Divide and Conquer: Responsible Security for America's PoorBy dividing poor families into groups based on the reasons for their poverty, a system of income support can be developed that is both effective in reducing poverty and compatible with basic American values about personal responsibility and work. Social values dictate that individuals must take responsibility for their situations and that all able-bodied individuals should work for a living. A new social welfare system should encompass the following propositions: (1) people who are already doing as much work as society deems acceptable ought to be able to support their families at or above the poverty level without relying on welfare or welfare-like supports; (2) people who are poor and are not working as much as society would hope ought to be offered short-term transitional assistance that includes short-term cash income coupled with services designed to help them become self-supporting; (3) long-term maintenance for people not working as much as society would hope ought to be provided for in the form of jobs and work, not in the form of cash welfare of indefinite duration; and (4) absent parents ought to be required to share any income that they have with their children. The situations of two-parent working poor families, female-headed families, and ghetto families are discussed in detail. Statistical data are included on three tables and two graphs. (FMW) |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Poverty and Family | 9 |
Should We Expect More from the Poor? | 19 |
Copyright | |
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absent fathers absent parents adults AFDC America's Poor American Future causes of poverty Charles Murray child child-support assurance childhood children born today children in female-headed Current Population Survey current welfare DIVIDE AND CONQUER earned income tax economic conditions elderly Ellwood Expected Poverty female family heads female-headed families female-headed home fully working poor ghetto residents grow up poor households husbands illness or disability income support income tax credit jobs program long-term income maintenance long-term poor mainstream male-headed medical protection ment minimum wage Murray negative income tax number of children offer paper poor families pover poverty level poverty line poverty rate problems Project on Social question reason refundable tax credit Responsible Security role seems self-supporting single mothers single parents single-parent families single-parent homes small number Social Security social welfare system society spend tion transitional support two-parent homes unemployed unemployment rate wage subsidies welfare benefits wives workers workfare