The numbers of those in poverty have swelled right along with the bureaucracies built to administer to them. The poorest and most blighted neighborhoods are poorer and more blighted than they have ever been. True compassion is helping people help themselves, and no one is helped by the culture of dependency. We will not get anywhere unless we squarely face the mess we have created. That requires blunt talk and the acknowledgment of unpleasant truths.
Genuine reform can only come at the state level.
It is now in the hands of the states, their legislatures, and ultimately their citizens, to reform the human tragedy that is our welfare system. We must help them take up this task not only in good faith, but also awake to the challenges that lie ahead. Compassion for the next generation of children demands that we take bold action. Larry P. Arnn is president of The Claremont Institute. This essay is reprinted with permission.