Mr. Right Opinion- Unplugged & Unashamed
one man's musings during perilous times in America's history
by
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Conservatives, Liberals And Welfare Reform Taken from pages 84-85
“…welfare reform is mostly the responsibility of Congress. While the president can sign or veto all legislation, it is ultimately Congress that crafts the laws which either move us forward, keep us stagnant or send us spiraling downward.
Having said that, I will present my case.
From 1970-1995, poverty rates in this country remained high, and the welfare rolls continued to swell. And although they controlled both houses of Congress during all but three years of that period, Democrats did nothing to improve this situation by reforming the welfare system.
In 1994, in what has been dubbed 'The Republican Revolution,' Republicans wrested control of both houses of Congress from the clutches of the Democrat party. This marked a new era in the annals of American legislative history.
In 1996, the Republican controlled Congress passed the "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)." This law, as detailed in an article by Robert Rector, Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, made the following changes in the welfare program:
--ended entitlement funding...turned Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF-formerly AFDC) funds into block grants for states;
--placed a five year limit on TANF funds for recipients (previously, AFDC recipients remained on welfare for an average of 13 years);
--created a reciprocal obligation whereby recipients were required to get a job, train for a job, maintain an active job search or perform public service work;
--established and promoted the goals of reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies and increasing the number of married, two-parent households (Oh, the shame!);
--created a new federal abstinence education program and;
--restricted benefits to non-citizens, placing the onus of their care on their sponsors.
From 1994-1996, Democrats in Congress opposed this legislation. Eventually, however, half of congressional Democrats capitulated and the act passed. (Then) President Clinton, having already vetoed two previous versions of welfare reform and facing a reelection bid, signed the act into law.
The results of welfare reform have been profoundly beneficial to TANF recipients. Between 1996-2002, according to Mr. Rector's article, the caseload for TANF was cut in half, employment for disadvantaged single mothers rose at least 50 percent, the poverty rate for that same group was reduced by a third (the lowest in U.S. history), and black child poverty rates also dropped by a third (also the lowest in U.S. history).
These statistics speak volumes for the improvements which the Republican-led reform wrought. So one would assume that Democrats would have seen the error in their thinking and would want to keep the positive reform momentum going, right?
WRONG!
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About the Book
“Unplugged and Unashamed” is the culmination of years of pent-up anger and disdain as I watched liberals undermine the fundamental beliefs and foundations from which this country was born.
I take on issues near and dear to conservatives. In fact, included in my book is a Topical Table of Contents, which itself will summarize what this book is all about. Just think of each topic being discussed in a conservative context, and you pretty much have the gist of my writings.
The topics of this special Table of Contents are: Abortion, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Anti-Americanism, Assault on Christianity, Clash of Cultures, Culture of Corruption, Culture of Death, Efficiency in Government, Eminent Domain, Great Speeches, Holding Them Accountable, Homosexual Agenda, Honoring America, Illegal Immigration, Iraq War-Criticism, Iraq War-Rationale, the Late, Great Ronald Reagan, Legislating from the Bench, Light-Hearted humor and events, Media Bias, Middle East-War on Terror, 09/11/2001 (the day that changed the world forever), P.E.T.A., Presidential Election, Radical Islam, Social Security and Mexico, State Legislatures, Statesmanship, and United Nations Corruption.
There are 125 articles, all filled with Right Opinions, in “Unplugged & Unashamed.” They are conservative articles, but they do not always tow the party line. For instance, there is one called, “Could Abramoff Actually Be Good For American Politics?,” in which I call to task Republican fund-raiser Jack Abramoff. There’s also an article, “Tom Must Resign--Without DeLay,” in which I call for the resignation of Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) for documented unethical actions.
When I see something that is WRONG, I will talk about it, regardless of party affiliation. I am trying to serve a greater good in my writing. As I write in the dedication , there is a higher purpose in life than self. And that purpose is what I strive for in this book.
About the Author
Michael A. Minton got his start in politics at the ripe old age of six, when his father, G. Terry Minton, ran for Alderman in Louisville, KY. “Mike” has worked with campaigns to elect (well, naturally his dad), former Rep. Anne Northup, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and most recently with the Romney for president campaign.
Mike got his start in his writing career as a freelance reporter for Talon News Service, and has since gone on to create his own news/opinion blog, Mr. Right Opinion, http://mrrightopinion.blogstream.com/. He has been published in a number of online and print publications, to include: Lincoln Heritage Institute, Men's News Daily, Rightnation.us, VDARE.com, Hawaii Reporter, Jefferson Review, fixmyhealthcare.com, CivilHomelandDefense.us, The Pioneer News, and others.
Mike is a member of Providence Baptist Church in Brooks, KY, a single father of two daughters, an amateur genealogist, and has been involved in acting, most recently appearing in Camelot at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville in 2005.