One of the first acts of Louisiana’s liberal governor-elect was to head off part of the financial reform enacted by outgoing governor Bobby Jindal. John Bel Edwards petitioned the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asking it to issue a waiver so that the 60,000 welfare recipients don’t have to work to receive government assistance. When Jindal entered the governor’s mansion, he faced a state in a dire financial situation. And while his reforms made him an unpopular governor, his reforms were needed. We know what will happen next in Louisiana — just look to New York City.

After NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio unraveled some of the verification put on welfare recipients to make sure the government’s dole was going to where it was needed most (symptom of a bleeding heart with little knowledge of finances), the city has found the number of people unable to live without the government’s help has grown. Meanwhile, Wisconsin instituted a work requirement for welfare and lo and behold, the number of welfare recipients is down — and the state’s food banks aren’t running dry. It seems like the work requirement was the impetus needed for some citizens to pull themselves out of hard times. As Ronald Reagan once said: “Welfare’s purpose should be to eliminate, as far as possible, the need for its own existence.”