On closer scrutiny, it would appear that both views contain some truth-how much is still debatable. The key seems to lie in which particular subset of the welfare rolls that one is addressing. For example, one article spoke glowingly about a program under the new system in which the administrator provided the means for job training and matched welfare recipients to the right job. The story of "Jim" was typical of those reported in the article.

Jim, age 19, has 2 kids, and little education. He is aided by the administrator of this program in 1) finding a better place to live-in a better neighborhood; 2) being placed in a good job with on-the-job training; that 3) resulted in a promotion within months to a decent salary with benefits (Haskins 62). This administrator noticed

Pollitt, Katha. "Let them sell lemonade," The Nation, v268 n6 (1999): Feb, p. 11.

At the state level, there are three main issues-time limits, work requirements, and sanctioning (Tilly 15). If parents break the rules of the system, they can be "sanctioned" by having all of their benefits revoked. Welfare caseloads are down nationwide on the new program. What happens to these families once they leave the welfare rolls is unknown because no one is collecting that sort of information; however, many critics find it indicative of the situation that there has been a corresponding record demand on food banks (Tilly 16).

The overwhelming thrust of the literature regarding how the state programs are being run emphasizes that state employees are encouraged to reduce the welfare rolls by any means possible. For example, Mayor Giuliani of New York City has set a goal for his administration that welfare will be abolished in New York by the year 2000 (Pollitt 11). To accomplish this, the mayor hired Jason Turner, the man who designed Wisconsin's welfare reform program, as his Human Resources Commissioner (Pollitt 11). The Wisconsin program has been called on the most "draconian" in the country (Pollitt 11).

Dollars & Sense (1999): Jan/Feb, p. 14-17.

Haskins, Ron. "Welfare reform is working," American Enterprise, v10 n1 (1999):

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1352
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)