US welfare rates are inconsistent, according to a report by economics professor Robert A. Moffitt.
The report showed a decline of 35% in aid between 1983 and 2004 for single parents of the lowest income bracket, while those who earned slightly more saw an increase of 74% during the same period.
Overall, the government spent 74% more in inflation-adjusted dollars on welfare services in 2007 than in 1975.
Read more at John Hopkins University