The Welfare System Makes People Dependent (3 Pages 1109 Words)

One of the many reasons why America is called The Land of Opportunity is because its citizens can move up in socio-economic status through hard work and dedication. However, when U.S. citizens fall on hard times, government-established programs offer financial assistance. The history of welfare reform reveals that the question of personal responsibility versus assistance to those in need has been a constant in the debate over welfare. In the 1950s and 1960s, welfare reform was limited to various states attempts to impose residency requirements on welfare applicants and remove illegitimate children from the welfare rolls. During the 1970s advocates of welfare reform promoted the theory of workfare....