropped two important meds. I felt like a general going into battle; I spent ten weeks exploring every venue. I did finally get the meds but by now I know what resources there are to help.
My Haitian home health aide, after listening to me on the phone nonstop,who is a citizen and has been in this country forty years said she wouldn't have the language skills.
I can't imagine someone with no resources or education getting benefits even if they are available. This is harder than the job I had teaching children with severe learning problems.
I know because even though I had a brilliant education: a Phi Beta Kappa key and thirty credits past my M.Ed. I got very sick and had to apply for benefits.
I couldn't believe how difficult the paperwork was and how easy it is to lose a benefit. I'm reapplying for one now because I failed to send in some forms I never got. I'll be out a big chunk of my income (I'm at the national poverty level) until it's corrected.
I also had to take on my health insurance carrier this year when they dropped two important meds. I felt like a general going into battle; I spent ten weeks exploring every venue. I did finally get the meds but by now I know what resources there are to help.
My Haitian home health aide, after listening to me on the phone nonstop,who is a citizen and has been in this country forty years said she wouldn't have the language skills.
I can't imagine someone with no resources or education getting benefits even if they are available. This is harder than the job I had teaching children with severe learning problems.
24
The richest nation on Earth should not allow hunger. There should be a two tier response: basic subsistence guarantee, and better pay for community focused work programs. Turn the parks into farms, repair the houses, build the playgrounds.
28
As someone who worked with TANF intimately I saw its rise and failure. The idea of replacing work with automatic payments was a worthy goal, but from the beginning TANF was underfunded and poorly planned. Those on AFDC who had been out of the work force sometimes for generations needed training not only in skills but how to hold a job, find one or in basic living.. They needed child care and support for transportation to jobs out of their area. Employers needed incentives to hire them and assistance with mentoring these new workers. When the strict rules were applied many lost not only money, but medical assistance for themselves and their children.
The new TANF regulations mandated more social workers and money to heolp with these needs but the money never came to fulfill these mandates. For instance a social worker should have been assigned to help in the process for each of forty clients, but often more than 600 clients would be assigned to one worker. Transportation or child care funds never appeared. So these former recipients were left dangling in the wind. A few have done quite well and have lifted themselves out of poverty, but the vast majority with their millions of children have sunk deeper into the abyss. The way we treat our struggling poor disqualifies us as a civilized society and our law makers still brag about how they have done this. That the poor are out of sight does not mean that they do not exist.
The new TANF regulations mandated more social workers and money to heolp with these needs but the money never came to fulfill these mandates. For instance a social worker should have been assigned to help in the process for each of forty clients, but often more than 600 clients would be assigned to one worker. Transportation or child care funds never appeared. So these former recipients were left dangling in the wind. A few have done quite well and have lifted themselves out of poverty, but the vast majority with their millions of children have sunk deeper into the abyss. The way we treat our struggling poor disqualifies us as a civilized society and our law makers still brag about how they have done this. That the poor are out of sight does not mean that they do not exist.
153
Such a bitter irony that so many millions of blacks actually rewarded the bloody Clintons with their primary votes, and treated Bernie as some sort of "whitey" from Vermont when, in fact, Bill Clinton hurt poor blacks out of selfish political expediency in the Nineties as much as Reagan did In the Eighties. As Ben Jealous and Bernie's other savvy, disinterested black supporters tried to get through to the deluded black worshippers of the Clintons, Bernie was their real friend, not the Clintons who've simply conned the blacks by getting hack black officials and clergy behind them. Tom Frank's next book needs to be What's Wrong With Blacks? since Goldman Sachs was as easily able to con them with cries of "racism" into voting against their own economic self-interest as the Kochs have always been able to con clueless whites in Kansas into doing the same with wedge issues of the right.
40
What exactly has Bernie done for anyone but talk?
26
N B,
I remember going to Vermont every summer, I remember the poverty. I remember even as a six year old the many Vermont adults who were not a peer group because they could hardly read or write.
I still spend much time in Vermont. No one would now call it Mississippi North. Its young people are the healthiest and best educated in the nation. Bernie Sanders did not do it alone but I would say Bernie and his peers did a great deal.
What did the Clintons do for Arkansas?
I remember going to Vermont every summer, I remember the poverty. I remember even as a six year old the many Vermont adults who were not a peer group because they could hardly read or write.
I still spend much time in Vermont. No one would now call it Mississippi North. Its young people are the healthiest and best educated in the nation. Bernie Sanders did not do it alone but I would say Bernie and his peers did a great deal.
What did the Clintons do for Arkansas?
16
NB,
Here are just a few of the Amend. King.
Nov. '01 expansion of funds for community health centers, which provide some free services. But Sanders was able to win a $100 million increase in funding with an amendment.
Jul. '01 A Sanders amendment to the general appropriations bill prohibited the importation of goods made with child labor.
Sep. '04 $22 million increase for the low-income home energy assistance program increasing funding for the poor.
Oct. '07 $10 million for operation and maintenance of the Army National Guard, which had been stretched thin and overextended by the war in Iraq.
Feb. '09 amendment required the banking bailout to utilize stricter H-1B hiring standards to ensure bailout funds weren't used to displace American workers.
Amend. in ACA won enough funding for free health treatment for 10 million Americans through Community Health Centers.
It's easy for the establishment media and politicians to make the assumption that Bernie Sanders is not an effective lawmaker or executive. He has strong convictions and he stands by them, and we're often told that makes one a gadfly—someone who is out to make a point rather than make an actual change. But with Sanders we have the fusion of strong principles and the ability to forge odd bedfellow coalitions that accomplish historic things, like the audit of the Federal Reserve or the rejuvenation of Burlington that has served as a model for cities around the country. “Don't underestimate me,” Sanders says.
Here are just a few of the Amend. King.
Nov. '01 expansion of funds for community health centers, which provide some free services. But Sanders was able to win a $100 million increase in funding with an amendment.
Jul. '01 A Sanders amendment to the general appropriations bill prohibited the importation of goods made with child labor.
Sep. '04 $22 million increase for the low-income home energy assistance program increasing funding for the poor.
Oct. '07 $10 million for operation and maintenance of the Army National Guard, which had been stretched thin and overextended by the war in Iraq.
Feb. '09 amendment required the banking bailout to utilize stricter H-1B hiring standards to ensure bailout funds weren't used to displace American workers.
Amend. in ACA won enough funding for free health treatment for 10 million Americans through Community Health Centers.
It's easy for the establishment media and politicians to make the assumption that Bernie Sanders is not an effective lawmaker or executive. He has strong convictions and he stands by them, and we're often told that makes one a gadfly—someone who is out to make a point rather than make an actual change. But with Sanders we have the fusion of strong principles and the ability to forge odd bedfellow coalitions that accomplish historic things, like the audit of the Federal Reserve or the rejuvenation of Burlington that has served as a model for cities around the country. “Don't underestimate me,” Sanders says.
9
"Rather, let’s build new programs targeting children in particular and drawing from the growing base of evidence of what works...That starts with free long-acting birth control for young women who want it (70 percent of pregnancies among young single women are unplanned). Follow that with high-quality early-childhood programs and prekindergarten, drug treatment, parenting coaching and financial literacy training, and a much greater emphasis on jobs programs to usher the poor into the labor force and bring them income.
OK, that's certainly fine...and yes, the Republicans have done much harm in making "workfare" work, but it remains and needs to remain a fact that people who have children who cannot afford to are going to have the miserable lives that they deserve...Don't Do It!!!
OK, that's certainly fine...and yes, the Republicans have done much harm in making "workfare" work, but it remains and needs to remain a fact that people who have children who cannot afford to are going to have the miserable lives that they deserve...Don't Do It!!!
6
"Don't do it" sounds simple enough on the surface, and it only seems like common sense that if you can't afford to have a child, you should not have one. But what about the children born into these situations? Certainly, they are innocent and don't deserve miserable lives. We desperately need programs to prevent unplanned pregnancies and support children born into poverty. Pretending not to see these children from the relative safety and security of middle-class America isn't working, and frankly, is something all of us living in the U.S. should be ashamed of.
In spite of former President Clinton's history with welfare reform (and I wouldn't be surprised if he harbored feelings similar to Mr. Kristof's) I am hopeful that if elected, Sec. Clinton, who does have a history of child advocacy, will press for evidence-based policies and solutions to address the needs of these kids.
In spite of former President Clinton's history with welfare reform (and I wouldn't be surprised if he harbored feelings similar to Mr. Kristof's) I am hopeful that if elected, Sec. Clinton, who does have a history of child advocacy, will press for evidence-based policies and solutions to address the needs of these kids.
24
That is hardly the fault of the children of poor adults. When you punish their parents by forcing them "to have the miserable lives that they deserve" you also punish the innocent during their childhood, stunt their development and preparation for adulthood, and foredoom many of them to perpetuate the cycle of poverty as adults. Of course, that will allow you continue to condemn future generations for their social inadequacies rather than examining and reforming your own.
41
". . . people who have children who cannot afford to are going to have the miserable lives that they deserve...Don't Do It!!!"
We can agree to disagree about what parents living in poverty do or do not deserve, but I think we can all agree that children don't choose the circumstances in which they are born. This very wealthy country could certainly do better by them, even if it means foregoing a few fighter jets or an aircraft carrier or two.
We can agree to disagree about what parents living in poverty do or do not deserve, but I think we can all agree that children don't choose the circumstances in which they are born. This very wealthy country could certainly do better by them, even if it means foregoing a few fighter jets or an aircraft carrier or two.
2
Once again, Nicholas Kristof has written a very compelling, well-reasoned column about people in dire need. There probably are people out there who are not convinced that a workable welfare system is possible, and there are also Americans who simply don’t care if their fellow citizens are suffering.
There is not much we can do about Americans with hearts of stone, but we ought to be able to muster support among Americans who are discouraged about finding welfare programs in which the recipients cannot abuse the program, and the program cannot abuse people who honestly need help.
The next assignment for Mr. Kristof is to write a series of columns with ideas of how we can exert political pressure on legislators at the state and federal levels to create and fund an effective welfare system.
There is not much we can do about Americans with hearts of stone, but we ought to be able to muster support among Americans who are discouraged about finding welfare programs in which the recipients cannot abuse the program, and the program cannot abuse people who honestly need help.
The next assignment for Mr. Kristof is to write a series of columns with ideas of how we can exert political pressure on legislators at the state and federal levels to create and fund an effective welfare system.
17
Focusing on helping children is great, but as you make clear, anyone who is working to raise a child, even if not doing a great job, should have enough support to stay in the game and in most cases do a better job. The problem with the "dependency" argument is that it overlooks how many supposedly successful, affluent people are dependent on government support through subsidies and expenditures that are of no social benefit -- tax exemptions for the powerful, contracts for arms even the Pentagon doesn't want (and some the do), and so on.
41
"Cash welfare is essentially dead." Absolutely incorrect. Not with industries like Big Oil, Big Pharma and Big Defense receiving wasteful government subsidies. And not with corporate CEOs, banking executives and hedge-fund managers taking advantage of ridiculously low rates of taxation arranged on their behalf by the politicians they've managed to purchase. Let the rich take care of the poor (unless they prefer to hire them!) and the middle-class take care of themselves.
124
Government work program will provide a work ethic, training, experience and self-esteem that can be useful towards future private sector employment search. The unemployed would certainly do more for our country than the do nothing politicians who are the real freeloaders of this country.
As for the children - if as a society we do not know what to do - then this country should be exceptionally ashamed of itself.
As for the children - if as a society we do not know what to do - then this country should be exceptionally ashamed of itself.
15
Any jobs program will have limited success unless it also addresses transportation obstacles. We feel this acutely here in Detroit, where sky high auto insurance rates force most of the residents to rely on inadequate public transportation, resulting in the 3- or 4-hour one-way commute times that another commenter mentioned.
64
I don't think you were necessarily wrong, Mr Kristof. Rather, it was not the end point of any reforms but a beginning, like Obamacare.
Any large initiatives require tweaking and enhancements such as builtin flexibility. And they should be data dependent.
In a way, that makes them difficult government bureaucracy can be maidenly slow. Government should factor in management techniques like Agile and 6-Sigma methodologies. With a dose of humanity. After all, what is missing in your title is the word 'Social' before 'Welfare Reform.'
