Social Service Vouchers: Eliminating Poverty by Including Sectarians in a Constitutional Manner

Abstract

In the first section of the paper I will begin by describing the state of welfare at the end of the old system, then I will discuss the changes that were made to the system, and then I will discuss the system as it is set up currently including its shortcomings. This section is included to show that some changes have been made that have been effective, but that some people still seem trapped by intractable poverty, and none of the proposed solutions are adequate. The solutions are inadequate because of the exclusion of sectarian religious groups whose programs cannot ever be supported constitutionally absent social service vouchers. The second section argues that these sectarian religious groups constitute a key group in fighting poverty, and that their inclusion can only be effectuated through social service vouchers. I will analyze other options for decreasing poverty including tax credits, and direct aid to religious organizations for non religious activities and I will examine how they will fail legally if applied to the currently excluded groups. [From Introduction]