How America cares for its poor : introduction / Jean Hopfensperger -- The welfare system has failed / Robert Rector -- The welfare system has not failed / Robert Greenstein -- Promoting self-sufficiency / Glenn C. Loury -- Punishing the poor / Rosemary Radford Ruether -- Welfare : a man's perspective / Ronald K. Henry -- Welfare : a woman's perspective / Cynthia I. Newbille -- Workfare to end welfare : points / Jeffrey H. Joseph -- Workfare to end welfare : counterpoints / Barbara R. Bergmann and Heidi I. Hartmann -- Government welfare corrupts the poor / John Ashcroft -- Government welfare corrupts the rich / Peter Montague -- European welfare states : crisis in the making / Nicholas Elliot -- European welfare states : preserving social stability / Geoffrey Baldwin -- The welfare system subsidizes illegitimacy / William J. Bennett -- Welfare is not responsible for out-of-wedlock births / Rebecca M. Blank -- Foster care and welfare : reducing big government / Conna Craig -- Foster care and welfare : expanding federal responsibility / Marcia Robinson Lowry -- Government payments to the disabled : making America ill / Carolyn L. Weaver -- Government payments to the disabled : keeping the weak secure / James B. Gardner -- Churches and welfare : points and counterpoints / Robert A. Sirico vs. David Beckmann -- Private charity vs. public welfare : the point / Peter J. Ferrara -- Private charity vs. public welfare : the counterpoint / David Saperstein -- Privatizing the welfare state : point and counterpoint / Jeffrey Tucker vs. religious leaders and organizations