The Ripon Forum
Volume 52, No. 2
April 2018
In this edition
by LOU ZICKAR
As Republicans look for ways to lift people out of poverty 22 years after the last major welfare reform bill was approved, The Ripon Forum looks at a recently enacted proposal that is intended to help achieve that goal.
The Greatest Threat to Global Security is Our National Debt
by DAVID PERDUE
President Trump is rebuilding our military and reengaging with the rest of the world. But if we do not deal with the debt crisis, it will undermine each of these important gains.
City on the Move, City on the Rise
by MICK CORNETT
Over the past 14 years, Oklahoma City has transformed itself into a thriving metropolis geared around economic growth and healthy living.
Five Ideas to Make Congress Work
by JOHN FEEHERY
The retirement of Speaker Paul Ryan speaks less to the political headwinds facing Republicans and more to the miserable conditions that many Members of Congress work under.
A HAND UP, NOT A HANDOUT
by TIM SCOTT
The best way to fight poverty in America is not through government handouts, but by encouraging investments that will help lift up distressed communities.
The Unfinished Agenda
by ROBERT L. WOODSON, SR.
We must go beyond the confines of thinking that has not only created a massive failed welfare system, but also trapped generations in a cycle of dependency over the past 50 years.
Wisconsin Leads the Way On Welfare Reform
by BRETT HEALY
A nine-bill reform package recently signed by Gov. Scott Walker is part of a continuing effort to change the culture of welfare back to what it was originally intended to be — temporary help.
The Youngest Victims of the Opioid Crisis
by NANCY K. YOUNG
With more and more Americans falling victim to drug and alcohol addiction, the number of children being placed into protective custody has increased, as well.
The UBI will Help Solve America’s Crisis of Income Insecurity
by SAMUEL HAMMOND
The economic security provided by a Universal Basic Income would promote entrepreneurship, and provide a cushion against automation-induced job losses in the years ahead.
If You Like Big Government, You’ll Love the UBI
by AARON M. RENN
Almost by definition, a Universal Basic Income would vastly increase taxes and government spending because it would require an enormous redistribution of income.