A careful examination of the record, however, indicates that the 1996 law's results were mixed and that if the goal is to reduce poverty, especially among the most disadvantaged families and children, there are serious downsides to embracing the 1996 law as a model.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and his staff have reviewed whether President Johnson's "War on Poverty" has been effective over the last 50 years. There are at least five major problems with the report and the subsequent conclusions that are reached.
Most Americans are wrapping up their holiday celebrations and pondering the promise of 2014. But millions of Americans who have been struggling the longest to find work in our slowly recovering economy are now facing deep uncertainty and despair instead of a Happy New Year.
States with growing populations, such as Texas, or states often in the pathway of natural disasters, such as Texas, or states with a disproportionate share of low wage jobs, such as Texas, would be most negatively impacted by a federally-imposed block grant.
The wealthy are well represented, as is their worry over a potential raise in their tax rate. The media largely ignore the poor and the unemployed, however, those most suffering in the economic climate.