Bob Dole: “our current welfare system does not work because it is not based on the proven American formula for escaping poverty: A…”

“our current welfare system does not work because it is not based on the proven American formula for escaping poverty: A job. A strong family. A good education. Saving some money to buy a home. Instead, it undermines almost every value that leads to self-reliance and success. Poverty persists and 3 out of every 10 births are out of wedlock. Unbelievably, the out-of-wedlock birth rate is 80 percent in some communities. Within the past year, the U.S. Congress has twice passed Federal welfare reform. President Clinton has vetoed it both times. Face it, President Clinton has preserved the current system which is trapping another generation of Americans in despair and locking them out of the American dream. Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson refuses to allow this to happen. Last Thursday, he signed into law a program replacing in Wisconsin the failed national welfare system. It is called Wisconsin Works. The new program provides work opportunities and work programs. In order to help beneficiaries get a job, it makes available child care and health care to all low-income families who need it. As Governor Thompson stated: After almost a decade of welfare reform experiments, Wisconsin Works represents the end of welfare in Wisconsin. The current aid to families with dependent children [AFDC] program has become, for many families, a way of life.…”