More proof that welfare state is
self-defeating. The state of Kansas performed a natural experiment when it
changed from the welfare state policies of Democrat Kathleen Sebelius to the
conservative policies of Sam Brownback. There has now been enough time under
both regimes to assess outcomes. Ali Meyer of theFree
Beacon writes:
Welfare reform implemented in Kansas caused individuals to
reenter the labor force while earning higher incomes, according to a report from the Foundation for Government Accountability.
Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback took office in 2011
and began to implement welfare reform after the previous governor, Kathleen
Sebelius, had relaxed requirements for those on welfare to work or search for
employment.
From 2000 to 2011, the number of able-bodied adults on cash
welfare was increasing by 42 percent in Kansas, while nationally the number on
welfare had dropped by a third.
Brownback first began reforming welfare by strengthening
sanctions for those who received cash assistance by implementing a three-month
ban on those who refused to meet work requirements. If an individual failed to
meet the requirement for a second or third time, the ban was prolonged for six
months to a year.
"Since these reforms took effect, compliance with work
requirements has climbed from historic lows," the report states. "The
percentage of able-bodied adults on the program who are employed has also
risen. Meanwhile, the opposite trends were occurring both nationally and in the
region with fewer able-bodied adults on welfare working."
Brownback also began collecting employment and wage data on
17,000 individuals who had left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) program for a duration of four years to see if these individuals became
self-sufficient.
The study found that those who left welfare saw their
earnings increase by 104 percent in one year, which is $20 million more than
they had while on welfare. In four years, these individuals saw their incomes
increase by 247 percent.
Individuals who left welfare are also better off because
they found employment in more than 600 different industries and found
long-term, high-paying jobs.
Case closed on the material plane. People are better off with
restrictive welfare regulations. But perhaps even more importantly, honest work
is good for the soul, a truth that liberals and leftists deny. Dependence on
others becomes toxic emotionally and spiritually over time, if work plays no
role in an adult’s life.
Why are liberals such haters?
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/08/kansas_welfare_reform_results_in_higher_incomes_as_recipients_forced_into_labor_force.html
