We live in a time where “bold reform” is a phrase usually reserved for policy proposals that are only “bold” because everyone else knows they won’t work. From wealth taxes to massive federal minimum wage hikes toemployee head taxes and more, it’s usually only proponents of horrendous ideas that get to tout themselves as “bold” because of how boldly they ignore all the experts. Yet when it comes to bold proposals that actually succeed in advancing the debate, Senator Mitt Romney’s plan to comprehensively reform how the social safety net addresses child poverty stands out.
That’s because Romney’s proposal gets at a major problem in our welfare system — the mishmash of overlapping and duplicative programs that have been tacked on over time, often with only a passing regard for how it all comes together. His proposal aims to consolidate and eliminate existing programs in favor of something more effective and be responsibly deficit-neutral. Though the proposal isn’t perfect, it’s certainly the type of “bold reform” proposal that we could use more of as a part of debates over improving federal policy.
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