--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As President Clinton was fine-tuning his…" description: "\"“As President Clinton was fine-tuning his plan to “end welfare as we know it,” a conservative reformer by the name of Jason Turner was transforming Mil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba5/matthew-desmond-1529_different-colors_as-president-clinton-was-fine-tuning-his_1604096.jpg" --- # As President Clinton was fine-tuning his plan to “end… ![“As President Clinton was fine-tuning his plan to “end welfare as we know it,” a conservative reformer by the name of Jason Turner was transforming Milwaukee into a policy experiment that captivated lawmakers around the country. Turner’s plan was dubbed Wisconsin Works (or W-2), and “works” was…” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba5/matthew-desmond-1529_different-colors_as-president-clinton-was-fine-tuning-his_1604096.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba5/matthew-desmond-1529_different-colors_as-president-clinton-was-fine-tuning-his_1604096.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba5/matthew-desmond-1529_different-colors_as-president-clinton-was-fine-tuning-his_1604096.jpg) > ““As President Clinton was fine-tuning his plan to “end welfare as we know it,” a conservative reformer by the name of Jason Turner was transforming Milwaukee into a policy experiment that captivated lawmakers around the country. Turner’s plan was dubbed Wisconsin Works (or W-2), and “works” was right: If you wanted a welfare check, you would have to work, either in the private sector or in a community job created by the state. To push things along, child-care and health-care subsidies would be expanded. W-2 meant that people were paid only for the hours they logged on a job, even if that job was to sort little toys into different colors and have the supervisor reshuffle them so they could be sorted again the next day. It meant that non-compliers could have their food stamps slashed. It meant that 22,000 Milwaukee families would be cut from the welfare rolls. Five months after Milwaukee established the first real work program in the history of welfare, Clinton signed welfare reform into federal law.3”” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a shift from unconditional welfare to work‑based assistance, where benefits are tied to employment or state‑run jobs, influencing national policy. **In simple terms:** Welfare was changed to require work for aid. Key Takeaway Consider how work requirements affect families. Themes policy reform welfare employment politics Mood critical analytical Type policy historical When to use this quote - government program design - family budgeting - job training - public health subsidies Key Concepts workfare conditional aid social safety net Questions to Reflect On - How do work requirements impact long‑term poverty? - What alternatives could protect vulnerable families? A Different Perspective May penalize those unable to work, reducing safety net effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Welfare reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-reform/) ## Related quotes > [“The irony is that only by a particularly narrow definition does a Walmart job get you off welfare - as a matter of policy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-briggs/the-irony-is-that-only-by-a-particularly-narrow-definition-does-a/) [Laura Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-briggs/) > [The conventional viewpoint says we need a jobs program and we need to cut welfare. Just the opposite! We need more welfare and fewer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-brown/the-conventional-viewpoint-says-we-need-a-jobs-program-and-we-need-to/) [Jerry Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-brown/) > [Every rough sleeper is the product of political decisions that have created a safety net riddled with gaping holes. 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Simpson verdict because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/weirdly-enough-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-black-people-in/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [When Hillary Clinton was in the Clinton White House as first lady, the left - the right accused her of being wide eyed radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-corn/when-hillary-clinton-was-in-the-clinton-white-house-as-first-lady-the/) [David Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-corn/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. 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