Morning Bell: Dependence on Government Highest in History
When John F. Kennedy was President, just over a quarter of federal spending went to fund programs paying for some 21.7 million Americans to be… Read More
Dependence on Government at All-Time High
The 2012 Index of Dependence on Government, released today, should be a wake-up call for America. Published by The Heritage Foundation for the past 10… Read More
What Saturday Night Live, Welfare, and Harry Potter Have in Common
If there’s one thing Saturday Night Live is good at in an election year, it’s lampooning politicians—whether it’s been Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, Darrell… Read More
Welfare Dependence Keeps Growing
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article citing 2010 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly half (48.5 percent) of America’s population now lives… Read More
Maine Conservatives Leading the Way on Welfare Reform
Proving they are serious about mitigating their citizens’ dependence on government welfare programs, conservative members of Maine’s state legislature continue to push the state towards… Read More
Restoring Personal Responsibility in Welfare
Fifteen years ago, Congress voted to “end welfare as we know it.” As a result, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program was created… Read More
PODCAST: What’s the Truth about Poverty?
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, researcher Rachel Sheffield discusses her new report on poverty in America. PODCAST: What’s the Truth About Poverty? Is there… Read More
Michigan Takes on Welfare Reform
In the national effort to overcome dependence on government, Michigan has just moved one step forward toward ensuring that welfare promotes self-reliance. On Tuesday, Governor… Read More
Welfare Reform Turns 15
Fifteen years ago today, after lengthy battles between a Republican-led Congress and a Democratic White House, President Bill Clinton signed into law the 1996 Personal… Read More
10 Two-Letter Words That Inspired Gov. Paul LePage to Reform Maine
He left home at 11 after a rough childhood, spending time on the streets, yet managed to finish both high school and college. He later… Read More
Welfare Spending Under the Boehner Plan
Bob Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities claims that the Boehner budget is a form of “class warfare.” He says that “if… Read More
Faith Leaders Meet with Obama to Protect Welfare State
On July 20, 12 Christian leaders met with President Obama at the White House to voice concerns about the prospect of budget cuts to government… Read More
Kentucky Faith-Based Organization Helps Poor Achieve True Human Flourishing
Adding to the looming national debt crisis, means-tested government welfare spending continues to skyrocket, with no significant improvement in poverty rates. Private, faith-based community leaders,… Read More
PODCAST: Poverty in America
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, senior fellow Robert Rector breaks down the myths, distortions and confusion surrounding poverty in America. Make sure to listen… Read More
President Obama Admits Welfare Encourages Dependency
During his Twitter Townhall on Wednesday, President Obama admitted that government welfare has created dependency. He noted: I think we should acknowledge that some welfare… Read More
Top 10 Reads: July 6, 2011
Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. What would the founders do about… Read More
Poverty Immigrating to America’s Welfare State
Welfare spending is projected to skyrocket over the next 10 years, costing taxpayers $10.3 trillion and driving the United States toward bankruptcy. To make matters… Read More
Guest Blogger: Reboot the Welfare System
To most Americans, the phrase “welfare reform” conjures memories of a bipartisan law that President Clinton said would “end welfare as we know it” in… Read More
Morning Bell: How Many Trillions Must We Waste on the War on Poverty?
Which American politician said the following? “The lessons of history, confirmed by the evidence immediately before me, show conclusively that continued dependence upon relief induces… Read More
What Newton Can Remind Us about Good Intentions
When studying Isaac Newton’s laws of motion in high school, we all learn that every action has a reaction. I was recently reminded of that… Read More
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to Speak on Welfare Reform
The 112th Congress is out of the gate, and so is its mantra of getting government spending under control. But there’s one piece of the… Read More
Inequality Statistics and Poverty Facts
“Facts are stubborn things,” wrote Mark Twain, “but statistics are more pliable.” Jonathan Alter amply demonstrates this truism in last weekend’s New York Times Book… Read More
Morning Bell: The Left Still Doesn’t Get Poverty
‘Culture of Poverty’ Makes a Comeback reads the headline from this past Sunday’s New York Times. Patricia Cohen goes on to report: “[I]n the overwhelmingly… Read More
Anti-Poverty Approach Needs Reform: Who Said That?
“What’s needed most right now is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed.” “Let’s move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much… Read More
Marriage Goes Down, Poverty Goes Up
An increasing rate of young adults in the United States seems to have cold feet when it comes to marriage. For the first time in… Read More
Morning Bell: The Heritage Pledge
My fellow conservatives, The stakes couldn’t be higher for our nation at this moment. In the coming months, Americans will help choose which direction our… Read More
One in Six Americans Receives Government Assistance
One in six Americans now receives some form of government assistance, reported last week’s U.S.A Today. Fifty million are on Medicaid, a record high and… Read More
The Obama Budget: Expanding Welfare, Undermining Marriage
How can the government grow the nation’s welfare roles and undermine efforts to support marriage, in a single effort? It must simply follow the plan… Read More
Welfare in the Bronx: Personal Responsibility Is Still the Key
“Need Welfare in the Bronx? Come Back Tomorrow, Maybe” — that’s the title of a recent Womensenews.org piece that questions the success of welfare reform…. Read More
Top Chef v. Heritage Policy Analyst: Stirring Up the Debate on Federal Welfare
Last week, Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Robert Rector went head to head with TV personality Tom Colicchio of Top Chef at a House Education and… Read More
