Jon L. Christensen: “welfare reform is an issue, like the previous speaker said, that we can agree on, that we can come together on in a…”

“welfare reform is an issue, like the previous speaker said, that we can agree on, that we can come together on in a bipartisan fashion and that we can work together on. I think all agree that the welfare system has caused people to rely on the Government instead of themselves. I think Senator John Ashcroft said it best last week when he talked about the system, that it has deprived hope, it has diminished opportunity, and it has destroyed lives. But there are questions that we have to ask. After spending billions of dollars, has the Government solved the problems of poverty and of dependency? How many more families are we going to allow to be trapped in the current system before we get a bill out of this House? How many more children must we sacrifice to poverty before we say enough is enough? As my colleagues know, we have heard many people say, and I think the statement is accurate, the fact is we cannot have a moral environment to raise children in America when we have 12-year-olds having babies, 15-year-olds killing each other, 17-year-olds dying of AIDS, and 18-year-olds who are graduating with diplomas that they cannot read. If we are to restore our moral health in this country, we must change the system that fosters that environment. As Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in the late 1930's, giving permanent aid to anyone destroys them. Our bill gives people a chance. It puts a hand out so they can help themselves.”