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Clarence Thomas on Welfare & Poverty


Public housing entitlements are good programs

SENATOR KENNEDY: Well, what is your view about entitlements?

JUDGE THOMAS: I think that there are certain programs in our society that have helped. I visited my mother in Fellwood Homes, which is a Federal housing project in Savannah, Georgia. Fellwood Homes was a tenement, [but it was] a steppingstone before she could then move to something better. I thought that those programs were good.

I think we all though in a pluralistic society are concerned that sometimes when we do something that we hope is good that it may on some occasions have a negative impact, and I think that it is not illegitimate to say that some of these programs, or at least some of the ramifications, may not be what we expected and some of the consequences may be unintended consequences.

But I certainly believe that the efforts on behalf of providing public housing to my mother or the efforts of providing relief to individuals who could not receive jobs, etc., were very, very good efforts.

Source: Senate Confirmation Hearings Sep 10, 1991

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