Peer Review Discussion Document #1

The following passage is quoted from the Heritage Foundation website, Welfare and Marriage Briefing Room (as posted October 22, 2002, http://www.heritage.org/Research/Welfare/welfarebriefingroom.cfm).

“At the time of its enactment, liberal groups passionately denounced the welfare reform legislation, predicting that it would result in substantial increases in poverty, hunger, and other social ills. Contrary to these alarming forecasts, welfare reform has been effective in meeting each of its goals.

• Poverty has dropped substantially.
• Some 2.3 million fewer children live in poverty today than in 1996.
• Decreases in poverty have been greatest among black children.
• Hunger among children has been almost cut in half.
• The AFDC/TANF caseload has been cut nearly in half.
• Employment of single mothers has increased greatly.
• The explosive growth of out-of-wedlock childbearing has come to a virtual halt.
• Marriage has been strengthened.”

Using your analysis of the 2001 poverty data, your readings to date of the text, or any other sources of facts and perspective you care to draw upon, provide the class with a brief critique of any of the first three claims. Feel free to draw upon or disagree with each other’s critiques as you would in any class discussion.

Location of Peer Review Site for this Discussion

http://catalyst.washington.edu/webtools/pr/slogin.cgi?owner=mukboy&id=947