Welfare reform was the topic of choice as President Bush spoke before a crowd at St. Stephen’s Community Center Friday.
Bush was in Columbus with Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson for a campaign fundraising luncheon for Gov. Bob Taft’s campaign.
Bush called for government to “put aside political parties and focus on what’s best for the American people.”
One reason Bush chose to speak about welfare reform in Ohio may be the success the state has had with the issue. About 210,000 people are on Ohio’s welfare rolls today compared with 749,000 in 1992.
The welfare re-authorization bill must encourage vocational training and family values, Bush said.
“We must have the courage in America to promote and encourage stable families for the good of our children,” he said.
Bush asked Congress to allow for faith-based programming in the welfare legislation to help people in need “without causing them to have to lose the heart and soul of their mission.”
“The best way to save some folks is to recognize that faith can change hearts and therefore change lives,” Bush said.
The five-year goal for the re-authorization bill is to have 70 percent of those on welfare working, Bush said.
“Work helps people achieve dignity in their lives,” he said. “If it brings dignity into someone’s life, it is not too high a goal.”
Bush expressed the need for strict time limits and high standards in order for welfare programs to succeed.
Trust in local government authorities is essential in reaching the welfare program’s goals.
“If you don’t trust local people that means everyone in Washington is making the decisions,” Bush said. “It’s not going to work if (they) are making the decisions.”
The government needs to be flexible in order to meet the needs of individuals on welfare, he said.
Flexibility “is the ticket to independence,” he said.
Bush said he was impressed by the achievements St. Stephen’s has had in helping the community with job training and day care
St. Stephen’s is “a one-stop center where people who need help can come to find help to help themselves,” he said.
Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-Ohio, agreed with the importance of family in welfare reform in his speech to the crowd.
“Government does a lousy job as a substitute for the family,” Voinovich said.
Voinovich said he was proud Ohio was aggressive in passing welfare reform, which in turn gave individuals a feeling of pride.
“People feel really good that they are taking care of themselves,” he said.
Voinovich, who is working with Sen. Ted Kennedy and first lady Laura Bush on welfare programming, said he wants input from his constituents.
“You know more about the programs than I do,” he said.
The welfare reform is about the people, said U.S. Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio of the 7th District.
“We should leave no one behind in society,” Hobson said.
Local officials said they were pleased with the prospect of improving family values.
“It connects with everything we do with children and the family,” said New Albany High School principal, Scott Stewart.
Bishop James A. Griffin of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus also said he was impressed.
“The focus of strength in the family and flexibility was right on target,” he said.
U.S. Rep. Deborah Pryce, R-Ohio of the 15th District, U.S. Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio of the 2nd District, and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman were also in attendance.
