Changes

==Welfare in the United States==

==Welfare in the United States==

Welfare expenditures in the United States have been growing for many years. The welfare system was established by President [[Franklin Roosevelt]], and extended by [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] as part of the [[Great Society]]. Opponents say that the top 50% of Americans pay over 96% of the taxes. <ref>[http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/250.html]</ref> Supporters may cite the supposed effectiveness of Roosevelt's policies to help end the Great Depression.<ref>http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/overview.htm</ref>  Welfare also comes in the forms of [[food stamp]]s, free school lunches, and [[Medicaid]].

Welfare expenditures in the United States have been growing for many years. The welfare system was established by President [[Franklin Roosevelt]], and extended by [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] as part of the [[Great Society]]. Opponents say that the top 50% of Americans pay over 96% of the taxes.<ref>[http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/250.html]</ref> Supporters may cite the supposed effectiveness of Roosevelt's policies to help end the Great Depression.<ref>http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/overview.htm</ref>  Welfare also comes in the forms of [[food stamp]]s, free school lunches, and [[Medicaid]].

===Welfare payouts===

===Welfare payouts===

The following table represents the welfare monies handed to the average recipient, broken down into yearly and hourly "wage" equivalent comparable to the tax-paying worker as of 2013 by the Cato Institute<ref>http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/work-versus-welfare-trade</ref>. In many cases - aided by the fact that welfare recipients do not pay taxes on what they receive - the monies they get exceed the wages earned by a tax-payer at an entry-level job.   

The following table represents the welfare monies handed to the average recipient, broken down into yearly and hourly "wage" equivalent comparable to the tax-paying worker as of 2013 by the Cato Institute.<ref>http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/work-versus-welfare-trade</ref>  In many cases - aided by the fact that welfare recipients do not pay taxes on what they receive - the monies they get exceed the wages earned by a tax-payer at an entry-level job.   

{| class="wikitable"

{| class="wikitable"

|-bgcolor=#cccccc

|-bgcolor=#cccccc

== Welfare Reform in the US==

== Welfare Reform in the US==

In the [[United States]], Conservative legislators passed the [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996]], which ended the AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) and radically changed the US welfare system. Tighter restrictions were placed on the eligibility and manner of receiving public aid in order to discourage families (mainly single, divorced, or widowed mothers with children)<ref>[http://futureofchildren.org]</ref> from remaining idle (outside of the work force). For instance, recipients are required to find employment within two years of receiving aid, and a single family could receive aid for a total of five years. If a mother gives birth to a child while on public assistance, states are allowed to establish "family caps" in order to deny further benefits the family may have been eligible for before the reform<ref>Washington Post [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/welfare/welfare.htm#new]</ref>. Legal immigrants have also been made ineligible for any [[Social Security]] Income (SSI)<ref>Cornell University Law School</ref><ref>[http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/welfare]</ref>.

In the [[United States]], Conservative legislators passed the [[Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996]], which ended the AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) and radically changed the US welfare system. Tighter restrictions were placed on the eligibility and manner of receiving public aid in order to discourage families (mainly single, divorced, or widowed mothers with children)<ref>[http://futureofchildren.org]</ref> from remaining idle (outside of the work force). For instance, recipients are required to find employment within two years of receiving aid, and a single family could receive aid for a total of five years. If a mother gives birth to a child while on public assistance, states are allowed to establish "family caps" in order to deny further benefits the family may have been eligible for before the reform.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/welfare/welfare.htm#new Washington Post]</ref> Legal immigrants have also been made ineligible for any [[Social Security]] Income (SSI).<ref>Cornell University Law School</ref><ref>[http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/welfare]</ref>

People who take advantage of the welfare system by collecting benefits for an extended period of time without trying to improve their situation (i.e. by getting a job) are known colloquially as [[welfare queen]]s. The legislative changes mentioned above help this problem, but there is still much room for improvement.

People who take advantage of the welfare system by collecting benefits for an extended period of time without trying to improve their situation (i.e. by getting a job) are known colloquially as [[welfare queen]]s. The legislative changes mentioned above help this problem, but there is still much room for improvement.

==See Also==

==See also==

* [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Legislation]]

* [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Legislation]]

* [[Capitalism]]

* [[Capitalism]]