Joel Hefley: “one of the most troubling legacies of the decades of liberal control of Congress is a failed welfare system that…”

“one of the most troubling legacies of the decades of liberal control of Congress is a failed welfare system that encourages complacency and punishes those who attempt to work. Welfare was originally proposed as a temporary safety net for those who fell victim to unfortunate circumstances. It has evolved into a system that 5 million families depend upon for an average length of 13 years. The Republican plan to reform welfare believes that this system has failed not just economically, but philosophically. A well-intentioned plan to help people get back onto their feet has turned into a system that penalizes people who try to work and traps them in a cycle of welfare dependancy. The Republican bill will restore welfare to a system that reflects the original intentions of its authors and reflects the philosophies that an overwhelming majority of Americans support: that welfare should not be a way of life and that the system should encourage work and personal responsibility.”