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    Morning Bell: The Left Still Doesn’t Get Poverty

    ‘Culture of Poverty’ Makes a Comeback reads the headline from this past Sunday’s New York Times. Patricia Cohen goes on to report: “[I]n the overwhelmingly liberal ranks of academic sociology and anthropology the word ‘culture’ became a live grenade, and the idea that attitudes and behavior patterns kept people poor … More

    Anti-Poverty Approach Needs Reform: Who Said That?

    “What’s needed most right now is creating the conditions where assistance is no longer needed.” “Let’s move beyond the old, narrow debate over how much money we’re spending [on anti-poverty programs] and let’s instead focus on results—whether we’re actually making improvements in people’s lives.” Those quotes would certainly resonate with … More

    Marriage Goes Down, Poverty Goes Up

    An increasing rate of young adults in the United States seems to have cold feet when it comes to marriage. For the first time in recent history, adults between 25 and 34 years of age who are single outnumber their peers who are married. On top of this, the number … More

    Morning Bell: The Heritage Pledge

    My fellow conservatives, The stakes couldn’t be higher for our nation at this moment. In the coming months, Americans will help choose which direction our nation’s future will take. Will the federal government continue to spend more, tax more, control more, and defend our liberties less? Or will we choose … More

    One in Six Americans Receives Government Assistance

    One in six Americans now receives some form of government assistance, reported last week’s U.S.A Today. Fifty million are on Medicaid, a record high and a whopping 17 percent increase since December 2007. Food stamp enrollment has climbed nearly 50 percent since 2008 and now stands at 40 million, or … More

    The Obama Budget: Expanding Welfare, Undermining Marriage

    How can the government grow the nation’s welfare roles and undermine efforts to support marriage, in a single effort? It must simply follow the plan outlined in President Obama’s budget: pay states to grow their welfare roles and eliminate programs that encourage healthy marriage in low-income communities. Despite the fact … More

    Welfare in the Bronx: Personal Responsibility Is Still the Key

    “Need Welfare in the Bronx? Come Back Tomorrow, Maybe” — that’s the title of a recent Womensenews.org piece that questions the success of welfare reform. Caseloads may have dropped, argues author Anna Limontas-Salisbury, but the system leaves those in need feeling frustrated and discouraged. Specifically, she blames the system’s inefficiencies … More

    Top Chef v. Heritage Policy Analyst: Stirring Up the Debate on Federal Welfare

    Last week, Heritage Foundation Senior Fellow Robert Rector went head to head with TV personality Tom Colicchio of Top Chef at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing, both testifying about proposed increases to federal funding for child nutrition. Unfortunately, unlike the television show that results in one contestant coming … More

    A Lesson from the U.K.

    Seven of the eight economies ranked most free in the Index of Economic Freedom were once British colonies or trade posts. It’s no coincidence. Political institutions developed by the British such as representative democracy and rule of law provide a vital base for economic freedom. Yet the U.K. no longer … More

    If Deficit Commission Is Serious, They Ought to Look at Welfare Reform

    Today, Heritage budget expert Brian Riedl testified before the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, more commonly known as President Obama’s “deficit commission.” The commission has been tasked to offer suggestions to reduce the federal deficit—a necessity which was proven even more serious today by the release of the … More