Welfare

Welfare
      Ever since its creation in the 1930's, welfare has been helping people who are unemployed, have a low income (that qualifies), or other people who require assistance, which was mostly funded by the federal government.   It is a product of the Great Depression, and for awhile was a very useful.   but ever since the 1990's and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, which essentially switched the program from federal power to the power of the states and greatly reduced the funding families gained, changes need to be made.   This is why I believe it is the responsibility of the policy actors to make drastic changes to the welfare program.  
      "The U.S. Congress kicked off welfare reform nationwide with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, heralding a new era in which welfare recipients are required to look for work as a condition of benefits"(Ewalt & Jennings, 2004). Originally, the welfare system was created to help poor men, women, and children who are in need of financial and medical assistance. Over the years, welfare has become a way of life for its recipients and has created a culture of dependency. Currently, the government is in the process of reforming the welfare system. The welfare reform system’s objective was to get people off the welfare system and onto the job market. The hope was to move people from dependency to self-reliance. This new system has been termed as workfare. 

    Opposition to the new welfare reform system has occurred. Some believe that, "participation in a welfare-to-work program might create new problems for children by adding strains to family life or by exposing children to poor substitute care arrangements for policies that design welfare-to-work programs that pursue the dual goals of economic self-sufficiency for families and healthy development of children"(Shaw, 2009). 

    "Welfare policies aimed at improving family circumstances for both children and...