Tommy Thompson’s Welfare Reform and its Impact on Society and Finances

The coming of Tommy Thompson as governor of Wisconsin in 1987 has been a starting point of building a new state with better values and more focus on common people’s needs. This new strategy brought numerous changes in the state’s old policy. It consequently lead to absolute growth and progress in all fields.

At the moment of announcing the established goals, not many could imagine that the outcome would exceed everyone’s expectations. The focus of his activity was providing people with low income better chances to gain their living and make sure they receive the social support they need. Right this point was an essential part of Tommy Thompson’s 2008 presidential campaign.

Tommy Thompson’s Achievements as a Governor

As head of the state Tommy Thompson managed to:

– Lower taxes and save taxpayers $16.4 billion.

– Provide people with more jobs than ever, therefore gaining 18.8 in manufacturing jobs.

– Successfully implement a new program “Wisconsin Works” which replaced the old welfare and benefits-based system program “Aid to Families with Dependent Children”.

– Offer low-income families educational opportunities by creating public non-sectarian schools and further expanding this project.

– Optimize Medicare by focusing it more on research and learning to provide comprehensive care to all Americans.

He has been working hard on improving the state in all areas. Nowadays, Tommy Thompson’s welfare reform remains a symbol of his outstanding performance as Wisconsin governor. “Wisconsin Works” program has changed people’s lifestyles emphasizing the importance of work and social connection.

The Welfare Reform

The need for such a complete change appeared because a significant number of people living in Wisconsin didn’t have a job as well as the motivation to change. They relied mostly on social benefits. It hardly would cover the monthly financial needs, leading poor people into more debts, bankruptcy, and as a result – bad credit. Moreover, a big percentage of the young generation didn’t have access to high-quality education. They were coming from socially vulnerable families that couldn’t afford private schools and colleges. The situation was even worse due to the insufficiency of job positions compare to the number of population. All these details appear to be a depressing picture of a weak state that doesn’t help and support its citizens.

The implementation of the “Wisconsin Works” program was gradual and raised lots of questions. Obviously not the whole population was eager to quit the old lifestyle and suddenly start working, make extra money, manage the budget, and pay taxes. However, the progress started to be shown quickly. It’s important to mention that Tommy Thompson directly influenced the development of the payday loan industry by lifting the cap on interest rates. And thus, offering opportunities to licensed payday loan direct lenders provide their service in Wisconsin and help people in their financial emergency needs.

The unemployment rate decreased resulting in life quality improvement and economic growth. People became able to manage their lives, find a job, have a stable income, take control of their finance. In addition, they began to maintain a healthy lifestyle, educate their children and afford a better quality of life.

The results became easily measurable and the outcome turned the attention of all America towards Wisconsin. Thompson’s program raised curiosity. It led to the adoption of the program in more states and even countries. Nowadays, this welfare strategy became the standard for welfare reform in America and countries around the world.

Thompson’s Presidential Campaign

This success brings up an obvious question of implementing Thompson’s welfare strategy throughout all of the American states. Indeed, when the campaign of Tommy Thompson for president was running back in 2008, he had the intention of using his past success and experience as the most powerful argument. Having already once proven his dedication and commitment to the country’s progress, it seems that very few people would complain about having such a president.

Tommy Thompson’s 2008 presidential campaign aimed to achieve greater results at a country level. When he entered the race on April 1, 2007, his intentions and campaign plan were very promising. Moreover, both Wisconsin and Iowa states greatly supported him.

From April till August, Tommy Thompson was investing all of his time and effort into overcoming the other potential candidates. But still, he had to drop out of the race, and thus, the campaign of Tommy Tompson for president ended. As we know, his failure happened due to poor funding and weak support. Several times on debates he replied with controversial answers which were negatively received by the audience.

Nevertheless, this outstanding man’s accomplishments during his carrier continue to be visible in the country. His way of treating problems directly and establishing bold goals became an example of success achievement.