Research Paper on:
Families and the Impact of Welfare Reform

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
that no American goes without adequate food and shelter, but what the average citizen does not stop to ponder is whether or not the supposed reforms to the welfare programs  have succeeded in their task of helping impoverished families better thier respective situations and thus remove themselves from the need for welfare. The need for reform is evident as it  leaves room for a multitude of abuses, not least of which is the allotment for the children in a family. Many welfare recipients purposely raise larger families in an attempt  to garner larger monthly stipends. And there is the added abuse of each succeeding generation teaching its children how to milk the system, thereby guaranteeing them a free ride courtesy  of the American tax payer. But, have the reforms set in motion taken hold, and have they addressed these, and other, profound drains on the economy? LITERATURE REVIEWS ON THE  SUBJECT OF WELFARE REFORM Much has been written about welfare reform. Some leading reports in the area have come from such publications as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In an article  from August 17, 2001, entitled "Welfare Reforms Trim Rolls, But Woes Persist. Report Finds A Big Drop In Families Receiving Aid in Misouri and Illinois. Poverty Posts Smaller Decline", Paul  Harris reports that though the amount of benefits applied for have declined by 26.5%-45% in the three states mentioned, the level of poverty has has declined only slightly less than  2%. The US Newswire report from August 14, 2001 reiterates this point, adding that single-mother families suffered the worst set-backs. This article also lists census reports detailing the actual number  of single parent households, their annual income, if any, and applications to various welfare assistance programs(US Newswire 2001). In a Capitol Hill Press Release, dated October 1999, the author reports