Through work a person develops not only physically and mentally, but spiritually as well. The religious leaders in New York who are protesting workfare should be the first to recognize this. Yet the benefits of work are denied to those trapped in poverty. And by providing welfare without tying it to any obligations, we have created a system that offers few means of escape. If we are looking for the ball and chain, we need look no further than unchecked subsidies for doing nothing but staying poor.
Workfare programs are far from prefect.
In the short run, they can be as costly to taxpayers as the old system of requiring nothing from welfare recipients. Workfare can also pose difficulties for single mothers, who need to find care for their children. And it requires sacrifice from employers, who bear the burden of training unskilled employees. Yet no one said the transition from failed system of subsidized poverty to one of work and productivity would be smooth. Workfare may not accomplish miracles but it offers hope.