This Week in CQ Researcher

Straining the Safety Net by Peter Katel, July 31, 2009

Is joblessness overwhelming aid programs?

As unemployment keeps mounting, millions more Americans are being forced to rely on a network of federal and state programs to meet their basic needs. The added pressure on the so-called safety net has prompted increases in unemployment insurance payments and expanded food-stamp and welfare caseloads, authorized under this year’s $787 billion stimulus package.

Budget crises, however, are forcing some states to cut back on safety-net programs, including health care and meals for disadvantaged children. At the same time critics say welfare reforms enacted in 1996 requiring aid recipients to work don’t mesh with the reality of today’s job shortage. But supporters of the reforms say the extra spending on benefits shows the system is working.

• Are safety nets working?
• Are fundamental changes needed in the federal welfare program?
• Is more job training needed?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Remote Access link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.

This Week in CQ Researcher

Financial Crisis by Kenneth Jost, May 9, 2008
Did lax regulation cause a credit meltdown?

Investment banks in the United States and elsewhere are taking billion-dollar losses as they are forced to revalue their holdings. The flood of subprime mortgage defaults roiling the U.S. housing market is also feeding a worldwide credit crisis.

The U.S. Treasury Department has proposed a major overhaul of financial-markets regulation, but the sweeping plan offers little by way of immediate relief. In any event, any proposals for additional regulation will face stiff resistance from the financial community.

Should the Federal Reserve be given more power to prevent financial crises?

Should regulation of commercial banks and investment firms be tightened?

Should the markets for credit derivatives be more closely regulated?

To read this article and others visit our Articles and Databases webpage http://www.swccd.edu/~library/articles.htm and click on CQ Researcher. Select the Access Off-Campus link for information on how to access this resource from off campus locations.