The world is not binary. 0 or 1. Rather, it is a continuum. And a social welfare reform should behave the same way
Any large initiatives require tweaking and enhancements such as builtin flexibility. And they should be data dependent.
In a way, that makes them difficult government bureaucracy can be maidenly slow. Government should factor in management techniques like Agile and 6-Sigma methodologies. With a dose of humanity. After all, what is missing in your title is the word 'Social' before 'Welfare Reform.'
The world is not binary. 0 or 1. Rather, it is a continuum. And a social welfare reform should behave the same way
10
I think by far one of the most important needs for those getting back on their feet is childcare. Quality childcare costs a poor person their whole salary so they skip it and put their children in dangerous places that cost less or are free. Then the children get caught up in the cycle of poor nurture. Then the childcare falls through for a few days and the parent looses that new job. We need a comprehensive public system of safe, good, free childcare for those who can show a letter of employment or enrollment in school. It would be better at supporting families than many other forms of aid and could be an easy place to distribute food by feeding the kids instead of programs such as WIC (awesome idea but its cumbersome registration process is murder on jobs).
33
Welfare was not a wreck. Welfare was wrecked. There used to be programs helping people find work, try work, in like unpaid internships that were supportive and encouraging, with daycare provided. That switched to programs with a punitive, discouraging tone. I know of many persons, mainly women, who worked their way in to self-sustaining jobs and into healthy loving relationships. The 1996 welfare ended those programs. And the demographic of women formerly on welfare became the women most likely to have abortions.
19
If they could get the abortions. In Texas thousands will be born into abject poverty thanks to oppressive ant abortion laws. Pro life is so naive.
36
In the '60s & '70s welfare enabled me the write - articles, short stories and even a book. Much of my work was published, but it was never enough to live on. Welfare enabled me to become involved in the anti-war movement and the women's liberation movement. It allowed me to take care of a son, who was very difficult, who no one but me was willing to care for during his early years. I started a co-operative nursery school, which continued to exist for the next 40 years as a day care center. I got off welfare when I began teaching in the public school system. When welfare 'reform' came, during the Clinton years, I knew it would end up being a disaster. The economy was good at the time, so many of those who were thrown off welfare were able to find some kind of work. But the nature of capitalism is constant economic change. So when the economy took a turn for the worse in 2008, there was no safety net for those who needed it - which continues to be the case today. My advise to anyone interested in improving the lives of others: Don't worry about their possible dependency. Some will use a cash allowance simply to take care of themselves and their children. Others will use it to live creatively or to contribute to the well-being of others.
22
Nicholas, I wish I could have spoken with you back then about the certain outcome of welfare reform. I also wish I could have spoken with you before you wrote this article. I have worked on poverty reduction for much of my career in developing countries, but also have had experience in the US. One of the most effective programs now being tried in a number of countries is direct cash transfers to the poorest in the community. I appreciate the concern about creating dependency on welfare in any form, and there is a lot to talk about there. But here is something else that has to be discussed. There are simply not enough jobs to go around for those who need them, and the jobs that do exist for the very poor do not pay enough to live on. In reality, there are few options. One as you point out is for government to simply create jobs in lieu of direct cash payments since the private sector will never employ most of the poor. Another is to simply ignore the program and let people suffer and survive with whatever help they can piece together. A third way is a guaranteed basic income so people can at least live decently. Our world is changing so rapidly with the pace of automation and intelligent machines, that even the highest educated among us will be struggling. What we are seeing is end state capitalism.
No one is willing to talk about this much yet, but soon will have to start discussing a new economic system to serve the needs of 7 billion souls.
No one is willing to talk about this much yet, but soon will have to start discussing a new economic system to serve the needs of 7 billion souls.
167
Bill Clinton’s welfare overhaul was needed. Families were remaining on welfare for generation after generation. For them, welfare had become a permanent way of life. There were plenty of jobs back then for unskilled and low skilled people. Corporate leaders felt civic-minded about offering jobs to welfare mothers. Most welfare mothers were able to find work.
Unfortunately, Bill Clinton also signed the Glass-Steagle Act and Free Trade pacts. Glass-Steagle had kept banks from making risky investment with money insured by the federal government. When Clinton threw out Glass-Steagle, he sowed the seeds of the Great Recession. While most middle and upper class jobs have returned since the Great Recession, many working class jobs have not. This is largely due to Free Trade pacts. Clinton let manufacturers move their plants to countries with cheaper labor and unenforced environmental laws, but still bring their finished goods back her to sell, without having to pay tariffs.
To make matters worse for the working class, college grads who could not find jobs that required bachelor’s degrees started taking the higher level working class jobs. And a flood of illegal immigrants compete with the working class for the lower level jobs, and this keeps wages low.
Unless we re-enact Glass-Steagle, re-design the Free Trade pacts, and stop illegal immigrants from taking work from our citizens and legal immigrants, the welfare program will again need an overhaul.
Unfortunately, Bill Clinton also signed the Glass-Steagle Act and Free Trade pacts. Glass-Steagle had kept banks from making risky investment with money insured by the federal government. When Clinton threw out Glass-Steagle, he sowed the seeds of the Great Recession. While most middle and upper class jobs have returned since the Great Recession, many working class jobs have not. This is largely due to Free Trade pacts. Clinton let manufacturers move their plants to countries with cheaper labor and unenforced environmental laws, but still bring their finished goods back her to sell, without having to pay tariffs.
To make matters worse for the working class, college grads who could not find jobs that required bachelor’s degrees started taking the higher level working class jobs. And a flood of illegal immigrants compete with the working class for the lower level jobs, and this keeps wages low.
Unless we re-enact Glass-Steagle, re-design the Free Trade pacts, and stop illegal immigrants from taking work from our citizens and legal immigrants, the welfare program will again need an overhaul.
20
We have too many low and unskilled workers for the number of blue-collar jobs in our country. Employers know they can get away with paying low wages and offer few, if any, benefits to attract many more applicants than they need.
Employers also know that their low-wage employees will get their incomes supplemented by the federal government. The I.R.S. tops off low wages with the Earned Income Tax Credit, a form of welfare for the working poor.
The problem for Ingraham is that she has to be receiving a salary to qualify for the E.I. T. C.
Employers also know that their low-wage employees will get their incomes supplemented by the federal government. The I.R.S. tops off low wages with the Earned Income Tax Credit, a form of welfare for the working poor.
The problem for Ingraham is that she has to be receiving a salary to qualify for the E.I. T. C.
2
At the time it was clear that the "reform" wouldn't work. There would come a time in which unemployment rose. There just would. There would come economic troubles and contraction; the nature of capitalism requires it. What goes up comes down, and it didn't take a genius to know it. And when unemployment rose, and jobs became scarce, welfare would be needed for those who were out of work. And that's not even considering the lack of provision of daycare which was always a glaring and stupid omission in consideration of pushing poor women into the job market. Finally, providing zero in the way of a safety net when--not if, but when--people's benefits expired and they could not cope further, created the tragedy we see now only beginning to unfold. The lack of vision for consequences has not been limited to this; the effects of the killing of pensions under Reagan is waiting in the wings, and it will be grim.
24
Everyone has a right to a living wage, decent job with childcare and other support services including training. Where the capitalist market economy does not provide this, government should intervene and do so, paid for by a progressive income tax. To the extent that someone can't work, or jobs are not available, a guaranteed income should be provided. This is easy to say but, given the moral/political beliefs of many of us, it will be hard to implement this. It will require that we come to believe, as most of the great religious leaders have taught us, that all people, especially the poorest and most vulnerable, are our brothers and sisters and should be treated as such with compassion.
56
So you read a timely book, interviewed a few families, some of whom admitted they would abuse a new "welfare" program, and now an expert, propose where you would "come down."
"Let's build new programs." Among them a "much greater emphasis on jobs programs. Well, I didn't read the book. Instead, in a career that included affordable housing programs and municipal government, I saw the limitations of these programs. They aren't new Mr. Kristof. In the 70's, there was the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, followed by the Job Training Partnership Act, then the Workforce Investment Act, followed by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 whose regulations are still being written.
Each program accomplished something, such as labor standards, establishing the rights of the disabled to work, job counseling, research and reporting, education. They failed at employment.
But from what I saw, Aid to Families with Dependent Children was a decent program but inadequately funded. A mom couldn't quite get through the month on it. She had to bring into her household a man to make up the difference, usually less than $300. And such men scattered about poor neighborhoods, caused problems within the household and outside it as well.
Most people were not on AFDC long and so I was cheered by the program's lifetime limit of 5 years. Yet that monthly sum was not raised.
Adequately fund a 5-year limited AFDC program and support Youthbuild programs throughout the nation.
"Let's build new programs." Among them a "much greater emphasis on jobs programs. Well, I didn't read the book. Instead, in a career that included affordable housing programs and municipal government, I saw the limitations of these programs. They aren't new Mr. Kristof. In the 70's, there was the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, followed by the Job Training Partnership Act, then the Workforce Investment Act, followed by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 whose regulations are still being written.
Each program accomplished something, such as labor standards, establishing the rights of the disabled to work, job counseling, research and reporting, education. They failed at employment.
But from what I saw, Aid to Families with Dependent Children was a decent program but inadequately funded. A mom couldn't quite get through the month on it. She had to bring into her household a man to make up the difference, usually less than $300. And such men scattered about poor neighborhoods, caused problems within the household and outside it as well.
Most people were not on AFDC long and so I was cheered by the program's lifetime limit of 5 years. Yet that monthly sum was not raised.
Adequately fund a 5-year limited AFDC program and support Youthbuild programs throughout the nation.
30
Without free and freely available contraception and family planning service, it is unlikely that a five year limited AFDC will ever be adequate. The innocent will still suffer from our collective indifference while we congratulate ourselves for the temporary bone we have thrown their parents.
7
There is no mention of mental health issues in this discussion. When I worked in homeless shelters in a major American city, they were full of the mentally ill, as are our prisons. Not only have we failed in our society to provide jobs, job training, birth control, and childcare, but we have abandoned providing support and treatment for our mentally ill and drug addicted.
We label the poor "the other," but in my experience, the only difference in the mentally ill, drug addicted, or slightly flawed or weak in our society is whether they come from monied families or not. I've grown up among rich families full of flawed members, and their families and inherited money keep them from desperation and deprivation. If you come from a family that is not rich, or not white, or not educated, and you are not totally disciplined, or you are depressed, or you succumb to drugs, there is no safety net of any kind.
Is this the community that we want to be?
We label the poor "the other," but in my experience, the only difference in the mentally ill, drug addicted, or slightly flawed or weak in our society is whether they come from monied families or not. I've grown up among rich families full of flawed members, and their families and inherited money keep them from desperation and deprivation. If you come from a family that is not rich, or not white, or not educated, and you are not totally disciplined, or you are depressed, or you succumb to drugs, there is no safety net of any kind.
Is this the community that we want to be?
57
In the 1950s, the US created a blue ribbon commission of experts on housing and services for the indigent. It concluded we could have a Marshall Plan for poverty in the US. The key was low cost high rise public housing that would concentrate the recipients so they could more efficiently receive all of the education and other support services.
The result was Cabrini Green and the other high rise ghettos. That are now on the way to being torn down. Some successes and some failures.
One lesson: you can't target the children without helping the families. The family is still the biggest influence on the child's life, by far.
Lesson Two: resources without discipline leads to gaming the system and excesses.
Lesson Three: The government pays a very high price per success.
Lesson Four: Our ideals ham string our efforts. This is an area where our ideals collide. For example, our idea to treat everyone equally collides with our ideal to not treat them the same. Or our ideal to reward individual success collides with group support for success.
The result was Cabrini Green and the other high rise ghettos. That are now on the way to being torn down. Some successes and some failures.
One lesson: you can't target the children without helping the families. The family is still the biggest influence on the child's life, by far.
Lesson Two: resources without discipline leads to gaming the system and excesses.
Lesson Three: The government pays a very high price per success.
Lesson Four: Our ideals ham string our efforts. This is an area where our ideals collide. For example, our idea to treat everyone equally collides with our ideal to not treat them the same. Or our ideal to reward individual success collides with group support for success.
