254 Welfare Reform in America
254 美国的福利改革
While still in its early stages， welfare reform has already been judged a great success in many states — at least in getting people off welfare. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people have left the rolls since 1994.
福利改革早期，人们就认为很多州在此方面做得非常成功，至少它使很多人不再依靠福利过活了。从1994年开始，大概有200多万人不再接受福利了。
In the past four years， welfare rolls in Athens Country have been cut in half. But 70 percent of the people who left in the past tow years took jobs that paid less than $6 an hour. The result： The Athens County poverty rate still remains at more than 30 percent — twice the national average.
在过去的四年里，雅典接受福利的人数减少了一半。但是，在过去的两年中停止接受福利的人中有70%的人找到的工作是工资低于每小时六美元。其结果是雅典大约有30%的人仍然处在贫困线以下，这个数字是全国平均水平的两倍。
For advocates for the poor， that’s an indication much more needs to be done. “More people are getting jobs， but it’s not making their lives any better，” says Kathy Lairn， a policy analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities in Washington.
对穷人的代言人来说，这意味着需要做更多的事情。华盛顿的一位政策分析家说：“确实有更多的人找到了工作，但是这并没有使他们的生活状况好转。”
A center analysis of US Census data nationwide found that between 1995 and 1996， a greater percentage of single， female－headed households were earning money on their own， but that average income for these households actually went down.
美国全国人口普查的数据分析结果显示，1995年到1996年之间，有更多的单亲母亲家庭确实是依靠自己挣钱来生活的，但是这家庭的平均收入实际上是下降了。
But for many， the fact that poor people are able to support themselves almost as well without government aid as they did with it is in itself a huge victory.
但是对许多人来说，穷人不再需要政府的资助而能够自食其力，这本身就是一个巨大的胜利。
“Welfare was a poison. It was a toxin that was poisoning the family，” says Robert Rector， a welfare－reform policy analyst. “The reform in changing the moral climate in low－income communities. It’s beginning to rebuild the work ethic， which is much more important.”
一位福利改革的政策分析家罗伯特·雷克托说：“福利是一种毒素，它在侵蚀着家庭。而福利改革则改变了低收入家庭的道德水平，使他们开始建立工作首道德观，而这一点是更为重要的。
Mr.Rector and others argued that once “the habit of dependency is cracked，” then the country can make other policy changes aimed at improving living standards.
雷克托先生和其他人认为一旦这种依赖的习惯被打破后，国家就可以采用其他的措施去提高人民的生活水平。