The "reform" of welfare is an historic shift in public policy. One of the central linchpins of the New Deal has been undone. Millions, mostly women and many of them with children, have been thrown off the welfare rolls. Many have landed in dead end low wage jobs. Their quiet lives of desperation are not the grist for prime time specials. The media are largely silent. At the same time politicians trumpet welfare reform as a successful example of compassionate conservatism. Critics are not so sanguine. They call it welfare deform.

Barbara Ehrenreich
Barbara Ehrenreich is a media critic, activist, lecturer and writer. Her articles and essays appear in The Nation and Z. She is the author of several books, including The Worst Years of Our Lives, Fear of Falling, Irreverent Notes from a Decade of Greed, Blood Rites and Nickel & Dimed.