The Welfare Reform Act - Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 expanded the size and role of the federal government far outside the limits of Constitution. What was a simple system to provide for the needy was transformed to a major penal system with its own system of courts, prosecutors, police, and jails: family courts, matrimonial lawyers, child protective services, domestic violence units, child support enforcement agents and various state/federal agencies.
As far as that link it looks like the Wefare Reform Act of 1996 redirects to a positive propaganda article for those applying for welfare for "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act". I started to write more and found this below in the discussion for that link which I thought appropriate to post here.
To add my further two cents. As I recall it created incentives to force parents into the state child support collection systems regardless that they do not collect or have ever applied for welfare. The state, the counties and family court Judge's each are provided a financial incentive for a parent placed into the system. (Obviously a conflict of interest for Judges preciding over such cases). The entire welfare reform system reeks of corruption and Corporatism. Federal and state contracts to implement such systems were provided to companies already cozy with our politicians and federal/state governments. For example the contracts are being provided by the military industrial complex of corporations. (i.e Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman etc).
Instead of parents handling child support payments on their own, all too often they were forced into collection with these companies or be held in contempt. No surprise considering the incentives. The companies in-turn would charge a fee as well as delay payments to the custodial parent so they could profit from interest.
Federally mandated guideliness increased child support levels so that a system that was supposed to encourage two parent households actually encourages single parent households due to the child support incentives. Every man and woman that has a child together is at risk of being subservient to the other should they be the first to win the custodial parent status thus receiving the lifestyle child support incentive combined with "ability to earn" policies of the non-custodial.
It also created the federal new hires database that requires all employers to report new hires to the federal government, a defacto national tracking of Americans. I am just scratching the surface here and provided a few links below.
Bottomline, the government is acting in area in which they do not belong, acting outside the Constitution and have over reached to Americans outside of those needing welfare. Welfare is best left to charitable organizations, parenting is best left to the parents and marriage best left to religious organizations. The reality is Newt Gingrich is a hardcore Socialist and his talk otherwise is just smoke and mirrors.
Welfare and the "Road to Serfdom"
http://www.ipi.org/ipi/IPIPublicatio...2572FB00696FED
From Welfare State to Police State
http://www.independent.org/pdf/tir/t...askerville.pdf
How the Failure of Welfare Reform Created Our Lawless Courts
http://www.opednews.com/articles/ope...ilure_of_w.htm
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