the inexorablewelfaredependency, petty crime and drugandalcohol abuse that follow whenthe infrastructure ofsteadyemploymentimplodes. The picture is grim, but masterfully painted.
Though some argue that this method would cut welfareabuse, government expenses and eventually taxes, the suggestion raises the uncomfortable possibility of restricting buying behavior for everyone.
While Reagan called for cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse of welfare programs, he was working with a Democratic House, and entitlement programs have only grown and proliferated in the past thirty years, with both parties saying yes to low taxes without saying no to new spending.
It later became clear that the figures did not reveal any significant abuse of the welfare system: the vast majority of those claiming benefits were perfectly entitled to them.