Regulation

Since poverty was recognized as a social problem, attempts have been made to “regulate” the poor. The Great Depression saw this concept of regulation as a government responsibility expanded to efforts never realized previously; and in the early 1970s, the increase in social welfare rolls brought these efforts to new heights yet again. Almost since that time, the term reform has been a part of any conversation that addresses the regulation of the poor and relief giving. Liberal giving had begun to [Page 1317]peak under the reality that there are limitations to the amount of aid even industrialized nations are able to provide.

So the legislature set out to create a series of restrictions and requirements as antecedents to receiving government assistance. This resulted in welfare ...