Efforts to reform the welfare system in the United States have been gaining momentum since the late 1980s. Critics have been arguing that states should receive federal waivers to create their own programs to encourage welfare recipients to find work. The thrust of the 1996 welfare reform act transfers control over welfare spending to the states. Although selections in this anthology were written before the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, they present cogent arguments for and against measures in the Act and other proposed reforms of the welfare system. The following essays are included: (1) "Poor Women and Children Need Welfare" (Betty Reid Mandell); (2) "Welfare Reform Is a Mistake" (The Women's Alliance); (3) "Welfare Reform Violates Womens' Rights" (Mimi Abramovitz); (4) "Welfare Reform Must Protect Children and Legal Immigrants" (Bill Clinton); (5) "Welfare Reform Is Necessary" (Robert Rector); (6) "Welfare Reform Should Emphasize Family Unity" (Karl Zinsmeister); (7) "Welfare Reform Must Address the Crisis of Illegitimacy" (William J. Bennett); and (8) "Welfare Should Be Eliminated" (Michael Tanner). Eleven organizations are listed as resources to contact for further information. (Contains 1 table, 9 graphs, and 28 references.) (SLD)