Earlier posts have linked to articles which describe the success of the US welfare reforms. This one makes a couple of very important observations about the lessons learned and are entirely relevant to our suituation;
One lesson is that what people do for themselves often overshadows what government does for them. Since 1991, for example, the teen birthrate has dropped by a third. The mothers least capable of supporting children have had fewer of them. Welfare reform didn't single-handedly cause this. But it reinforced a broader shift in the social climate -- one emphasizing personal responsibility over victimhood.
Another lesson is the virtue of candor. Welfare's flaws were openly acknowledged. If we aren't more honest about other problems, they will simply get worse (as they already have).
The final lesson is the value of some bipartisanship. Although welfare reform was mainly a Republican project, President Clinton (who had pledged to "end welfare as we know it") provided general support, as did many Democrats who voted for the final bill. All agreed that the system was broken. Bipartisanship makes big changes in policies more acceptable to the public by signaling a broad consensus.
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Before concluding that "welfare reform" has been a success, shouldn't we ask if the number of homeless and hungry has decreased?
I don't know for sure but a study released earlier this year by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness indicates that both have increased in this country since the legislation was enacted.
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