Aug 30, 2008

Welfare Reform | Welfare Reform Must Address the Crisis of Illegitimacy

William J. Bennett, a former U.S. secretary of education and director of national drug control policy, is codirector of Empower America, a public policy research organization in Washington, D.C.

Summary: The welfare system sustains and subsidizes illegitimacy, a condition that causes poverty and social decay, particularly among black Americans. Illegitimate children are more likely to be poor, drop out of school, and become criminals and drug abusers than children in two-parent families. The welfare system contributes to these problems by providing cash grants to...