I would like to see a program in place that encourages people receiving social assistance to go to school and get training for jobs available in their area. It would be costly, but to quote Bok, the then President of Harvard (and I read he was quoting someone else), "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

A program of that nature would allow an adult to receive funding to support her children and herself while having her education paid for. I'd suggest making it work like student loans, with maybe a ten-year amortization of the debt, no interest.

I know from many years back that the cost of keeping one person in jail in Canada (I think it referred to maximum security institutions) was around $55,000/year. I always thought that investing half that at the right time could have saved millions of dollars, to say nothing of lives. I feel much the same about social assistance. The general argument against it is "Why should so-and-so receive a free ride?" Well, so-and-so would not be. We recognize that sometimes people need a helping hand. Canada gives interest free loans to some countries through CIDA because as citizens we recognize that we DO have a responsibility to actually BE our brothers/sisters' keepers (although I think helpers would be a better term to use.

The solution is not simplistic. It's just one that is simple. I cannot buy into a culture of "work or die". I think despite this type of program there would still be people who due to mental illnesses or physical inabilities would require financial assistance. Hell, give it to them. But I have had too many discussions with single moms or dads, and in fact all they usually need is that one break and they are happy to leave social assistance behind for good.

I could give anecdotal 'evidence', but those who think 'welfare' should not exist in the first place would just discount it, and those who believe we should help fellow humans already know the stories from their own work or lives.