6
You are right. You can't help the children without supporting the families - "the government pays a very high price for success." Yes, but what is the cost of failure? The cost of education is high, but what is the cost of ignorance? The cost of lead remediation in inner city and rural homes is high, but what is the cost of lead poisoning? The cost of economic segragation, concentrated poverty ..... is perpetuation. I have known people who have left "the projects" (including Cabrini Green) and done well, but not very many.
2
Exposing the tragedy of extreme poverty is essential of course, but doing something about it, especially if homeless, and on drugs; to begin with, how do we find them, avoid the abuses in 'safe' houses, and make available personnel to provide the assistance on a continuous basis, and make sure the rehab programs are up and working. An impossible task, given the obstructionism in congress for helping 'Romney's takers' (in truth, the takers seem those on Wall Street, with the loopholes to prove it). Poverty, violence, drugs, despair, are an awful combination to tackle. And yet, unavoidable, if we believe that a capitalistic society's 'chain' is only as strong as its weakest link. Do we?
8
There was another article in the Well today about food banks giving out healthier foods to clients. What I was most struck by was the client presented in the article was a full time employee of a Texas county. A county employee in Texas who worked full time had to resort to a food bank to feed herself and one teen daughter. That county's governing leadership should be ashamed at paying poverty wages for full time employees. Bernie is right, No One who works full time in America should be in poverty.
268
Nick, you've been wrong about a lot things. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Democratic left wing liberals believe the money never ends and everything under the sun should be taxed to death. Republican right wing extremists believe that government is too large and should be starved to death (ala Ronald Reagan) and also that people in poverty and on welfare are the cause of their own misery.
You Mr. Kristof bought in to both arguments with great zeal.
People, millions of them in the U.S. are living in poverty, despair and hopelessness. Much of it was caused by the trade agreements signed by Bill Clinton. Manufacturing, research and development of new technology marched overseas. Bill believed, wrongly, that people would be trained for new, better jobs. Never happened. Our middle class dissolved and so did the income for government. Infrastructure fell apart. Republicans urged austerity. The Democrats demanded more taxes. And more jobs left.
We can't have welfare reform without jobs. Jobs cannot continue to be exported to China or other countries that export their unemployment to the U.S.
Our foundation of economic democracy is at risk of collapse. People can't escape poverty without access to jobs, education, decent affordable housing, safe neighborhoods and working infrastructure. Welfare is a subset of those elements.
We need a Marshall Plan to restore the economic health of America. Until then the poverty will worsen. We need less Wal Marts and more manufacturing.
You Mr. Kristof bought in to both arguments with great zeal.
People, millions of them in the U.S. are living in poverty, despair and hopelessness. Much of it was caused by the trade agreements signed by Bill Clinton. Manufacturing, research and development of new technology marched overseas. Bill believed, wrongly, that people would be trained for new, better jobs. Never happened. Our middle class dissolved and so did the income for government. Infrastructure fell apart. Republicans urged austerity. The Democrats demanded more taxes. And more jobs left.
We can't have welfare reform without jobs. Jobs cannot continue to be exported to China or other countries that export their unemployment to the U.S.
Our foundation of economic democracy is at risk of collapse. People can't escape poverty without access to jobs, education, decent affordable housing, safe neighborhoods and working infrastructure. Welfare is a subset of those elements.
We need a Marshall Plan to restore the economic health of America. Until then the poverty will worsen. We need less Wal Marts and more manufacturing.
62
Amen to that! We cannot be a leader in this world and take care of our own people with a service industry economy. Aint' gonna happen.
2
Instead of the system we have now that puts people through mazes of paperwork and appointments to prove that they need the assistance, i.e. are deserving, why not start looking at what our basic human rights and needs are. Everyone I know needs a decent place to live, healthy food, access to timely and good medical care, and most want a job that will allow them to support themselves and their families. Some people will never acquire the skills to do more than a minimum wage job: does that mean that all they should have is a minimal life? Some people can't work because they are ill, handicapped, or are not considered worth hiring by employers for reasons like age, or lack of skills. The latter can be ameliorated by offering people training, real training for real jobs instead of what some states do which is to put up more barriers.
Instead of using welfare to punish people why not use it as a way to get them out of bad neighborhoods and situations? Why not use the people who cannot find jobs, for whatever reason, to work in the public sector at what they did before? There are plenty of things that need to be done in America and an aggressive jobs program that puts people to work at all levels would help more than all the preaching and moralizing done by our politicians. Last of all, stop letting companies outsource by saying they can't find Americans to do the job. We are all capable of learning if you invest in us.
Instead of using welfare to punish people why not use it as a way to get them out of bad neighborhoods and situations? Why not use the people who cannot find jobs, for whatever reason, to work in the public sector at what they did before? There are plenty of things that need to be done in America and an aggressive jobs program that puts people to work at all levels would help more than all the preaching and moralizing done by our politicians. Last of all, stop letting companies outsource by saying they can't find Americans to do the job. We are all capable of learning if you invest in us.
34
Yes, you were wrong. You still are if you think job training in a jobless "recovery" is the answer. You and others are wrong if you think poverty is caused by drugs and alcohol or laziness. Drugs and alcohol addiction are the result of poverty, not the cause. The cause is ridiculously easy to discover, but never acknowledged: lack of money. Poverty is one thing that money can't buy and the club no one wants to join.
Economists who have poor social skills for the most part and very limited exposure to real life or actual people opine about rational decision making, which is a myth created by economist for economist to make their models work. They haven't a clue about poverty although they have plenty to say on the topic. It is all based on fantasy or rumor.
If you want to understand poverty, talk to one or more of the following : a professional social worker, a sociologist, or a public health practitioner. They have both education about causes and effects as well as direct contact with the people affected by it. The alternative is to give poverty a try personally. That will upset a ton of theory and clear your head of mythology concerning the lived experience of people living in poverty.
Oh, and Kristof, one difference between extreme poverty in very poor countires and here is that the people in third world places do not blame themselves and each other. They KNOW why everyone is poor.
Economists who have poor social skills for the most part and very limited exposure to real life or actual people opine about rational decision making, which is a myth created by economist for economist to make their models work. They haven't a clue about poverty although they have plenty to say on the topic. It is all based on fantasy or rumor.
If you want to understand poverty, talk to one or more of the following : a professional social worker, a sociologist, or a public health practitioner. They have both education about causes and effects as well as direct contact with the people affected by it. The alternative is to give poverty a try personally. That will upset a ton of theory and clear your head of mythology concerning the lived experience of people living in poverty.
Oh, and Kristof, one difference between extreme poverty in very poor countires and here is that the people in third world places do not blame themselves and each other. They KNOW why everyone is poor.
281
I've been exposed to "real life" since I was born and your claim about drug and alcohol addiction coming from poverty is wrong. There are plenty of middle-class and wealthy substance abusers. It's just more difficult to count them than to count the people like Bobbie Ingraham who got flagged when she applied for assistance.
I am disappointed that Kristof didn't mention whether he asked where she and her daughter got money to buy drugs but can't find any to pay for her utilities. Also, you skipped the second most important part of any new legislation which should be free or affordable child care. He got the first one right, though. Free, long acting birth control is vital. Trying to build a stable life when you're a parent at sixteen is nearly impossible.
I am disappointed that Kristof didn't mention whether he asked where she and her daughter got money to buy drugs but can't find any to pay for her utilities. Also, you skipped the second most important part of any new legislation which should be free or affordable child care. He got the first one right, though. Free, long acting birth control is vital. Trying to build a stable life when you're a parent at sixteen is nearly impossible.
1
Drugs and alcohol cost money to buy. How can they be the result and not the cause of not having money if you need money to buy them then don't have the money for food or utilities?
1
Welfare reform was supposed to put people to work, but clearly it never did. Most former welfare recipients are poorly educated, single mothers, often young women who got pregnant and dropped out of high school the surest path to poverty and hopelessness. True reform requires an investment in people such as providing child-care, job training, and a livable wage. None of this has appealed to the political elite of this country where the system is "rigged" in favor of the "haves" (aka the "makers") and against the "have-nots" (aka the "takers"). Instead of help, the poor are punished by having food stamps and child health care programs cut. This is why there is such political unrest and turmoil this year across the political spectrum as more and more people are falling into poverty. There is a full-scale rebellion underway to overthrow the failed and entrenched political establishment that is subservient to corporate interests and their campaign money. Whether it will succeed will soon be clear. I, for one, hope it does. We need to restore the dignity of people not discard them.
44
Nick, when welfare reform passed, America was in the midst of an historic economic boom - a boom driven by a soaring NASDAQ, the Y2K scare, the first balanced budgets in recent American history, and a sense that the peace dividend would pay for the long-delayed restoration of our national infrastructure. If felt as if it was really morning in America, and it was going to be a wonderful day. If you weren't working in the middle 90s, it was either because you didn't need to work or didn't want to.
But that middle 90s economic boom wasn't to last. The first of our disastrous trade deals was just taking effect - and the tech wreck was immediately ahead, to be followed by the profits recession of 2000, 9/11, the implosion of the real estate bubble, the world financial crisis, and the elimination of millions of good paying American jobs, through both outsourcing and automation, as an ethos of vampire capitalism overtook those quintessential American ideals of stakeholder capitalism and "self-interest well-understood".
Welfare reform made sense in an era of seemingly limitless national prosperity. But what happens when limitless prosperity is no longer within the realm of possibilities, and men and women with law degrees and PhDs find themselves competing for barista jobs at Starbucks?
What happens to the least of us when some of the best of us have trouble keeping a roof over their heads?
But that middle 90s economic boom wasn't to last. The first of our disastrous trade deals was just taking effect - and the tech wreck was immediately ahead, to be followed by the profits recession of 2000, 9/11, the implosion of the real estate bubble, the world financial crisis, and the elimination of millions of good paying American jobs, through both outsourcing and automation, as an ethos of vampire capitalism overtook those quintessential American ideals of stakeholder capitalism and "self-interest well-understood".
Welfare reform made sense in an era of seemingly limitless national prosperity. But what happens when limitless prosperity is no longer within the realm of possibilities, and men and women with law degrees and PhDs find themselves competing for barista jobs at Starbucks?
What happens to the least of us when some of the best of us have trouble keeping a roof over their heads?
152
Any program that depends on offering/promoting birth control or even family planning is a total fantasy since both are prohibited by the 'religion' of the party that runs both houses of Congress and the vast majority of states.
64
And the majority of members of the Supreme Court. Remember when people were against John Kennedy running for President because they thought his religious affiliation would affect his governing? Well now we have candidates running who state that their goal is to bring their religion into government decisions and force their beliefs on others, starting with prayer in schools.
1
Redistribute the unnecessary obscene quotients of incomes of wealthy individuals and corporations; stop off shore banking; control inflation; invest in infrastructure development; ensure and insure that the lowest income is $60,000 for a family of four; expect employment by providing jobs for those capable of working, and providing volunteer work where there are no jobs available; expect each person and corporation to learn how to accurately manage their budgets, including all ongoing reoccurring expenses whether weekly, monthly, etc. and even once a year; have universal free education; assure social security; recognize that wanting obscene and unnecessary amounts is a function of attitudes of extreme stinginess and extreme spending in order to feel vainglorious.
The transition period to a fair economy for all for all, the learning curve for all, will take 5 generations, 150 years, during which time we should forgive ourselves for our mistakes; and we should love our neighbors whether or not our neighbors love their selves and, as well, whether or not we love our selves.
The aforementioned ideas represent sane and healthy and functional social-economic-political policy.
The transition period to a fair economy for all for all, the learning curve for all, will take 5 generations, 150 years, during which time we should forgive ourselves for our mistakes; and we should love our neighbors whether or not our neighbors love their selves and, as well, whether or not we love our selves.
The aforementioned ideas represent sane and healthy and functional social-economic-political policy.
20
My son is a high school teacher in NYC, $60,000 is luxury for him, there's no way he can manage a family of four in that amount :(
1
The claim that many countries have ended poverty altogether is simply not true. Here are some statistics you can check out. Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. One in four of the world's children are stunted. One out of six children -- roughly 100 million -- in developing countries is underweight. The U.S. has the lowest poverty rates of any industrial nation, let alone third world countries, in the world. Democratic socialism is not the answer. While I agree that there is no room for poverty in our country, I also believe the central cause of such poverty is as Mr. Kristof identified in his article; namely, that 70% of all the births of unweed single mothers is not planned. Here-in lies the problem. Mr. Kristof identified a number of programs that can reduce this number among other things. Establishing a meaningful minimum wage would also help; however, providing a meaningful wage to high school and college students should not be the norm. Obamacare, while needing changes/improvements, is here to stay. Mr. Sanders plan for universal health care will increase taxes by a significant number similar to the Canadian system. We are not Canada, nor should we strive to be like Canada economically. Improvements and structural changes are definitely needed; however, Socialism is not the road to such needed changes.
