1. Redesign the welfare system to encourage more "workfare". We have that now in states (thanks to the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 signed by Clinton and proposed by Republican legislatures), however, I would: a. Limit welfare benefits to a maximum of five years under normal circumstances, and extend to 7 years if the recipient was enrolled in a school program or job training program. However, we should discourage "generational" welfare or welfare as a "lifestyle" as it has become in historical perspective.
b. We would have to provide assistance for child care during this period of education for the recipient. However, after a decade or two, we may not need this assistance because the family structure would be "restored" or repaired.
c. We should "stair step" the benefits as the recipient earns more money. Once able to achieve "self-sufficiency", they will be able to provide for themselves. I believe most welfare recipients DO want to do this.
d. We should begin to teach "generic morals" in primary schools and encourage waiting until marriage to have sex. Is this going to "cure" sexual promiscuity? No, but it could have a positive effect in reducing the number of unwed pregnancies. I do believe we can also teach the positive effects of using birth control has. The parents can also be invited to become involved or provide "mentors" from both secular and religious organizations to help educate the kids and parents. The "abstinence" education and other "sex education" together; they are NOT mutually exclusive.
e. We should allow marriage while on welfare, and then encourage both to become self-sufficient. Again keeping the overall benefit timeframe is good. To cut off all or most benefits because a guy marries his "knocked up" girlfriend is not in the long term interest of the nation. 2. Redesign the Department of Education by reducing its size and influence. We can achieve this by attrition and redefining the responsibility and scope of the department. The department encourages more "elitist" theories than old fashioned "three R's". They should be more of a "clearing house" of ideas that bubble up from local and state initiatives that are proven to be successful and quit "dictating" the educational platform for local and state boards. In fact, I believe we should combine the departments of HHR, HUD, and the Department of Education into one department - the Department of Internal Affairs and reduce the entire staff by a third of one half of their current size. We have become more a nation of the "rule of oligarchy" than a constitutional republic. We are ruled by bureaucratic "elites" instead of ruled by congressional legislative processes. The OWS folks should be demonstrating about this as well as the "1%". Political elites are as dangerous as the "wealthy few"!
On the first point, I would argue that teaching about waiting to have sex until marriage is far from a generic moral; it is a religious ideal, and it has no place in most modern people's lives. To call it generic moral is so far from reality, as to be pure fantasy. To me, generic morals are essentially that which infringes on the freedom of others; i.e. don't murder, steal, etc. Anything to do with sex is a personal choice, and personal morality. Its not for any school to be teaching religious norms.
Also, to say that the modern Western "rule of law" has no basis in religious "ten commandments" or, universally, the "big eight” which are shared by all world religions, is historically incorrect, un-factual, and is not grounded in "correct history" (only in revisionist history of the "progressives" post 1947) which is mostly what is taught in our "institutions of higher learning". Starting with Lord Blackstone, and the Magna Carta, most of the concepts of "freedom" are based in the Judeo/Christian ethic and rule of law! If you say that, for instance, stealing is wrong, but it is not based on the “ten commandment” mandates is to fly in the face of reason.