Suchergebnisse

Efforts to restructure welfare & reduce dependence in WI are outlined, emphasizing reductions in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children caseload in the state, which have dropped by 50% there, 1987-1996, despite a nationwide rise. Welfare reforms initiated by Governor Tommy Thompson, the Self-Sufficiency First & Pay for Performance programs, are described. Lessons learned from WI's experience are enumerated & their implications for future welfare reform efforts are discussed. 1 Table, 1 Figure. J. Ferrari

Describes program to reduce dependence on public welfare by implementing work and school requirements; implications for other states.

Welfare now absorbs over 4% of the US economy. The real problem with the welfare state, it is argued, is that the prolific spending intended to alleviate material poverty has led to a dramatic increase in behavioral poverty, or social pathology. A breakdown exists in the values & conduct that lead to the formation of healthy families, stable personalities, & self-sufficiency. It is contended that reform of the welfare system must be based on instilling personal responsibility & incentives to get off welfare & into a job. Seven specific reforms are offered. 2 Photographs. L. Dorn

The Food Research Action Center's assertions of widespread hunger in the US are not substantiated by scientific surveys. There is little evidence for insufficient caloric or protein intake among poor adults & children; in fact, the nutritional content of food for low-income & more affluent families differs little. Consumption of essential vitamins & minerals in both groups generally exceeds government standards. Deficiencies in consumption (eg, in zinc, calcium, & iron) do not apply only to low-income children, but are spread over all income groups. The top nutrition-related health problem in low-income families is obesity, not malnutrition. Obesity increases as income decreases in the US & in other developed nations, due more to lack of adequate exercise than to eating unhealthy foods. In general, there is no evidence that the 1970s & 1980s government policies on poverty have pushed lower-income families to eat unhealthy foods or to be malnourished. Rather than increase food stamp allotments to low-income families, mineral supplements of calcium & iron through food stamp programs are recommended. 2 Tables, 2 photographs. M. Pflum