5
"Welfare reform has failed, but the solution is not a reversion to the old program. Rather, let’s build new programs"
I agree. But my suggested new programs would be guarantees of work, jobs. It would be a guarantee of income for those who genuinely can't work. We can easily afford that. We afford far more expensive things that bring only suffering and death. It is not a question of ability, it is a question of motive. Ugly motives.
I agree. But my suggested new programs would be guarantees of work, jobs. It would be a guarantee of income for those who genuinely can't work. We can easily afford that. We afford far more expensive things that bring only suffering and death. It is not a question of ability, it is a question of motive. Ugly motives.
62
What work would you have a drug addicted high school dropout do? And if that drug addicted drop out had a baby like the one in Kristof's article what then? It took FDR more than 10 years to restore employment following the depression. We are 8 years into the Great Recession. FDR didn't have to deal with competition from China or robots and machines. Service jobs usually pay low wages. The answer is population control. No more unwanted babies. Restore Roe v Wade. Get real America.
10
NB -- You presume a starting point of a drug addicted drop out. You think that is the person's natural state?
No, it is one of the effects of the causes explained in this article.
Preventing that is one of the goals of what I suggest. Preventing, so it does not happen in the first place.
No, it is one of the effects of the causes explained in this article.
Preventing that is one of the goals of what I suggest. Preventing, so it does not happen in the first place.
13
At some level, welfare is only going to be as successful as the people who are on the receiving end. If the system makes it easy for people to enjoy their lives without the need to work to support themselves and their families we end up with a system this is both costly and ineffective because the goal of any system of support ought to be to life people out of the need for that support. The current system is a huge failure in those states that only value the lives of children before they are born. But is has been more successful in those states that also provide job training, childcare and other supports for people who are working to change their lives. Unfortunately, not enough states are doing what is necessary to give people a hand up instead a hand out. But we have some places that can serve as better models of how to do this the right way. Returning to the days of giving hand outs with few attached strings is not going to be any more successful than it was 20 years ago. Finding the necessary funds for all states to do the right thing means instituting truly progressive income tax structures at the federal level and in every state. The oligarchs who "rent out" elected officials to do their bidding will not be happy. They much prefer the status quo.
8
The old Aid to Dependent Families mechanism did have some perverse incentives. However it was also an infinitesimal part of the federal budget (which as has been noted is primarily an insurance company with an army.) Moreover, most of its recipients used it for some limited time before getting back on their feet. There was also not much proven fraud in it. The original reform proposal - which was not enacted - had a great many more features to help people get into the job market. What was actually enacted was primarily punitive.
While some people may hold the Calvinist belief that the poor deserve whatever happens to them and should not receive any aid, there should at least be some shared honesty about what the old program was and how it worked.
While some people may hold the Calvinist belief that the poor deserve whatever happens to them and should not receive any aid, there should at least be some shared honesty about what the old program was and how it worked.
30
The old welfare system may have been abused by some, but it kept millions out of extreme poverty. The short-term success of Clinton's welfare reform was aided by a robust economy of the late '90s. Then came the anemic job growth of the George W. Bush presidency, followed by the economic collapse of the Great Recession.
Republicans built upon the destruction of the welfare safety net by refusing to spend government money on jobs, training, or cash benefits for the growing legions of poor and very poor in America.
Where will the funding come for long-acting birth control, early childhood programs, drug treatment, parental coaching, or any of the other much-needed programs to aid the poor? Not from Republican-dominated federal and state governments that control most of the country.
The head of Clinton's welfare program quit in disgust when the law was passed. There isn't much hope for any of the anti-poverty programs (except for a few progressive states) unless Democrats are voted into office from top down. (That is, the "political revolution" Bernie Sanders has been talking about.)
Don't hold your breath.
Republicans built upon the destruction of the welfare safety net by refusing to spend government money on jobs, training, or cash benefits for the growing legions of poor and very poor in America.
Where will the funding come for long-acting birth control, early childhood programs, drug treatment, parental coaching, or any of the other much-needed programs to aid the poor? Not from Republican-dominated federal and state governments that control most of the country.
The head of Clinton's welfare program quit in disgust when the law was passed. There isn't much hope for any of the anti-poverty programs (except for a few progressive states) unless Democrats are voted into office from top down. (That is, the "political revolution" Bernie Sanders has been talking about.)
Don't hold your breath.
47
Here in Massachusetts, our state offers "Transitional Assistance" to people like single mothers. The cash benefits disappear after a fixed period of time, leaving only SNAP (f/k/a food stamps) and charity support.
The problem is, the program is incompetently run. A young woman in my parish who lived in local privately subsidized housing (YWCA) received a cash grant a few years ago. She was assigned to a 20 hour per week "job training" 30 miles away; four bus rides with two half-hour transfer layovers. It would have taken her three hours to get there and three hours to get back.
We took her on as a volunteer in the parish instead. Lucky we had the ability to do that.
Then, on two different occasions, her benefits were abruptly cut off because a state employee "lost" a faxed form. Our state senator intervened to restore. Lucky we were able to get that to happen.
This young woman got her act together and is now employed.
What happens to the ones who don't have a support system like this person does? I'll tell you what. They end up on social security disability payments. That's now the income of last resort for the USA's poorest of the poor.
The problem is, the program is incompetently run. A young woman in my parish who lived in local privately subsidized housing (YWCA) received a cash grant a few years ago. She was assigned to a 20 hour per week "job training" 30 miles away; four bus rides with two half-hour transfer layovers. It would have taken her three hours to get there and three hours to get back.
We took her on as a volunteer in the parish instead. Lucky we had the ability to do that.
Then, on two different occasions, her benefits were abruptly cut off because a state employee "lost" a faxed form. Our state senator intervened to restore. Lucky we were able to get that to happen.
This young woman got her act together and is now employed.
What happens to the ones who don't have a support system like this person does? I'll tell you what. They end up on social security disability payments. That's now the income of last resort for the USA's poorest of the poor.
97
Nicholas: Good on ya for coming home and focusing on our issues instead those of the even-more dysfunctional world. Keep doing it and call out all those who think that helping people is wrong---there are a lot of them. They fail to see that the future begins in the uterus.
The key understanding is "what is 'help'." Well, 'Help' is always defined by the recipient, not the giver of what they think is 'help'. Thus our key strategies should respond, individually, to give the help that is wanted, just now. As a relationship is built and trust engendered, what is wanted will expand when presented with options and viable-for-the-recipient alternatives. That will require support personnel of great skill such as the Visiting Nurses, counselors, psychologists, etc. A true "Manhattan Project" to enable generational growth and change towards individual effectiveness and the ability to function in our rapidly changing world.
Such a project will require better choices on what to do with our tax money and a more equitable tax structure. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Absent something like this approach, we will continue to fail and decline in the lower 50% of the wealth holders.
The key understanding is "what is 'help'." Well, 'Help' is always defined by the recipient, not the giver of what they think is 'help'. Thus our key strategies should respond, individually, to give the help that is wanted, just now. As a relationship is built and trust engendered, what is wanted will expand when presented with options and viable-for-the-recipient alternatives. That will require support personnel of great skill such as the Visiting Nurses, counselors, psychologists, etc. A true "Manhattan Project" to enable generational growth and change towards individual effectiveness and the ability to function in our rapidly changing world.
Such a project will require better choices on what to do with our tax money and a more equitable tax structure. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Absent something like this approach, we will continue to fail and decline in the lower 50% of the wealth holders.
5
This is utterly shocking. A country that wants to grow its economy should invest in children and youth. You failed to mention that malnourished children are more likely to have a low IQ and do poorly as they become adults. How can the US spend hundreds of billions of dollars on unnecessary wars e.g. Iraq, and fails to invest a small fraction of that to pull children out of poverty. It's unfortunate that both Republicans and to a lesser extent Democrats have enacted so many laws which have created this degree of income inequality. These issues should receive much more news coverage and people responsible should be called out.
54
"It's unfortunate that both Republicans and to a lesser extent Democrats have enacted so many laws which have created this degree of income inequality. "
There is no law preventing an employer from paying a high relative wage, none. The wealth disparity began in 1973 and the march to the point we are at today was inevitable given the jobs engine that powered the US economy was in despondency . Think of October 1973 as the beginning of this trend.
Even Obama has admitted his trade plans will results in the loss of more manufacturing jobs.
Taxing the 1% will not provide all middle class folks with a summer home in northern Michigan.
There is no law preventing an employer from paying a high relative wage, none. The wealth disparity began in 1973 and the march to the point we are at today was inevitable given the jobs engine that powered the US economy was in despondency . Think of October 1973 as the beginning of this trend.
Even Obama has admitted his trade plans will results in the loss of more manufacturing jobs.
Taxing the 1% will not provide all middle class folks with a summer home in northern Michigan.
2
Come on, Nick, many countries have simply ended poverty altogether. Basically, it's called share the wealth. We have extreme wealth and poverty here. We have people like Trump and folks like Hailey - this causes tension. Democratic socialism is the way forward but first we'll have to clear out a lot of myths and cobwebs. Give workers jobs and bargaining power. Establish a meaningful minimum wage. Use taxes to create a meaningful maximum wage. Universal health care would free up lots of money for families and businesses (while putting the insurance companies out of business). A lot of powerful interests would fight this agenda every inch of the way but it's a fight worth having. United we stand - right? So lets end this class warfare once and for all by ending class altogether.
62
Many would look at Bobby Ingraham’s life and conclude that the only way to save Hailey would be for the state to take her and raise her itself. Multiply that situation by millions like it or worse because Ingraham at least is trying, and to save those children would require that we re-orient our priorities yet again to supporting people whose lives have given no evidence that they would benefit from extended cash help.
If we already weren’t beggaring ourselves with Medicaid and, soon enough, Medicare and Social Security, not to mention ObamaCare, there might be resources to spare to attend to this priority – instead of infrastructure, which is falling apart and higher education at the state level, funding for both which is being eviscerated by the demands just of Medicaid.
Increased taxes? Liberals have a LOT of priorities for increased taxes, don’t they? Better social safety nets, free universal pre-school, free college, a guaranteed minimum income, universal, single-payer healthcare, a more robust federal intrusion into public school education to improve standards. And some experts are now claiming that what with state and local taxes and the disappearance of deductions at the federal level, the well-off are paying as much in taxes as they EVER did.
Defense? The sequester and Mr. Obama’s actions already are cutting it to the bone.
“He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation.” – Niccoló Machiavelli, “The Prince”
If we already weren’t beggaring ourselves with Medicaid and, soon enough, Medicare and Social Security, not to mention ObamaCare, there might be resources to spare to attend to this priority – instead of infrastructure, which is falling apart and higher education at the state level, funding for both which is being eviscerated by the demands just of Medicaid.
Increased taxes? Liberals have a LOT of priorities for increased taxes, don’t they? Better social safety nets, free universal pre-school, free college, a guaranteed minimum income, universal, single-payer healthcare, a more robust federal intrusion into public school education to improve standards. And some experts are now claiming that what with state and local taxes and the disappearance of deductions at the federal level, the well-off are paying as much in taxes as they EVER did.
Defense? The sequester and Mr. Obama’s actions already are cutting it to the bone.
“He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation.” – Niccoló Machiavelli, “The Prince”
5
Machiavelli was talking about feudal princes like today's top 0.1% who think "what should be done" is extracting the last drop of blood from the serfs.
Paying people a living wage (not unemployment insurance or charity) would help enormously. Most of the profit that went to the top came from paying workers less. The wealthy pay a much lower rate of taxes so if they are paying more than ever it's because they make more than ever.
Paying people a living wage (not unemployment insurance or charity) would help enormously. Most of the profit that went to the top came from paying workers less. The wealthy pay a much lower rate of taxes so if they are paying more than ever it's because they make more than ever.
