Miles to Go: A Personal History of Social Policy

When his 1965 report to President Johnson, "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action," identified the breakdown of the traditional family as a major cause of African-American poverty and crime, Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan was roundly attacked by liberals for "blaming the victims." Since then the debate has shifted in his direction and he has been in the forefront of many debates on welfare. His latest book on the subject mixes historical perspective, personal reminiscence, and his comments on the state of welfare today. His focus remains the family, and particularly the problem of illegitimacy and single welfare mothers, whom he believes trapped in dependency by the current system. Moynihan is hard on successive administrations for failing to heed his warnings. Contrarily he berates the Clinton administration too for its attempt at reform in 1996, predicting dire consequences.