Robert Longley, the author of the article entitled Welfare Reform in the United States from Handouts to Employment, stated in his study of welfare reform: "There is no “There was no time limit on payments, and it was not unusual for people to remain on welfare their entire lives” (Longley). By the mid-1990s, public opinion was strongly opposed to the welfare system. The old system did not encourage recipients to seek employment, welfare benefits were exploding, and the system was seen as rewarding and perpetuating rather than reducing poverty in the United States..