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Definition
| A "negative income tax" that provides income to very poor individuals in lieu of charging them federal income taxes. |
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Definition
| Government benefits that certain qualified individuals are entitled by law to receive, regardless of need. |
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Definition
| The increasing concentration of poverty among women, especially unmarried women and their children. |
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Definition
| The movement of people to another country with the intention of remaining there. |
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Term
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Definition
| The share of national income earned by various groups in the United States. |
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Term
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Definition
| The amount of money collected between any two points in time. |
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Definition
| Government programs available only to individuals who qualify for them based on specific needs |
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Term
| Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act |
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Definition
| The official name of the "welfare reform" law of 1996. |
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Term
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Definition
| Official statistic indicating what a family would need to spend to maintain an "austere" standard of living. |
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Term
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Definition
| A tax by which the government takes a greater share of the income of the rich than the poor- for example, when a rich family pays 50% of its income in taxes, and a poor family pays 5% |
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Term
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Definition
| A tax by which the government takes the same share of income from everyone, rich and poor alike- for example, when both a rich family and a poor family pay 20% |
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Term
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Definition
| A tax by which the burden falls relatively more heavily on low -income groups than on wealthy taxpayers. The opposite of a progressive tax. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Reagan-era law which provided amnesty to many immigrants and toughened border controls. |
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Term
| Social Security act of 1935 |
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Definition
| Created both the Social Security program and a national assistance program for poor children, usually called AFDC |
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Term
| Social Security Trust Fund |
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Definition
| The "bank account" into which Social Security contributions are "deposited" and used to pay out eligible recipients. |
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Term
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Definition
| Policies that provide benefits to individuals, either through entitlements or means testing |
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Term
| Temporary Assistance to Needy Families |
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Definition
| Once called "aid to families with dependent children," this is the new name for public assistance to needy families. |
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Term
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Definition
| Benefits given by the government directly to individuals. Transfer payments may be either cash transfers, such as social security payments and retirement payments to former government employees, or in kind transfers, such as food stamps and low interest loans. |
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Term
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Definition
| The value of assets owned. |
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