I would like to share with you an op-ed by Bill Clinton labeled, “How We Ended Welfare, Together” which can be found in the blog section at www.democrats.org.

The article discusses the statistical results of the welfare reforms of the 1990s under the presidency of William Jefferson Clinton and sheds some light on how progress was made only through the compromise of each party.

Furthermore I believe you will find some rather insightful commentary on this article with a wide range of opinions. Here are a few key points from the comments worth mentioning:

Olivia says: “there is a great lesson to be learned, particularly in today’s hyper-partisan environment, where the Republican leadership forces bills through Congress without even a hint of bipartisanship.”

“The final bill was indeed a compromise. It eliminated the personal entitlement to public assistance, but did not disqualify big categorties of Americans (other than legal immigrants, a provision which Clinton vowed to change, and did in no small part before he left office), and created significant incentives for states to help welfare recipients find jobs immediately.”

Corinne says: ”a truly succesfull economy can be identified by the wages and quality of life for MOST PEOPLE in the country, not just the top 1%”

I believe that these two posts reveal a certain level of frustration with the Bush administration and nostalgia for the Clinton years. We live in a world where the accepted rule is survival of the fittest, but have we become so greedy that our moral compass is off?

A quote from the movie Wall Street says it best, “How much is enough?” Is there a way to slowly decrease the wealth gap between the rich and the poor in a way that promotes individual and collective achievement? 

Maybe the new global society is meant to provide easier access to cultures of different flavor and governing preference, coupled with the various pros and cons that each nation has to offer its citizens.

With such pondering points laid out on the table, I still find myself coming back to the universal truth that says, “Treat your neighbor how you would want to be treated.” I would add “as long as they are also willing to help themselves in times of need.” So, to sum it all up, people should be given the resources and follow-up they need to land good jobs matched with a little dose of empowerment and personal responsibility in return.