What happened when President Clinton "ended welfare as we know it?"

[Syrinx]

What were the actual policy changes when Clinton signed that bill? I admit ignorance on this, but I suspect I would be against it, if I knew the facts.

I'm a bleeding-heart liberal and all.

Clinton "ended welfare as we know it."

The definitions of "welfare."

1. The health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group.
2. Statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need.

Why would anyone be in favoring of ending "welfare?"

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Clinton changed indefinite "welfare" to a one with terms of only three years of receiving

assistance.

[Syrinx]

2. a random limit on giving help

Why not two weeks, or a decade? People need food and shelter, period.

[mdmc]

3. our society got poorer.

[Syrinx]

4. maybe our "society" did, depending on how you define it

But our "nation," depending on how you define it, is richer than ever.

[xchrom]

5. +1

[mdmc]

12. statistically, I am in the wealthiest 10% of humans

so hells bells..

Gov. Tommy Thompson's welfare reform worked - the model for the national plan worked. Poverty was reduced.
The national plan did not work because it didn't address the root causes of poverty. It failed due to a lack of funding and investment.

transportation, housing, education, health care, civics... the needs of the poor run deep my friend..

[Syrinx]

8. our society didn't get poorer

It just got concentrated. Fewer and fewer people have more and more money.

[mdmc]

13. thanks for the reply

so it goes

[bigtree]

6. arbitrarily adjusted eligibility and set a time limit on benefits

. . . .required job search etc.

Result was a generations of poor sliding into an abyss and the Clinton WH able to claim they 'moved them off of the rolls', as if that was the most important concern. It was a cold wall of indifference to anyone who fell beyond the tighter, stingier restrictions. I recall he lost his progressive friends the Edlemans over the change in policy.

[bananas]

7. What happened? The Republicans became angry that Clinton stole welfare reform from them.

You can't believe how angry the Republicans were, maybe I'll try to find some videos on youtube later.
Here's an article about Bob Dole's reaction: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1762593

[Syrinx]

9. And how did that work out?

Short-term political goal can often be to the detriment of America. And it was.

[bananas]

10. Yup. nt

[MadHound]

11. A lot of harm was inflicted, and is still being inflicted, among those who have the least among us.

Welfare "reform" was a dicey proposition at best during decent economic times. In bad economic times, it means that people are starving.