23
Saint999:
And how would that help Ingraham?
And how would that help Ingraham?
"Some are claiming"? That's as specious as Trump saying "I've heard."
2
This is fascinating, and worrying - Nobody has mentioned the effect of ever-larger numbers of extremely poor people generation after generation on the economy. Nor is the snowballing of poverty as low wages and hellish jobs deprive people of meaningful employment which would allow them to get out of the blender getting much attention. The big economic booms and progress happen when people have money to spend. The Cheapskate Doctrine ensures that they don't, and they won't.
The original reason for welfare included putting cash directly in to the economy; it was welfare for Main Street as a whole. The current state of decay has obviously ended that process. Let's therefore not assume that lousy pay and jobs with no future equates to success against poverty. It's more likely to entrench it, as it seems to be doing.
Also note the apparent lack of interest in restructuring to a more viable New Economy model - Seems that everyone assumes that the old jobs sitcom still exists and is still working. It isn't. It hasn't been for many years. It's a death trap for most, and even the excruciatingly expensive degrees and skills training which are supposed to guarantee success aren't avoiding that trap.
The old economic models are dead, too. Invent new ones that actually work, or you're heading to the Third World on an economy trip, one way.
The original reason for welfare included putting cash directly in to the economy; it was welfare for Main Street as a whole. The current state of decay has obviously ended that process. Let's therefore not assume that lousy pay and jobs with no future equates to success against poverty. It's more likely to entrench it, as it seems to be doing.
Also note the apparent lack of interest in restructuring to a more viable New Economy model - Seems that everyone assumes that the old jobs sitcom still exists and is still working. It isn't. It hasn't been for many years. It's a death trap for most, and even the excruciatingly expensive degrees and skills training which are supposed to guarantee success aren't avoiding that trap.
The old economic models are dead, too. Invent new ones that actually work, or you're heading to the Third World on an economy trip, one way.
43
Thank you, Mr. Kristof, for mentioning long acting birth control as a solution as it concerns welfare. I've been completely mystified by the policies of conservatives in states across the country, and also spouted in the ranks of almost every republican presidential candidate in this election cycle.
How exactly do we consider ourselves a modern and enlightened society when:
1) We take away access to clinics that provide birth control, abortions, and women's health services while at the same time...
2) Reducing aid to women with children and poor families
It all starts with bringing children into the world that we as a society are completely unwilling to support.
I would challenge anyone who stands for such backwards policies to live for $2/day while trying to feed, clothe and house one or more children. I wonder how long these people would survive. Anyone willing to place a little wager?
One more point...our problem has never been about providing assistance to the poor. Compare what we have spent on welfare to support people versus what we've spent on welfare to support the interests of business and industry in this country. Can you say, ethanol subsidy, anyone?
How exactly do we consider ourselves a modern and enlightened society when:
1) We take away access to clinics that provide birth control, abortions, and women's health services while at the same time...
2) Reducing aid to women with children and poor families
It all starts with bringing children into the world that we as a society are completely unwilling to support.
I would challenge anyone who stands for such backwards policies to live for $2/day while trying to feed, clothe and house one or more children. I wonder how long these people would survive. Anyone willing to place a little wager?
One more point...our problem has never been about providing assistance to the poor. Compare what we have spent on welfare to support people versus what we've spent on welfare to support the interests of business and industry in this country. Can you say, ethanol subsidy, anyone?
182
I believe that every member of Congress, following election and before taking office, should have to live for one month on public assistance and whatever shelter could be found, such as it is. It would be a wake up call of the first order. No money could be recieved from any source.
Actually, Alan Grayson of Florida did it for a week. He got really hungry.
Actually, Alan Grayson of Florida did it for a week. He got really hungry.
55
Giving women more control over their bodies will go a long way to ameliorate unwanted pregnancies. Instead many red states are enacting laws that limit women's access to birth control. I wish they would put half as much effort in limiting one's access to guns.
380
Welfare in the first place was not thought out as a plan, as it destabilized families leaving women without husbands and fathers, who were really indifferent towards how many children they brought into this world, and then even if the mother worked at a lower wage job, the children and teenagers were raising themselves, and the cycle has been repeating itself for 3 generations. There are few men in the lives of the women and children. By giving more money, these women would keep having children they shouldn't have in the first place, let alone more than one. Now, often the mothers are on drugs, it is worse than a mess, it is unsolvable. Does anyone really believe that throwing money at young girls and women creates responsible people? The only thing our county and state government should be doing is giving out free birth control to all those female and males from the age of puberty. There aren't even enough people who can adopt all of these unwanted children and those who should not even be allowed to live with most of those who had them as they are for the most part incapable of raising them.
24
"The only thing our county and state government should be doing is giving out free birth control to all those female and males from the age of puberty."
That may be necessary but it's way, way short of sufficient.
1996 saw the end of welfare as we know it, AKA "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act". This came hard on the heels of NAFTA coming into force, which can only be described as a reverse jobs program.
Something is wrong with this picture. The best welfare reform is an effective jobs program, yet welfare recipients are pushed into seeking jobs in the very era when jobs are exported for the benefit capital as it seeks the cheapest labor, the least regulation and the lowest taxes.
That may be necessary but it's way, way short of sufficient.
1996 saw the end of welfare as we know it, AKA "The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act". This came hard on the heels of NAFTA coming into force, which can only be described as a reverse jobs program.
Something is wrong with this picture. The best welfare reform is an effective jobs program, yet welfare recipients are pushed into seeking jobs in the very era when jobs are exported for the benefit capital as it seeks the cheapest labor, the least regulation and the lowest taxes.
19
@mancuroc:"Something is wrong with this picture. "
But the repeal of Glass-Steagall made mortgages more plentiful so things balanced out. And the normalization of trade relations with China made less expensive goods available. See, so Clinton had the bigger picture in mind!
But the repeal of Glass-Steagall made mortgages more plentiful so things balanced out. And the normalization of trade relations with China made less expensive goods available. See, so Clinton had the bigger picture in mind!
I wonder to what extent the FDR jobs programs were so successful in part because many of the jobs required minimal training although skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen were recruited as well. Aren't things somewhat different now?It may be that we need to execute employment policies with new ideas that are more tuned to America's economy of 2016.
We are witnessing the thinning of the middle class with a few making it to wealth and many others descending into poverty. The only citizens being lifted by the rising economic tide of the last several years are those in boats. Many others are not and have been able to stand in shallow water but are now drowning.
We are witnessing the thinning of the middle class with a few making it to wealth and many others descending into poverty. The only citizens being lifted by the rising economic tide of the last several years are those in boats. Many others are not and have been able to stand in shallow water but are now drowning.
39
These stories about people trying to get by on public assistance invariably involve single mothers. Where are the fathers of the children mentioned in this column, and why are they not forced to help support them? If we want to end childhood poverty, that should be one of the steps we take.
51
Absolutely. Fathers are not even mentioned. There may be a valid reason why the father is absent, but not to even mention the father is wrong. It speaks to a cultural curtain thrown over the reality of children's lives. There is a father of this child and indeed there is a father of the absent mother. Jobs are not necessarily the answer. All that support money and the industries it supports could go to the grandmother allowing her to nuture the child until the child is school age. this posting is by jroll
17
Hunting down missing fathers would require a national DNA database. Making them pay if they have bad or no jobs will cost more than it brings in, although it is a generator of jobs in the bureaucracy necessary to ride herd on them.
3
You saw one answer to the missing-father question in Mr. Kristof's article -- the man was in prison. The absurd "war on drugs" has in reality been a war on the poor, and especially poor black men. We now have about 1.5 million people in state and Federal prisons, up from 200,000 in the early 1970s. States spent over $50 billion in 2013 on incarcerating our citizens, more than we spent on TANF. And when these men get released, do we really think they will be capable of finding gainful employment and returning to support their children? Having a felony conviction bars lots of doors in America.
There are many reasons for poverty, but lets not ignore our predilection for throwing our fellow citizens into jail and paying billions of dollars to keep them there.
http://sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Trends-in-US-Cor...
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/49887
There are many reasons for poverty, but lets not ignore our predilection for throwing our fellow citizens into jail and paying billions of dollars to keep them there.
http://sentencingproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Trends-in-US-Cor...
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/49887
2
Clinton’s “Welfare Reform” initiative is one of the reasons why I support Bernie Sanders. Often, “liberal democrats” believe that every Democrat is more liberal than every Republican. Did they ever hear of George Wallace and Jacob Javits. Apparently those ahistorical ninnies didn't.
In fact, when the ruling class wants to move the country to the right, it often connives, with the media, to elect a Dem. When a dem is president, the natural foes of conservative endeavors, liberal democrats, will be silent because they won’t want to defy the President of their own party. (There are exceptions: 1968 and RFK and Gene) The reverse is true when the ruling class believes it’s time to move the country to the left.
I have neither time nor space to give more than a few examples. (I have dozens in articles I have written) Briefly:It was a dem, JFK, who reduced the corporate income tax rate, accelerated depreciation allowances, and sent the first ground troops into Vietnam. It was a dem, LBJ, who increased troop levels to 500,000.It was a Repub, Nixon, who withdrew all men from Vietnam, started détente with China and Russia, tried to nationalize welfare, expanded food stamps and fought inflation by heavy govt. intervention in the economy: In July 1971, he appeared on TV and said that at midnight all wages and prices in the nation were to be frozen. (Dems despised him not because he was so right wing but because of his long record skewering Dems) No more space to write.
In fact, when the ruling class wants to move the country to the right, it often connives, with the media, to elect a Dem. When a dem is president, the natural foes of conservative endeavors, liberal democrats, will be silent because they won’t want to defy the President of their own party. (There are exceptions: 1968 and RFK and Gene) The reverse is true when the ruling class believes it’s time to move the country to the left.
I have neither time nor space to give more than a few examples. (I have dozens in articles I have written) Briefly:It was a dem, JFK, who reduced the corporate income tax rate, accelerated depreciation allowances, and sent the first ground troops into Vietnam. It was a dem, LBJ, who increased troop levels to 500,000.It was a Repub, Nixon, who withdrew all men from Vietnam, started détente with China and Russia, tried to nationalize welfare, expanded food stamps and fought inflation by heavy govt. intervention in the economy: In July 1971, he appeared on TV and said that at midnight all wages and prices in the nation were to be frozen. (Dems despised him not because he was so right wing but because of his long record skewering Dems) No more space to write.
12
This nails it, Mr. Kristof, "the embarrassing truth is that welfare reform has resulted in a layer of destitution that echoes poverty in countries like Bangladesh." The greediest with no social conscience got their way and have pushed America down to our knees. Fortunately, WE are going to jump back up and send their operatives in every elected office back to their caves on
November 8 and every election before and after.
November 8 and every election before and after.
18
The US is amongst the developed world's leaders in the teen birth rate.
hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregna...
About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and some 1 million girls under 15 give birth every year—most in low- and middle-income countries.
Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death for 15-19 year-old girls globally.
Every year, some 3 million girls aged 15 to 19 undergo unsafe abortions.
Babies born to adolescent mothers face a substantially higher risk of dying than those born to women aged 20 to 24.
who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs364/en/
Many adolescent girls between 15 and 19 get pregnant.
About 16 million women 15–19 years old give birth each year, about 11% of all births worldwide.
Ninety-five per cent of these births occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The average adolescent birth rate in middle-income countries is more than twice as high as that in high-income countries, with the rate in low-income countries being five times as high.
The proportion of births that take place during adolescence is about 2% in China, 18% in Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 50% in sub-Saharan Africa.
Half of all adolescent births occur in just seven countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and the United States.
who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/maternal/adolescent_pregnancy/en
hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teen-pregna...
About 16 million girls aged 15 to 19 and some 1 million girls under 15 give birth every year—most in low- and middle-income countries.
Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the second cause of death for 15-19 year-old girls globally.
Every year, some 3 million girls aged 15 to 19 undergo unsafe abortions.
Babies born to adolescent mothers face a substantially higher risk of dying than those born to women aged 20 to 24.
who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs364/en/
Many adolescent girls between 15 and 19 get pregnant.
About 16 million women 15–19 years old give birth each year, about 11% of all births worldwide.
Ninety-five per cent of these births occur in low- and middle-income countries.
