A government study recently released evaluates the time limits for people on welfare. The researchers found that the looming welfare deadline does not encourage welfare recipients to move off the welfare rolls more quickly. The study stated that about half of welfare recipients found jobs.
How do we measure success of welfare deadlines? The persons conducting this study were not interested in ending welfare. Rather they were interested in making welfare reform look bad. The fact is, 50 percent of recipients found jobs before the deadline. How many persons who did not find jobs had some other, unreported form of income? Additionally, how many persons retained other benefits not directly related to welfare, such as food stamps and private help? Finally, the full effect of a welfare deadline cannot necessarily be measured at the deadline but rather should be considered after the deadline when the economic reality becomes more clear to the ex-welfare recipient.
The welfare system was originally designed as temporary safety net. It has become a multigenerational way of life for some families. The cycle must be broken. The pain and suffering caused by some pecuniary hardships will be more than offset when the welfare recipient finally does get a job and is bolstered by the satisfaction of overcoming his own problems instead of becoming dependent upon the state to solve his problems for him.
The goal of any welfare program should be to foster self-reliance. This not only lessens the burden on the state and society, it is indeed the best program for the individual. A society that wants to destroy whole classes of individuals will create a dependent and despondent welfare class. A society that fosters a healthy, happy, and self-motivated people will have the courage to set limits on help and let people develop confidence in themselves.
WJR
