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Governor Thompson And Welfare Reform
"Governments take freedom away from people primarily in two ways," said Republican governor Tommy Thompson at his inauguration in 1987. "They take away our personal freedom with too many rules and regulations, and they take away our economic freedom with too many taxes."
During his 14 years in office -- the longest tenure of any Wisconsin governor -- he fought to make government more efficient, to create jobs, and to preserve Wisconsin's quality of life.
Welfare reform was the defining issue of Thompson's terms in office. His "Wisconsin Works," or W2, program became a model for welfare reform across the nation.
Thompson also launched the first school choice program in the country, which allowed low-income parents in Milwaukee to choose a school for their children. The program included private schools, an option they never had before, and the idea was adopted across the country. |