10 years after....

10 years ago today, President Bill Clinton signed a bi-partisan bill to 'end welfare as we know it.'

Welfare reform was a perennial legislative issue during the 1980s and 1990s, but no matter what Congress did, caseloads grew, peaking at 14.2 million people in 1994. A watershed moment came when Mr. Clinton offered his 1992 campaign promise to "end welfare as we know it." Momentum was also building in the states, where dozens of governors, led by Wisconsin's Gov. Tommy Thompson, were using federal waivers to revamp their welfare programs.
Mr. Clinton's initial welfare reform -- which would have cost an extra $9 billion -- fell to the wayside. House Republicans seized the moment and included welfare reform in their Contract With America, the banner under which the party swept into power in 1994.
The resulting 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed with strong bipartisan support and was signed by Mr. Clinton on Aug. 22, after having vetoed two earlier versions.

Clinton, stole some of the show from the Republicans by moving to the center and grabbing this issue. This was a first step, albeit a baby step, in cutting the entitlement boondoogle that swept Washington in the 1960's. The bigger one, and ultimately more difficult cuts will come in the unaffordable retirement age entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare.