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FOR thirty years conservatives have decried the fact that the welfare state leads to continuing poverty, economic dependency, broken homes, illegitimacy, juvenile crime, and assorted other social pathologies. Lately they have found themselves in a position to do something about it. And they’ve come up squeamish.

Consider California. One in five Americans on welfare lives here-2.3 million on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (or its post-1996 equivalent) alone. And while Democrats have majorities in the state Assembly and Senate, Republicans claim strong legislative contingents, a reform-minded governor, and a solid majority of the electorate favoring welfare reform.

BT

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Brian T. Kennedy

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FOR thirty years conservatives have decried the fact that the welfare state leads to continuing poverty, economic dependency, broken homes, illegitimacy, juvenile crime, and assorted other social pathologies. Lately they have found themselves in a position to do something about it. And they’ve come up squeamish.

Consider California. One in five Americans on welfare lives here-2.3 million on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (or its post-1996 equivalent) alone. And while Democrats have majorities in the state Assembly and Senate, Republicans claim strong legislative contingents, a reform-minded governor, and a solid majority of the electorate favoring welfare reform.