As The New York Times would put it, when in 1996 "President Bill Clinton delivered on his pledge to 'end welfare as we know it'...he signed into law a bill forcing recipients to work and imposing a five-year limit on cash assistance." Back then this supposedly cruel deed was one "Hillary Rodham Clinton supported." The Times says that "some accused the Clintons of throwing vulnerable families to the winds in pursuit of centrist votes as Mr. Clinton headed into the final stages of his re-election campaign."
Now, just consider the way the Times words all this. By ending parts of the welfare state, the bill amounted to "forcing recipients to work," etc. That is like claiming that when one no longer provides support to certain people who become accustomed to getting it, one is "forcing them to fend for themselves." In fact, of course, it was the government that was forcing all those it taxes to support the recipients in the first place and with the bill in 1996 it finally lessened the load on them. Taxation is what amounts to deploying force against people. Welfare is a form of coercive support. But support should never be coerced but provided only voluntarily by fellow citizens to those who are in need of it.
But for The New York Times − and this is in a news report, not an editorial opinion − withdrawing some of this forced transfer counts as forcing people to work! But nothing forces anyone to work other than the fact that one needs to earn a living, needs to feed and clothe oneself. It is, to put it bluntly, reality that applies the force. It wasn't Bill Clinton, Congress, or the supportive First Lady.
Here is a good case of journalistic bias which is disguised within a so-called straight news report. By wording the "report" as The New York Times did, the newspaper's editors and writers tried to make it appear that those who aimed for the contraction of the massive welfare system were perpetrating some kind of oppressive action against welfare recipients. But this just isn't so.
1 comment:
Clinton only signed the welfare reform bill after the Republican congress sent it to him twice. After the third attempt when the bill had a veto proof margin, Clinton signed it into law and took credit for it.
Not only did the welfare reform reduce government expenditures for welfare by reducing the numbers on the rolls, but because these former recipients were now working, they were paying taxes which increased revenues to the government.
Rememeber Slick Willie said he had 4 surpus budget years in a row?
Wonder why?
Post a Comment