Beginning in 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal involved government in everyday economic affairs. Its programs dramatically increased the government's workforce and the scope and power of federal responsibilities.

he New Deal emerged in response to the Great Depression, which brought massive unemployment-a full quarter of America's labor force was out of work-and a growing awareness of the need to provide more financial security for American citizens, both on the job and after retirement.

I want to emphasize that there are students in this class who use these state and federal programs today. Please do not insult your classmates by describing people on assistance as "too lazy to work," getting "hand outs," as "welfare queens," or anything else offensive to those in this class using assistance programs. This has been an ongoing problem with regards to this discussion.

If your post is offensive I will delete it. Illustrate conservative and liberal definitions of poverty. How do these understandings focus the way each party views poor people? And how do those understandings influence the creation of social welfare programs?