[upchuck]

Final paragraph of the article:

Rather than doubling down on the mistakes of the past, we should restructure the welfare state around Johnson’s original goal: increasing Americans capacity for self-support. Welfare should no longer be a one way hand out; able-bodied recipients of cash, food and housing should be required to work or prepare for work as condition of receiving aid. Welfare’s penalties against marriage should be reduced. By returning to the original vision of aiding the poor to aid themselves, we can begin, in Johnson’s words, to “replace their despair with opportunity.”

Amen!

[Enlightened1]

Agree 100%

[econjack]

...[recipients] should be required to work or prepare for work as condition of receiving aid.

Agreed. If you can fog a mirror, you show up for work every day, even if it's to clean toilets in public buildings, sweep the streets, whatever. In addition, I would implement mandatory drug testing. Finally, if you are on public assistance and pay no income taxes, you don't get to vote in local or federal elections. Yeah, I know that in this politically correct society that will never happen, but it's the way I feel about it, especially when I see food stamps (or the electronic equivalent) being spent on booze and cigarettes...and it does happen.

[from occupied ga]

Johnson’s original goal: increasing Americans capacity for self-support.

LBJ's original goal was to buy votes for the Democratic party. Self-support never entered into it.