The average adolescent birth rate in middle-income countries is more than twice as high as that in high-income countries, with the rate in low-income countries being five times as high.
The proportion of births that take place during adolescence is about 2% in China, 18% in Latin America and the Caribbean and more than 50% in sub-Saharan Africa.
Half of all adolescent births occur in just seven countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and the United States.
who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/maternal/adolescent_pregnancy/en
42
I think that best anti-poverty program is universal availability of free birth control. There are two types of poverty here - first is shortage of money and second but more important is poverty of parenting skills. If you just give money - these people will simply use that to do drugs and children will still be neglected. Human beings are not really about to go extinct so these people should be given resources and encouraged to not have children at all.
56
A friend. nurse practicioner, said something like "A young woman's best birth control is the hope of a promising future." It's challenging for those in poverty.
3
It might be wise for the school system to have and educational schedule that includes the responsibilities of having a child as well as revisiting and reworking mandatory home economics that all students are required to take as part of their middle- and high-school curricula.
Far too many children are being born to "girls" who haven't a clue as to what being a mother or head-of-the-house means and to fathers that never accept any responsibility whether or not the kid(s) were intended.
Time to break the low-income, baby-factory cycle.
Far too many children are being born to "girls" who haven't a clue as to what being a mother or head-of-the-house means and to fathers that never accept any responsibility whether or not the kid(s) were intended.
Time to break the low-income, baby-factory cycle.
61
How about mandatory vascetomies for males once they reach puberty? It is fairly reversible. As a hedge, they could all sperm bank just in case. Of course, their wives would have to sign a constant for the reversal procedure to be done, but so what?
Time for males to start taking responsibility for their sperm. It is the direct cause of pregnancy, you know.
Time for males to start taking responsibility for their sperm. It is the direct cause of pregnancy, you know.
42
I think a basics-of-childrearing class (not a full year but maybe worked in as a segment of health) would benefit everyone, and also some fundamentals of finance.
Another thing that would benefit children of poor parents is availability of good quality, safe day care that the parents could afford. In our area, day care costs higher than a lower income earner could ever hope to afford, and subsidies are difficult to get and not that substantial. And lower-paying jobs tend to be the ones without leave time, or that are more punitive to parents having to take unscheduled time off.
Another thing that would benefit children of poor parents is availability of good quality, safe day care that the parents could afford. In our area, day care costs higher than a lower income earner could ever hope to afford, and subsidies are difficult to get and not that substantial. And lower-paying jobs tend to be the ones without leave time, or that are more punitive to parents having to take unscheduled time off.
13
The underlying problem is an electorate that continues to give the GOP majority control of Congress. The GOP Congress continues to erode the safety nets. Food stamps and unemployment benefits were further eroded under President Obama through no fault of the President.
48
We need a living wage economy instead of a safety net economy.
100
I don't write for the Times but I had no trouble figuring out the results of Clinton's move to appease the right in 1996. Any work, rather than education, for millions of young adults (especially women with children) meant a generation of poor remaining poor and even poorer. It was just one of Clinton's many centrist moves that helped keep the poor poorer. An so-called democrat after 12 years of GOP shifting wealth from the bottom to the top should have been a opportunity for a little bit of an adjustment. But no, Bill kept up the status quo and then some. And, was rewarded well by Wall Street for his efforts. Now we will get a Clinton post-Wall Street windfall with lots of chips owed. How's that going to turn out for the growing have-not population?
96
Pappy Bush and Bob Dole would not have made centrist moves. They would have pushed the Republican unadmitted agenda of phasing out the New Deal, program by program.
12
Next Saturday, I am going to meet a young lady and her
new baby. No job, no father in sight, and no regrets for she finally has something to call her own.
Housing and cash from her father. Food stamps, staple foods for the baby, and medical assistance from you and me. When her father, a Vietnam vet, is unable to provide housing and money, she may fall into the $2 a day group. And she was raised in a middle class home.
Meanwhile, my niece, a public school teacher, and her husband, employed as an administrator in a state university, could not save any money after paying for day care for their two pre-school children and rent. So they moved 150 miles to a lower cost city.
These hard-working young people would tell Kristof to take the child I will meet from her biological mother and place her with parents who have the financial ability
to raise children.
Just as President Clinton's plan coerced people into working, if we are going to reduce the number of infants born into poverty, coercion may be required.
new baby. No job, no father in sight, and no regrets for she finally has something to call her own.
Housing and cash from her father. Food stamps, staple foods for the baby, and medical assistance from you and me. When her father, a Vietnam vet, is unable to provide housing and money, she may fall into the $2 a day group. And she was raised in a middle class home.
Meanwhile, my niece, a public school teacher, and her husband, employed as an administrator in a state university, could not save any money after paying for day care for their two pre-school children and rent. So they moved 150 miles to a lower cost city.
These hard-working young people would tell Kristof to take the child I will meet from her biological mother and place her with parents who have the financial ability
to raise children.
Just as President Clinton's plan coerced people into working, if we are going to reduce the number of infants born into poverty, coercion may be required.
48
Mr. Noble, your "coercion" proposal seems harsh. Removing a child from a loving though poor Mother is cruel. If the Mother is truly unfit that is another story, but being poor and jobless isn't necessarily being unfit! There must be a better way!
6
This story doesn't sound true. If the father is a Vietnam Vet, he must be in his mid to late 60s. I suppose it's possible he found some women 25 years his junior to impregnate, but, it's not likely.
3
States like AZ, KS and OK diverted block grant TANF funds from low income assistance to replace other spending unrelated to low income support, absolutely contrary to the program intent.
Overall, according to a 2013 Federal budget office study, TANF had resulted in tbe % of single parent households headed by women below the poverty level dropping from over 40% to 27%.
But the consequences in certain states were indeed devastating. That has effectively poisoned the block grant concept for a long time as a bi-partisan policy tool.
Overall, according to a 2013 Federal budget office study, TANF had resulted in tbe % of single parent households headed by women below the poverty level dropping from over 40% to 27%.
But the consequences in certain states were indeed devastating. That has effectively poisoned the block grant concept for a long time as a bi-partisan policy tool.
42
Block grants have always resulted in unequal treatment across states, which was the reason AFDC was not a block grant. It is also the reason red states love block grants. They become a kitty from which totally unrelated spending can be funded.
1
What astonishes me, Mr. Kristof, is that it's taken you ten years to reach the conclusion that you were wrong about 'welfare reform.' Given your sensibilities, I would have thought that you'd have been instantly aware, a full decade ago, that the fix was in.
Please reference this concept in years to come: Whenever cynical politicians are looking to gain points with the public through some grand campaign to chop off the evil tentacles of an increasingly forbidding central government, they will always victimize the most vulnerable members of society--while simultaneously transferring whatever monies are saved to the rich.
Though eras like the Great Depression can bring true reform if the people are lucky enough to end up with an FDR at the helm, economies that are in the process of becoming opportunity-poor because of global competition, high-tech employment attrition, and greed at the top, will always turn their backs on the most needy. And these factors obviously factored into Clinton's 'compromise' bill on welfare.
What we end up with at the end of such a process is a Donald Trump. At least he's such an obvious fundament that he's become election-proof. Next time around we may not be so fortunate. So kindly take care about any future enthusiasms for 'reform' that may sweep you away.
Please reference this concept in years to come: Whenever cynical politicians are looking to gain points with the public through some grand campaign to chop off the evil tentacles of an increasingly forbidding central government, they will always victimize the most vulnerable members of society--while simultaneously transferring whatever monies are saved to the rich.
Though eras like the Great Depression can bring true reform if the people are lucky enough to end up with an FDR at the helm, economies that are in the process of becoming opportunity-poor because of global competition, high-tech employment attrition, and greed at the top, will always turn their backs on the most needy. And these factors obviously factored into Clinton's 'compromise' bill on welfare.
What we end up with at the end of such a process is a Donald Trump. At least he's such an obvious fundament that he's become election-proof. Next time around we may not be so fortunate. So kindly take care about any future enthusiasms for 'reform' that may sweep you away.
64
When you write about the success of FDR's administration, Mr. Hedirck, you need to point out that his programs provided real jobs, with real income, through such as the Works Progress Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
There were two real accomplishment of those programs: 1) They gave people paychecks in return for work and concomitant pride in having accomplished something. And, 2) Tangible benefits to the taxpayers of the nation like rural electrification, rescue of manufacturing, needed conservation work, and the construction of public buildings.
In the eight years of administration of Barack Obama (D-IL) our federal government has not chosen to get value for out taxpayers dollar by employing the unemployed to take care of the aging and crumbling infrastructure of our nation.
Instead, it bet their most major of efforts on the money-sunk farm of "green energy". Billions upon billions spent on a technology that we cannot use until the problem storage of generated electricity on an industrial scale is solved.
Our people need jobs now. And, there are more than enough projects that the government could finance that will of major benefit to The People.
Mr. Kristof has made a start by admitting that Clinton's policy was one solely of political expedience.
Maybe he could get behind a REAL program that will provide the unemployed...including those that have dropped out of the employment pool...with REAL jobs.
There were two real accomplishment of those programs: 1) They gave people paychecks in return for work and concomitant pride in having accomplished something. And, 2) Tangible benefits to the taxpayers of the nation like rural electrification, rescue of manufacturing, needed conservation work, and the construction of public buildings.
In the eight years of administration of Barack Obama (D-IL) our federal government has not chosen to get value for out taxpayers dollar by employing the unemployed to take care of the aging and crumbling infrastructure of our nation.
Instead, it bet their most major of efforts on the money-sunk farm of "green energy". Billions upon billions spent on a technology that we cannot use until the problem storage of generated electricity on an industrial scale is solved.
Our people need jobs now. And, there are more than enough projects that the government could finance that will of major benefit to The People.
Mr. Kristof has made a start by admitting that Clinton's policy was one solely of political expedience.
Maybe he could get behind a REAL program that will provide the unemployed...including those that have dropped out of the employment pool...with REAL jobs.
19
"our federal government has not chosen to get value for out taxpayers dollar by employing the unemployed to take care of the aging and crumbling infrastructure of our nation."
But the democrats will demand that all infrastructure repairs be done only by "prevailing wage" union members who kickback most of their union dues to the democrats.
But the democrats will demand that all infrastructure repairs be done only by "prevailing wage" union members who kickback most of their union dues to the democrats.
9
We do need real jobs programs similar to the Civilian Consrvation Corp, but it was the Republicans who resisted spending stimulus money this way. They would have preferred to use all the stimulus money for tax cuts. If Obama made a mistake it was in compromising with the Republicans on this.
36
A job is the best anti-poverty program in the world. The simple truth is that the major cause of poverty is the lack of decent paying jobs and the lack of training for the few jobs that do. I grew up in Appalachia. Drugs follow poverty, not the reverse. Those who have a decent job largely avoid drugs and crime. When the coal economy boomed, our crime and social problems diminished. When the economy went bust, welfare, government dependency, hopelessness and family disintegration raged. Take one's job, one's hope, one's ability to see anyway out of poverty, they will descend deeper and deeper into poverty and destructive ways. One simple point to illustrate. If Ms Ingraham had access to a job paying a decent wage, do you think she would even be in this story? Oklahoma, Appalachia, the ghetto (admittedly a largely abandoned word today) all share one thing, no decent jobs for their people. That is the answer and it is the one the government increasingly refuses to attempt to answer.
323
There are actually a lot of decent paying jobs out there but they require a high degree of skill and intelligence. The real problem is that 50 years ago, even low skilled jobs payed a decent wage. But due to automation and foreign competition, all the low skilled, decent paying jobs are gone. A guaranteed income for everybody is the only solution, but it will take a long time for voters to realize this. Even Switzerland, a homogeneous, middle class nation, voted this idea down. But it's not going to go away.
17
There are a lot of decent paying jobs, and even more people with skill and intelligence. We have people who have trained for multiple careers and not found decent jobs in any of them.
8
Jobs are the answer. Do you mean those jobs that will be created by the wealthy when they have received their tax breaks, and had all regulations removed? That seems to be the goal of the Republicans who want to shrink government to the point that it can be drowned in the bathtub.
You say that the government increasingly refuses to attempt to answer the problem of poverty, yet "government" is completely obstructed by the partisanship of our representatives. Well, partisanship may not really be the problem with government. There seems to be only one party desirous of shutting down the governments ability to perform. That's what I believe we need to resolve in order to help our neighbors and fellow citizens from living in poverty, without any jobs paying a living wage.
