The Welfare Mess

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the welfare reform measures that have been implemented in order to address what the middle class generally regard as problems of welfare abuse. The paper asserts that many in the middle class fail to grasp the real poverty conditions under which many Americans live and that the welfare reform measures pushed forward by the middle class do nothing to alleviate problems of poverty and, instead, benefit mostly those in the middle class.

From the Paper:

"Despite the fact that the United States is one of the most industrious and wealthiest countries in the world at this time, there are millions of American citizens who live in poverty. In order to cope with this phenomenon, the American government has gradually created a social safety net that lifts many out of an otherwise dismal situation. However, it is interesting to note that 'the middle class, not the poor, is the major beneficiary of the nation's social welfare spending' (Dye, 92). Ironically, 'over two-thirds of all Americans are skeptical about the needs of most welfare recipients' (Zuckerman, 1). While they support programs that directly benefit themselves, the middle class generally does not favor those programs that aid the poor. It therefore comes as no surprise that recent reforms target what are perceived as overly generous welfare packages."

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