Welfare Reform Package: Helping Individuals Help Themselves Essay exam

It is nearly impossible to support one particular stance on the political spectrum for societal issues across the board. I have always placed myself in the libertarian category on the political spectrum, in the sense that I believe the government should refrain from passing laws that impose on individual freedom and support privatization and the free market. When it comes to the welfare state, I don’t think that the key to a successful reform necessarily lies in the cutting back of government spending, but rather a redistribution of the budget. I recognize the need for government assistance but firmly believe that more emphasis needs to be put on providing opportunities for individuals through job training, education, and work subsidies. As the American Political Science Association discussed, in their report on the rising inequalities present in democratic America, â€Å"Americans accept economic inequalities only when they are sure that everyone has an equal chance to get ahead† (APSA, 2004). The welfare state in the US was formulated as part of Roosevelt’s â€Å"New Deal† in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s. During that time, welfare was intended to provide aid to widows with children, while helping to support farm workers and stimulating the agricultural sector by using surplus as food aid. This era paved the way for social security, emergency relief funds, and created the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The 1960s brought the second large wave of welfare reform with Lyndon Johnson’s â€Å"Great Society† legislation. Johnson waged a â€Å"war† on poverty by increasing social services and drastically increasing the population receiving AFDC. The subsequent decades brought about debate as attempts at welfare reductio... ...cation and creating a climate in which a more educated population is possible would create more opportunity and reduce the passing of welfare dependence from generation to generation. Works Cited Alesina, A., & Glaeser, E. L. (2004). Fighting poverty in the us and europe: A world of difference. Oxford: Oxford University Press. American Political Science Association. (2004). ASPA task force report: American democracy in an age of rising inequality. Perspectives on Politics, 2(4), 651-666. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3688533 Bane, M. J., & Mead, L. M. (2003). Lifting up the poor: A dialogue on religion, poverty & welfare reform. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution Georgetown University Morgen, S., Acker, J., & Weigt, J. (2010). Stretched thin: Poor families, welfare work, and welfare reform. New York: Cornell University.