1. Welfare and Education Policy
AP U.S. Government and Politics

2. Politics of Policy Political agenda – “what people are trying to do.”
President Obama – determined to change nation’s healthcare system.
Obama wanted a plan where government had more control over healthcare.
Republicans opposed this as they wanted to leave the majority of healthcare issues in the hands of private businesses.
Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010.
Supreme Court upheld most provisions as constitutional in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012).
Most provisions set to begin by 2014, all by 2020 despite America being divided on support of the act.

3. Poverty in America
Poverty is a significant and persistent problem in U.S.
Families below the poverty line are considered poor and eligible for certain forms of public assistance.
2010 – poverty line was about $22,000 for a family of four.
1/7 of Americans live below the poverty line.
Poverty is especially apparent among single-parent homes, and among minority group members.
Poverty exists in rural areas as well as urban areas.
U.S. has the highest level of poverty among advanced industrialized nations.

6. Politics and Policies of Social Welfare
At one time, the federal government was not involved in social welfare policy.
This approach reflected the idea of negative government, the idea that government governs best by staying out of people’s lives.
The Great Depression changed this outlook.
The New Deal altered Americans’ view of government, leading to a belief in positive government.
Positive government is the belief that government intervention is necessary to enhance personal liberty and security when individuals are impacted by economic and social issues beyond their control.

7. Democrats have traditionally favored positive government and Republicans have traditionally favored negative government.
Republicans opposed Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program and most voted against Medicare and Medicaid.
Democrats voted against the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, which was designed to cut welfare rolls and costs.
Despite different views on social welfare issues, the parties must work together because millions of Americans depend on the government for benefits.
Transfer payments are government benefits given directly to individual recipients, like retirees’ social security checks.
Most social programs are entitlement programs, meaning that any individual who meets the requirements is entitled to the benefit.
Ex. Social Security benefits.
Individual benefit programs fall into one of two broad groups: social insurance programs and public assistance programs.

8. Social Insurance Programs
Over 50 million Americans receive benefits from social insurance programs.
Social security, Medicare, unemployment insurance, workers’ comp.
These programs are known as social insurance, because eligibility is restricted to people who pay special payroll taxes while they are working.
Social security is the main social insurance program.
It is given to retirees and funded directly by the federal government.
Began in 1935 (part of New Deal) and is funded through payroll taxes on employers and employees.

9. Most Americans favor current or higher levels of social security benefits.
American people qualify for social security by paying taxes during their working years, but the money they receive is based on taxes paid by current workers.
As people live longer, there will be fewer workers relative to retirees, meaning that the inflow of payroll taxes will be lower than the outflow of benefits to retirees.
Unemployment insurance provides benefits for workers who lose their jobs involuntarily.
Unemployment insurance is a joint federal-state program.
Benefits usually are terminated after 26 weeks, but Congress can extend the eligibility periods in times of recession.

10. In 1965, a liberal Congress created Medicare.
The program, which is funded mainly through payroll taxes, provides medical assistance to the retired.
It does not cover all medical fees, but people have the option of paying additional fees for increased coverage.

11. Public Assistance Programs
Unlike social insurance, public assistance programs are available only to the financially needy.
A means test is used to determine eligibility.
Applicants must demonstrate that they are poor to get assistance.
These programs are often referred to as “welfare.”
Americans are far less supportive of public assistance than they are of social insurance programs.
Many Americans believe that public assistance programs are more expensive than they are.

12. Types of Public Assistance Programs
Supplemental security income is given to people who have physical limitations on their ability to provide for themselves.
It is not widely criticized by the public.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) attempts to reduce long term welfare dependency by limiting length of assistance and giving states incentives to place welfare recipients in jobs.
States are given block grants used to help poor families with their needs and to develop programs that help the parents find employment.
The strict federal guidelines in which the state programs operate has dramatically reduced the size of welfare rolls.

14. Medicaid provides health care for the poor.
Head Start is an education program focused on helping poor children at a young age.
It provides free preschool, but many eligible children are not enrolled and it has not met its performance goals.
Earned income tax credit (EITC) is a tax credit given to people who work full time and still need assistance.
In-kind benefits are designed so that the recipient uses the assistance in a specified way.
Examples: food stamps, rent vouchers
Medicaid provides health care for the poor.
It is based on need and funded by tax revenues.
As health care costs increase, so has the cost of Medicaid.
It consumes about half of all public assistance dollars spent.

15. Culture and Social Welfare
Many criticisms of welfare exist.
Many Americans feel people on welfare can get by without it if they tried.
There is a political pressure to reduce welfare expenditures and weed out undeserving recipients.
The U.S. has the most inefficient welfare system in the Western World.
Welfare programs are very costly and it is difficult to determine who is eligible, creating a heavily bureaucratic system.
The U.S. spends as much, or more, on assistance for the nonpoor than it does for the poor.

16. Social Security and Medicare exceeds the amount spent on all public assistance programs.
The welfare program is criticized because many people feel that some recipients take advantage of it.
Many are on welfare for years without having a job.
Why get a job if you can make more money on welfare?

18. Education in America
Since the 1960s, the federal government’s role in education has grown.
Prior to this, education was largely the responsibility of state and local governments.
Equality is a guiding principle of public education.
Despite this, all schools aren’t equal.
The quality of education can depend significantly on the wealth of a community in which a child is educated.
Educational attainment is related to personal success, as measured by income.
Overall, more Americans than Europeans go to college, resulting in higher lifetime earnings.

20. Improving America’s Schools
Per pupil spending is higher in the U.S. than it is in Europe.
Despite this, America’s students rank below students in Canada and most European countries on standardized tests.
As a result of these test scores, policies aimed at strengthening American schools were developed.
School Choice provides students an option of leaving a poorly performing school in favor of one that might provide a better education.
Charter schools are publicly funded, but get to select their curricula and students.
Public school supporters argue that charter schools drain their funds and take away their top students.

21. Vouchers also expand students’ options.
Parents are given a voucher, which can be used to pay part of a students’ tuition at a private school.
Opponents of vouchers claim that they take resources away form public schools and they are of little use to poor families because they only cover part of the tuition cost.
Mandatory High-Stakes testing is another controversial topic in education.
No Child Left Behind (2001) – George W. Bush persuaded Congress to pass this legislation requiring national testing in reading, math, and science.
Schools that show no improvement are subject to decreasing federal funding and their students can be allowed to transfer.

22. Is it fair to tie school funding to test scores?
Opponents of NCLB argue that it forces teachers to teach to tests and undermines classroom learning.
Many Democrats, who usually oppose NCLB claim that the program has failed to provide schools with enough resources to improve education.
Overall, Republicans are more supportive of NCLB and school choice than Democrats are.
Is it fair to tie school funding to test scores?

23. Promoting General Welfare in America
The U.S., unlike Europe, does not have government-paid healthcare for all citizens, compensation for all unemployed workers, or retirement benefits for all elderly.
American higher education is superior to that of Europe.
The differences in priority are based on historical and cultural differences.
European democracy developed in response to centuries of aristocratic rule, leading to social programs promoting equality.
Democracy in America is based more on personal liberty, which helped develop Americans’ feelings of self-reliance.