You say that the government increasingly refuses to attempt to answer the problem of poverty, yet "government" is completely obstructed by the partisanship of our representatives. Well, partisanship may not really be the problem with government. There seems to be only one party desirous of shutting down the governments ability to perform. That's what I believe we need to resolve in order to help our neighbors and fellow citizens from living in poverty, without any jobs paying a living wage.
4
Nick, your suggestion for free long-acting birth control runs up against a Trumpian wall with the Republican Christian right. As with nearly every religion, here in the south the majority of Catholics are Republican and the phrase "birth control" is a deal-breaker, even though the devout Catholic who has not/does not use it is only slightly easier to find than a needle in a haystack. For the rest, the word "free" does the trick.
It's so much more satisfying to the southern Christian soul to condemn than to help. Unmarried and pregnant? Sin! Sin of the most disgusting and visibly obvious sort. And to teach a lesson, to assure the sinful woman receives the appropriate punishment, the pregnancy must be carried to term. At that point the churchy lose interest in both mother and child and ignore them...until the unfortunate woman turns up pregnant again, and the cycle repeats. And repeats...
The bible is silent on abortion. Religion, particularly among fundamentalist and the Catholic faiths, is not. God didn't make abortion a sin. Man decided it was. A bit presumptuous and dismissive of the Creator, but there it is. So abortion is out as a partial solution to the problem of poverty, thus worsening it.
Drunkenness? Sin. So says the bible. Substance/drug abuse? Sin. So says man; the bible is, again, silent. Punishment first, forgiveness last.
And so it goes.
It's so much more satisfying to the southern Christian soul to condemn than to help. Unmarried and pregnant? Sin! Sin of the most disgusting and visibly obvious sort. And to teach a lesson, to assure the sinful woman receives the appropriate punishment, the pregnancy must be carried to term. At that point the churchy lose interest in both mother and child and ignore them...until the unfortunate woman turns up pregnant again, and the cycle repeats. And repeats...
The bible is silent on abortion. Religion, particularly among fundamentalist and the Catholic faiths, is not. God didn't make abortion a sin. Man decided it was. A bit presumptuous and dismissive of the Creator, but there it is. So abortion is out as a partial solution to the problem of poverty, thus worsening it.
Drunkenness? Sin. So says the bible. Substance/drug abuse? Sin. So says man; the bible is, again, silent. Punishment first, forgiveness last.
And so it goes.
192
Actually the Old Testament does give directions that the mother is more important than the fetus. Paraphrasing: If a pregnant woman is injured by a man and loses her baby, the man pays a fine. If a pregnant woman is killed by a man the penalty is death for the man.
So the adult woman is more valuable than the unborn child.
So the adult woman is more valuable than the unborn child.
4
The bible is silent on abortion. God didn't make abortion a sin.
Because God killed the Egypt's first borns? Because babies were ripped from the wombs of your enemy's mothers-to-be?
Because God killed the Egypt's first borns? Because babies were ripped from the wombs of your enemy's mothers-to-be?
It seems clear that the real issue behind the Right's war on women is not abortion but birth control. If a woman is in control of her fertility, then she might be out there sinnin' at all hours of the day and night. No - you are right, that pregnancy is a fitting punishment for not being responsible and using aspirin as her birth control. (that's hold an aspirin between her knees, FYI).
Please not that this standard of virtue does not extend to men. The girl gets herself pregnant but boys will be boys, so it's a non issue. It is all about control of women. Keep them barefoot and preggers and they will remain dependent on men. If women have birth control, they may decide that they don't NEED a man.
Want to reduce abortion demand? Try free birth control. Want to reduce single motherhood? Try free birth control. Want to keep the good ol' slut shaming in place? The GOP and lots of Christians have a place for you.
Please not that this standard of virtue does not extend to men. The girl gets herself pregnant but boys will be boys, so it's a non issue. It is all about control of women. Keep them barefoot and preggers and they will remain dependent on men. If women have birth control, they may decide that they don't NEED a man.
Want to reduce abortion demand? Try free birth control. Want to reduce single motherhood? Try free birth control. Want to keep the good ol' slut shaming in place? The GOP and lots of Christians have a place for you.
5
I am an American expatriate and have been living and working in Germany for several decades. I have traveled extensively in Europe, parts of the Middle East (Iraq during Saddam's rein) and Asia. Other than Yugoslavia during the 1970's I don't remember ever having seen as much squalor and poverty as I have recently in the United States, with vast portions of the population working long hours and not making ends meet. When I needed help moving some furniture in Florida last year and advertised on Craig's List, I had mnore than a dozen offers from men of all ages willing to drive an hour or more for three hours work at $10/hour. In Germany with its generous safety net, I would probably not have had a single applicant. I was so moved by the realization of such need, that I gladly paid generously more. Yes, had also agreed with Pres. Clinton's initiative, but have every reason to change my mind and agree with Mr. Kristof. Wholeheartedly.
483
My father in law, a German from Stuttgart, visited us several times in the 70s and 80s until he said he couldn't any more. "Its too depressing," he explained. Asked why, he replied that he couldn't stand to see the poverty here. We were shocked because we had become so used to it we were blind to the effect it had on others. For the last several years I notice it more and more, especially when I return from another trip to Europe. I feel ashamed and embarrased by what we have allowed to happen to our country.
501
I'm also an American expat living in Germany, specifically the Heidelberg area. Been here six years and will probably not be moving back, as I now have a son here. I previously lived in Kansas and later Atlanta (with a brief stay in NYC). I saw the poverty in the US before and was "used" to it. But it wasn't until living in Germany that I realized that US poverty was so extreme -- just unbelievable how bad it is in the US compared to over here. I just read Thomas Frank's _Listen, Liberal_ and he hit the nail on the head with his observation that, while Hillary may be breaking the glass ceiling for professional women, for millions of impoverished US women there is no floor. The floor desperately needs to be re-built. I don't agree with Mr. Kristof -- I think we should bring back the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program. And after that foundation is put in place, THEN start thinking about other ideas. State-ran TANF is a joke.
18
Have you noticed though, that the squalor and poverty is disproportionately affecting people of color? The young amongst these populations are disproportionately incarcerated, filling jail cells to the brim. When they should be in schools, free public higher ed institutions, learning job skills, computer coding, training. No. Because people like Nick Kristof and his band of NYT editors, columnists, refuse to open their eyes when Bernie has revealed to millions and millions of people in state after state after state. It took a Cassidy McDonald to show Nick what Bernie has been telling us all these months. Talk about tone deaf media.
9
Looking back on my educational years I regret that my early years didn't focus on the importance of financial planning and budget management instead of the lie of supply and demand so easily usurped by price-fixing and greed. So many today blame the poor for their own problems which is only a minute part of the issue. The proper instructional courses in a young person's life is the equivalent of teaching a person how to fish.
46
Very few school systems teach financial responsibility, personal finance or basic budgeting economics and while many will disagree with me the primary reason is that our union protected educators are so incredibly liberal in their belief that it's is fine to take the money of the productive citizens to finance the bad personal decisions of the "disadvantaged" that they don't feel the need to provide this instruction!
6
Actually, no. In many/most public school systems, all "frills" have been axed or are in danger. The focus is on standardized testing of reading and math, broadly speaking. so there's no funding for music or art. for instance. and no funding or attention to what used to be called "home economics", where kids were taught what a household budget was, or that nutritious eating was important.
30
There are plenty of "productive citizens" getting wealthy off of the "bad decisions" of the poor, with many of those decisions driven by desperation. When you are drowning, you grab anything that looks like a flotation device, even if it'll sink you in the long run. Payday lenders. Rent to own furniture stores. Slumlords. Banks that offer high interest credit cards. Local governments that use ever escalating fines and fees on the poor as a major source of income. The for profit prison industry. It's very expensive to be poor in America.
And those Union teachers would be happy to teach good financial decision making- but the money for that type of education isn't there.
In an ideal world, every high school student would understand the consequences of a payday loan with 300% interest, how to read a lease, the importance of a good FICO score,landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities, how to balance a checkbook, and how and why to save for retirement. Think how hard our rentier class would lobby against that kind of education.
And those Union teachers would be happy to teach good financial decision making- but the money for that type of education isn't there.
In an ideal world, every high school student would understand the consequences of a payday loan with 300% interest, how to read a lease, the importance of a good FICO score,landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities, how to balance a checkbook, and how and why to save for retirement. Think how hard our rentier class would lobby against that kind of education.
30
The sad fact is that "handouts" to people in need are diminishing, while the oligarchy and consumerism in our country reaches an all time high and those that could afford to pay even higher taxes to support a safety net and a path to more productive lives instead use every loophole available and stash their money into offshore accounts, screaming "I earned that money". Fact of the matter is that most of these uber-rich are making money off their money, for which they pay little or no taxes at all. Yet, a Farm bill was passed this year (one of the few actual tasks our obstructionist Congress has completed) -- which reinforced the "farm subsidies" to major agricultural corporations, and at the same time gutted the school lunch programs for children in poverty. No preschool funding, no low-cost housing construction subsidies while high-end housing is at an all-time high construction boom. Do these people not realize that they are destroying the building blocks of future generations who will be ill-equipped to keep our nation viable? Without education, health care, dental care, housing and help for caregivers, our economy will collapse in a catastrophe that will make the Great Depression look like a tea party.
By the way....congratulations to Kristoff who has the good grace to change perspective -- his, and hopefully others through his continued journalism.
By the way....congratulations to Kristoff who has the good grace to change perspective -- his, and hopefully others through his continued journalism.
358
Dragonfly, I hear you and agree but must add that as long as citizens continue to vote GOP, which does things like gut school lunch programs in favor of subsidies to Big Ag, the cycle will continue. Poor people are gifted with the right to vote in this country and so far have done it unwisely. Things will only change for them when their voices are heard and they STOP voting against their own interests.
5
Kristof describes the plight of the poor most eloquently. And then he offers feeble solutions to what can only be described as a humanitarian catastrophe in the most unequal country on earth.
Funny that he never mentions that it was the Clintons who spearheaded "ending welfare as we know it," and that his band-aids for the resulting doubling of the extreme poverty rate come straight from Hillary's campaign playbook.
What's wrong, exactly, with direct cash aid to the poor? Do Kristof and Clinton have that much mistrust in poor mothers' and grandmothers' ability to handle money? Why further demean them by denying them agency and control?
Hillary's program has Jeremy Bentham-like "control of the poor" written all over it. Instead of getting even an extra $2 a day to spend as they see fit, poor mothers are instead offered parenting skills lessons under the elitist notion that poverty equals ignorance.
And when mothers of infants are forced to go from welfare to low-wage work under threat of losing benefits, Hillary's solution to the psychic damage from lack of maternal bonding in the home is to offer "empathy curricula" in schools.
Women are cut off from aid, such as rental assistance, for failure to appear at any given state-mandated appointment. If they didn't get the notice in the mail because of homelessness, too bad.
Put the coddled rich under the microscope for a change. Stop their direct cash aid from taxpayers. Usher them into a brave, new, humane world.
Funny that he never mentions that it was the Clintons who spearheaded "ending welfare as we know it," and that his band-aids for the resulting doubling of the extreme poverty rate come straight from Hillary's campaign playbook.
What's wrong, exactly, with direct cash aid to the poor? Do Kristof and Clinton have that much mistrust in poor mothers' and grandmothers' ability to handle money? Why further demean them by denying them agency and control?
Hillary's program has Jeremy Bentham-like "control of the poor" written all over it. Instead of getting even an extra $2 a day to spend as they see fit, poor mothers are instead offered parenting skills lessons under the elitist notion that poverty equals ignorance.
And when mothers of infants are forced to go from welfare to low-wage work under threat of losing benefits, Hillary's solution to the psychic damage from lack of maternal bonding in the home is to offer "empathy curricula" in schools.
Women are cut off from aid, such as rental assistance, for failure to appear at any given state-mandated appointment. If they didn't get the notice in the mail because of homelessness, too bad.
Put the coddled rich under the microscope for a change. Stop their direct cash aid from taxpayers. Usher them into a brave, new, humane world.
