Gilbert Gutknecht: “I want to talk about the welfare system and what we are doing to…”

On the recordJuly 26, 1996

I want to talk about the welfare system and what we are doing to children. Is there anything more cruel to children than consigning them to a lifetime of poverty and dependency? Cannot we do better than the welfare system we have in place now? Almost everyone agrees that the welfare system has failed. It needs to be replaced. That is why I am encouraged that the House and the Senate have passed welfare reform legislation in the last couple of weeks on a bipartisan basis. This legislation will soon go to the President for his signature. The war on poverty was begun in the mid-1960's with good intentions. Some have said that the safety net has become a hammock, but that is not quite fair. In some respects it is more like a gill net, trapping and inflicting damage upon generations of Americans, and one does not have to look far to see its victims. Our inner cities have become war zones.

Said by

Gilbert Gutknecht

Republican · Minnesota

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing welfare reform and its impact on children during a House floor speech.

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Gilbert Gutknecht: “I want to talk about the welfare system and what we are doing to children. Is there anything more cruel to children than…”

Editor's note · Context