Progress through civilized behavior, not 'survival of the fittest' barbarism. This country is declining in every possible way and solutions need to be found. Compasionate Conservatism is regressive barbarism. Period.

Poverty Up as Welfare Enrollment Declines

Though the number of welfare recipients continues to decline, poverty rates -- particularly for single mothers and children -- have surged in recent years. Just last month, the government reported that the number of people on welfare had declined by 149,000 at the end of 2003 compared with 2002, while the number in poverty rose by 1.3 million. Those divergent trends offer fresh ammunition to both sides in the debate over whether, eight years after the fact, welfare reform is working.