547
Actually, the very first sentence of this article does mention President Bill Clinton specifically, so I'm not sure where you understood that Kristof never mentions the Clintons. And, the point of Kristof's article is to say he was wrong - hence the title.
Some places in the country provide access to more safety nets than food stamps for kids, like WIC, CHIP, educational and school food programs, housing options, etc. But clearly we are not doing our best as a nation to care for all our people.
Kristof often puts the coddled rich under the microscope, as do his colleagues.
I share your frustration with the system, but with that frustration, I do try to read what authors actually write.
Some places in the country provide access to more safety nets than food stamps for kids, like WIC, CHIP, educational and school food programs, housing options, etc. But clearly we are not doing our best as a nation to care for all our people.
Kristof often puts the coddled rich under the microscope, as do his colleagues.
I share your frustration with the system, but with that frustration, I do try to read what authors actually write.
34
KJones,
Kristof passive-aggressively glosses over the bit where President Clinton signed the bill. I used the word "spearheaded" to convey the fact that both Clintons actively lobbied to kick millions of poor people, mainly women, off the welfare rolls. It was on their neoliberal agenda from Day One. It was not something that they did under GOP duress. As a matter of fact, condemning millions of people to lifelong poverty never could have been accomplished by Republicans alone. Clintonian complicity was very much the main ingredient.
This column smells like another concern-trolling whitewash to me. Ironically, although the bill was euphemized as the "Welfare Reform and Personal Responsibility Act," Hillary herself takes no personal responsibility for it now that she is running for president as an alleged champion of women and children. In her second memoir, though, she actually boasted that by the time she and Bill left office, the welfare rolls had been trimmed by 60%.
No apologies, no regrets, no reform of the reform to reverse the sadism and to make things right for poor moms and kids, the main victims of the man-made economic "recession."
Kristof passive-aggressively glosses over the bit where President Clinton signed the bill. I used the word "spearheaded" to convey the fact that both Clintons actively lobbied to kick millions of poor people, mainly women, off the welfare rolls. It was on their neoliberal agenda from Day One. It was not something that they did under GOP duress. As a matter of fact, condemning millions of people to lifelong poverty never could have been accomplished by Republicans alone. Clintonian complicity was very much the main ingredient.
This column smells like another concern-trolling whitewash to me. Ironically, although the bill was euphemized as the "Welfare Reform and Personal Responsibility Act," Hillary herself takes no personal responsibility for it now that she is running for president as an alleged champion of women and children. In her second memoir, though, she actually boasted that by the time she and Bill left office, the welfare rolls had been trimmed by 60%.
No apologies, no regrets, no reform of the reform to reverse the sadism and to make things right for poor moms and kids, the main victims of the man-made economic "recession."
146
Karen, why must the focus of every column and policy critique be on blaming the Clintons? What is wrong with simply reflecting on what worked and what didn't, or asking people on welfare about their personal, nuanced experience? Is ensuring the Clintons are blamed a solution to the current problem?
The reason our airplanes don't crash every day is that experts who analyze crashes don't fixate on individual blame. They look at such factors as part of a bigger, more useful question -- how can we prevent this particular failure from recurring? Knowing with 100% certainty that human error will occur, what can be done to avoid a similar future tragedy?
Whether the Clintons apologize may be highly relevant to your personal presidential vote, but not to the issue that Mr. Kristof discusses, nor to our future actions to fix the problems.
The reason our airplanes don't crash every day is that experts who analyze crashes don't fixate on individual blame. They look at such factors as part of a bigger, more useful question -- how can we prevent this particular failure from recurring? Knowing with 100% certainty that human error will occur, what can be done to avoid a similar future tragedy?
Whether the Clintons apologize may be highly relevant to your personal presidential vote, but not to the issue that Mr. Kristof discusses, nor to our future actions to fix the problems.
29
I'm glad you've come around, Nick, but, unfortunately, you're still wrong.
"... free long-acting birth control,... and jobs programs"
The problem with these suggestions is the view that poverty and social problems like drug and alcohol addiction go hand in hand. They don't, necessarily, more so now than before, if they ever truly did. We need for young people to work and have kids. Pregnancies are down since 08. Since the start of the Great Recession, we have seen a shrinking of the middle class and while we are seeing more addiction among those ranks, thanks to the opioid epidemic, there isn't a 1:1 relationship here and there are many millions of Americans who fell out of the middle class and into a class British economist Guy Standing calls the precariat. These are highly educated people whose earnings are at or just slightly above minimum wage. They are people who lost their jobs and careers from 2009 on as well as people who graduated from college from that year on. http://www.rimaregas.com/?s=Precariat+
That is why, in a report from Pew last month, it was found that there are more 18-34 year olds living at home because they can't afford to go off on their own. There is a separate report on what one's earning buys, depending on where they live. http://wp.me/p2KJ3H-2ii California counties are now scrambling to build affordable housing due to high homelessness. These new poor should, by all rights have good jobs. They aren't there.
We need to rethink capitalism.
"... free long-acting birth control,... and jobs programs"
The problem with these suggestions is the view that poverty and social problems like drug and alcohol addiction go hand in hand. They don't, necessarily, more so now than before, if they ever truly did. We need for young people to work and have kids. Pregnancies are down since 08. Since the start of the Great Recession, we have seen a shrinking of the middle class and while we are seeing more addiction among those ranks, thanks to the opioid epidemic, there isn't a 1:1 relationship here and there are many millions of Americans who fell out of the middle class and into a class British economist Guy Standing calls the precariat. These are highly educated people whose earnings are at or just slightly above minimum wage. They are people who lost their jobs and careers from 2009 on as well as people who graduated from college from that year on. http://www.rimaregas.com/?s=Precariat+
That is why, in a report from Pew last month, it was found that there are more 18-34 year olds living at home because they can't afford to go off on their own. There is a separate report on what one's earning buys, depending on where they live. http://wp.me/p2KJ3H-2ii California counties are now scrambling to build affordable housing due to high homelessness. These new poor should, by all rights have good jobs. They aren't there.
We need to rethink capitalism.
242
From one of my most recent essays:
"Economist Jared Bernstein has a very thoughtful piece in WaPo in which he analyzes why there is anger among the U.S. electorate. In a piece that takes an honest look at the economic indicators that affect the middle and working classes the most, Bernstein gets at the heart of the issues facing both the electorate and the establishments of both major parties: while the economic data that is being passed on to the public is positive, the nuance of it isn’t being conveyed"
http://www.rimaregas.com/2016/06/profiling-the-angry-american-in-this-ne...
"Economist Jared Bernstein has a very thoughtful piece in WaPo in which he analyzes why there is anger among the U.S. electorate. In a piece that takes an honest look at the economic indicators that affect the middle and working classes the most, Bernstein gets at the heart of the issues facing both the electorate and the establishments of both major parties: while the economic data that is being passed on to the public is positive, the nuance of it isn’t being conveyed"
http://www.rimaregas.com/2016/06/profiling-the-angry-american-in-this-ne...
10
You wrote: "We need to rethink capitalism".
How about we start with rethinking immigration - which is excessive in this country now, and greatly contributes to low wages, and many people being unable to find jobs.
How about we start with rethinking immigration - which is excessive in this country now, and greatly contributes to low wages, and many people being unable to find jobs.
1
Nick...your suggestions about "free long-acting birth control, high-quality early-childhood programs and prekindergarten, drug treatment, parenting coaching and financial literacy training, and jobs programs" are all sensible, logical and progressive.
America's most vulnerable and poorest citizens deserve human kindness and compassion.
But Oklahoma's federal representation and statewide offices are all held by the Republican Party, which also holds supermajorities in both chambers of the state Legislature.
The Republican candidate has carried the Oklahoma vote in every Presidential election since 1968 by large margins.
In 2004, every Oklahoma county - all 77 counties - voted for President George W. Bush over Senator John Kerry.
In 2008, Oklahoma was the only state in which every county - all 77 counties - was carried by John McCain.
In 2012, all 77 counties voted for Mitt Romney.
Oklahoma's two U.S. Senators are Republicans Jim Inhofe - the world's leading climate change denier - and James Lankford.
Before Mr. Lankford became a United States Senator, he was the student ministries and evangelism specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and also director of youth programming at the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center.
Lankford voted against feeding the hungry with his “NAY” vote to restore over $20 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on June 19th, 2013.
Oklahoma is ground zero for Christian hypocrisy and Grand Old Poverty.
America's most vulnerable and poorest citizens deserve human kindness and compassion.
But Oklahoma's federal representation and statewide offices are all held by the Republican Party, which also holds supermajorities in both chambers of the state Legislature.
The Republican candidate has carried the Oklahoma vote in every Presidential election since 1968 by large margins.
In 2004, every Oklahoma county - all 77 counties - voted for President George W. Bush over Senator John Kerry.
In 2008, Oklahoma was the only state in which every county - all 77 counties - was carried by John McCain.
In 2012, all 77 counties voted for Mitt Romney.
Oklahoma's two U.S. Senators are Republicans Jim Inhofe - the world's leading climate change denier - and James Lankford.
Before Mr. Lankford became a United States Senator, he was the student ministries and evangelism specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma and also director of youth programming at the Falls Creek Baptist Conference Center.
Lankford voted against feeding the hungry with his “NAY” vote to restore over $20 billion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on June 19th, 2013.
Oklahoma is ground zero for Christian hypocrisy and Grand Old Poverty.
897
Many of the people here--by far most of the poor--have no sense of hope in political action; they don't even think about it. Getting to and from their multi-jobs, putting together rent and utilities, finding whatever medical or dental care they can (if they can): these things occupy their attention. Despite what many people think about being poor or near-poor, it really is often exhausting. And for people with poor educations, politics and reforms and all that simply aren't on the radar at all. I wish it weren't so, but as a liberal here, trying to do what I can, I can tell you it is. And the untruths spread by local media, the faux-Christians, and the locked-in political system are nearly impossible to fight. That said, many people here do help in whatever way we can, and many are dear to me, as is this land and its creatures also. I hope that the northern states and others can fight off the right wing and its ways better than we have. For there are those who will spread them to you if they can, as you must know.
9
Excellent, well researched, detailed and informative comment, Socrates.
7
Religious fervor teaches that pain and suffering are noble and voters are inclined to vote accordingly.
4
Where are the jobs, jobs, jobs? Why don't we repair and replace our crumbling infrastructure? Can our economy grow and provide employment for any person who wants to work?
474
No Ronald. They would rather send the poor, immigrants and people of color off to war, to die and be maimed while their own sons and daughters reap the benefits of being born into wealth and will inherit it all whether or not they earn it. It is a classic bifurcation of society designed to self-perpetuate. Undesirables need not apply...
84
"Can our economy grow and provide employment for any person who wants to work?"
There are jobs. They're not anywhere near the pay level that manufacturing jobs once provided. These jobs have disappeared due to imports and efficiency. No right or wrong here. The US consumers have made their decisions and it's not just Walmart shoppers.
You could fund infrastructure projects and the economy would get a near term boost but then the dollars would flow to foreign manufacturers. of durable and consumer goods. Yes there's a difference between US and foreign based manufacturers in terms of economic impact on the US economy.
Otherwise, this is just another mea culpa piece from Kristof. And when that occurs you can expect Kristof to lash out at folks with differing opinions as being cold hearted and not getting it.
There are jobs. They're not anywhere near the pay level that manufacturing jobs once provided. These jobs have disappeared due to imports and efficiency. No right or wrong here. The US consumers have made their decisions and it's not just Walmart shoppers.
You could fund infrastructure projects and the economy would get a near term boost but then the dollars would flow to foreign manufacturers. of durable and consumer goods. Yes there's a difference between US and foreign based manufacturers in terms of economic impact on the US economy.
Otherwise, this is just another mea culpa piece from Kristof. And when that occurs you can expect Kristof to lash out at folks with differing opinions as being cold hearted and not getting it.
14
"Can our economy grow and provide employment for any person who wants to work?"
NO, increasingly less expensive and more efficient automation will increasingly reduce the need for no-skill / low-skill workers and any attempt to increase the minimum wage will only push companies to adopt even more automation.
NO, increasingly less expensive and more efficient automation will increasingly reduce the need for no-skill / low-skill workers and any attempt to increase the minimum wage will only push companies to adopt even more automation.
12