Education, employment, and family formation are “the building blocks for a flourishing life,” says the leader of the Georgia Center for Opportunity.
But, unfortunately, America’s welfare system includes penalties for both work and family formation, Randy Hicks says.
Although the safety net may not intend to punish work or the family, Hicks says, it does that through policies that reward Americans with financial benefits for earning less or remaining single.
Among all the states, Utah has created a model for a strong welfare system, he says. Utah integrated its workforce services with welfare services in the 1990s, so when an individual seeks government assistance, the first step is to help him re-enter the workforce, if he is able, before providing monetary benefits.
But around the year 2000, the federal government passed a law that made it almost…
