The Devil’s In The Details Of Welfare Reform Proposals
Congress passed a welfare-reform program last year. Now it’s the states’ turn to adapt their laws to the new federal rules.
In Washington state, the Welfare Reform Coalition, formed to advocate for the needy, has listed six principles it believes a state plan should support: fostering responsibility, keeping families together in times of crisis, protecting the taxpayer, strengthening communities, protecting children and helping people get and keep jobs.
Who would argue with standards like those? But a story Wednesday by S-R staff writer Kevin Blocker underscores some of the difficulties in meeting the goals.
Single-parent households have enough trouble finding suitable day care where their children will be safe and supervised during the workday. But for those who work evenings, finding adequate “night care” is even more daunting.
So, if Americans want able-bodied adults to be employed, families to be stable and children to be properly cared for, what steps should lawmakers take to assure the necessary resources are in place?
Users get the point
Is the Clinton administration moving toward supporting needle-exchange programs to protect intravenous drug users from AIDS?
Some people think so after Donna Shalala, secretary of health and human services, sent Congress a report citing studies that call such programs effective in fighting AIDS and bringing drug abusers to treatment.
Until now, the Clinton administration has opposed spending federal dollars on needle-exchange programs. AIDS activists and the National Institutes of Health are among those who think such programs beneficial.
What do “Bagpipes” readers think a sound public policy would be?
Police surveillance?
Spokane police and members of Spokane’s African-American community will initiate a series of forums following a black man’s allegations of police brutality.
The city briefly had a citizens review panel that was supposed to look into incidents like this. The panel crumbled a couple of years ago, however, because of disagreements over how much influence the Police Department should have in its proceedings.
Do Spokane citizens want an independent panel to examine complaints against police? If so, how much authority should it have?
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