In 1991, public anger and concern blossomed because of the rise of poverty and unemployment levels that began in 1989. The number of people designated as poor by the Census Bureau increased for three years in a row beginning in 1990, and reaching 36.9 million people in 1992. A chaotic time called for drastic measures for a nation desperately trying not to fall through the cracks into economic crisis. By 1991, the inspiring feeling of recovery of the prosperous mid 1980's was starting fade away. One of the many different causes of poverty at this time was teenage pregnancies .
"California Plan to Cut Welfare May Prompt Others to Follow" was printed on December 18, 1991. It began on the front page and continued on page D21, Column 4. The article was lengthy and detailed. It described Governor Wilson's plan, the "Taxpayers Protection Act" and outlined the pressures, motives, and predictions that followed. The Act would cut welfare grants by as much as 25%, tie grants to school attendance, and refuse extra money for additional children. The article included a quote from Lawrence Mead, a scholar and conservative at New York University, expressing his opinion that "This (Governor Wilson's Plan) could be the Willie Horton issue of 1992". Willie Horton was an imprisoned African-American man who was let out on work release one weekend, raping and killing a white female. Mead's quote refers to the public anger and disputes during the election of 1988 due to the ill-fated occurrence and relates it to the current situation with Wilson's proposal. "The Family Support Act", also included in the article, was established in 1988. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan authorized this Act, which promised to provide those on welfare with more career training, day care for their children, and medical insurance. "The Family Support Act" was accepted and encouraged at both state and federal levels, leaving Moynihan unaware as to why now the state had changed its mind.
