Welfare programs cost too much, foster dependency, and tear families apart. Consequently, they actually increase and perpetuate the very poverty which they are intended to remedy. What is required now is a sharp break from prevailing practices-a new philosophy of public assistance. This special report argues that Lansing lawmakers must restructure our state's welfare programs to provide incentives to keep families together and encourage people to work their way off welfare. The sixteen-point program for Michigan welfare reform, the first comprehensive proposal on the subject after the 1990 election, sparked a vigorous statewide debate. Dr. Gerald Miller, then director of the Michigan Department of Social Services, stated in June 1992, "Eleven of the Center's proposals were incorporated into Governor Engler's program." 7 pages.
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