The Welfare System Must Remain

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choice to have children and
welfare benefit levels. Furthermore, for each additional child, a mother can
expect an additional $90 of AFDC benefits, far too low to serve as any type of
incentive. In addition, those states that provide higher benefits do not
necessarily show higher birth rates among their welfare recipients. Families
receiving AFDC benefits have 1.9 children, just about the same as the national
average. (ACLU 1)
Another myth created by the media concerns the amount of money spent and
the results. It has been said that after spending billions of dollars since the
mid-1960's on anti-poverty programs, there have been little or no results. To
begin with, spending on AFDC between 1964 and 1994 was only $500 billion, less
than 1.5% of federal spending for that period. Further, there have been results.
Between 1964 and 1973, the poverty rate fell from 19% to 11%. It is true that
since 1973, poverty has increased. This is due to economic forces such as
declining ...

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