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Paul Simon on Welfare & Poverty


Get business & churches involved with schools

Sometimes crime and drug and alcohol are the dead ends for parents and students who have no hope, who have given up. We must give them hope, which can come in the form of increased cooperation between schools and businesses. For example, the School-to-Work program should be expanded.

We should persuade religious groups and community organizations to enlist volunteers to work one-on-one with students who need help and who need to know that someone cares about them.

Source: The Dollar Crisis, p.131 Jul 2, 1996

Transform welfare recipients to productive citizens

A shocking 24% of our children live in poverty. No other western industrialized nation has a poverty rate anywhere close to that stunning figure. This is more than ten times the rate of some nations. This 24% statistic is not an act of God but the result of flawed policy.

Education is part of the answer. Determining how people can be transformed into productive citizens, despite severe skill limitations, must be part of that equation. The nation did it with the Works Progress Administration half a century ago. It would certainly seem that creative, sensitive people of today should be able to find more sensible answers than putting people onto the welfare rolls.

People who are simply handed a check for doing nothing are robbed of pride. They do not have the inner satisfaction that comes with contributing something of themselves to society. They have no infrastructure that tells them their existence is meaningful.

Source: The Dollar Crisis, p.134-135 Jul 2, 1996

Transform welfare recipients to productive citizens

century ago. It would certainly seem that creative, sensitive people of today should be able to find more sensible answers than putting people onto the welfare rolls.

People who are simply handed a check for doing nothing are robbed of pride. They do not have the inner satisfaction that comes with contributing something of themselves to society. They have no infrastructure that tells them their existence is meaningful.

Source: The Dollar Crisis, p.134-135 Jul 2, 1996

Voted NO on welfare block grants.

Replacement of federal welfare guarantee with block grants to the states.
Status: Conf Rpt Agreed to Y)78; N)21; NV)1
Reference: Conference Report on H.R. 3734; Bill H.R. 3734 ; vote number 1996-262 on Aug 1, 1996

Voted YES on eliminating block grants for food stamps.

Vote to not allow states the option of getting food stamp funds as a block grant administered by the state, rather than as a federal program, if they meet certain criteria.
Bill S 1956 ; vote number 1996-218 on Jul 23, 1996

Voted NO on allowing state welfare waivers.

Vote on a procedural motion to allow consideration of an amendment to express the Sense of Congress that the president should approve the waivers requested by states that want to implement welfare reform.
Bill S.1956 ; vote number 1996-208 on Jul 19, 1996

Voted NO on welfare overhaul.

Approval of an overhaul on the federal welfare system.
Status: Bill Passed Y)87; N)12; NV)1
Reference: Contract w/ America (Welfare Refm); Bill H.R. 4 ; vote number 1995-443 on Sep 19, 1995

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