You all have good points on what you claim to be the 'roots of poverty' and I especially agree with t.v. (video games an computers, too) creating a false reality and encouraging unrealistic expectations. I also think that anyone who thinks that its easy to live on hand-outs should take the same challenge as Kulongoski.

I do think that there are reforms that can be made to welfare to encourage those that are already receiving assistance to become independent. The way the system is set up at present, it is almost impossible to break away.

If you find work, its usually minimum wages and you can't afford childcare. On top of that, its immediately deducted from the monthly allowance. If you receive student loans, your children are no longer covered by welfare assistance. If your boyfriend moves in to help make your life a little better, you are cut-off or penalized. If your ex-husband is supposed to be making monthly support payments but is out of work or missing, you have to take him to court thereby ruining any possibility of a healthy relationship in the future (for you or your children).

Basically you are given no opportunity to make decisions that you think are best for your family. All decisions are made for you and you come to believe that you are powerless. The worst thing about welfare is that you have to sacrifice any degree of independence in order to qualify. If you want to escape the welfare system, you have to lie your way out. They seem unable to recognize that for most, social assistance is a temporary situation.

Sure, there are chronic welfare recipients but those that can be helped need more than worthless, back to work programs, more layers of bureacracy and endless hoops to jump through. Lets face it, by the time you are able to meet the criteria for assistance, you're too exhausted to have time to do anything else. It soons becomes a chronic condition for you and your children.