From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Will the nanny state be replaced by the daddy state?

Hello again, I'm Mormon Alney, and this is To the Point from Public Radio International.

The daily look at the issues, Americans care about most.

Welfare reform was designed to put poor people to work, but it has not ended what's called

the culture of poverty. In rural Mexico, poor mothers are paid government money, but only if they

keep their kids in school, get medical checkups, and learn about healthy food. The poverty rate has

dropped so much that the program is being adopted in

30 other countries. There's even a pilot project in New York City. There's much debate over

the causes of poverty, but if this form of tough love helps end it, who cares? On reporter's

notebook later on, despite new violence in Gaza, Bethlehem is crowded with tourists.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio

International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation, the John D. and

Catherine T. McArthur Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation and its campaign for American workers.

More at rockfound.org. Hello again. We're on Alney, back with To the Point. Mexico has seen a dramatic

reduction in poverty with a program that pays poor mothers to keep their families healthy and keep their

children in school. Will it end what's called the culture of poverty? Would it work in the U.S.? On reporter's

notebook, Israel and the Palestinians are on the brink of a new escalation, but Christian visitors are

getting a break in Bethlehem. First, this news update, the Christmas spirit and other forms of

good cheer are under serious challenge in many parts of this country. That's because of bad weather,

which has caused travel problems for a week and a half, with today likely the worst of all. Ben Motzenbaugh keeps track of it all for USA Today. Ben, good to have you on our program. The pleasure to be here. You made it from Washington to your home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, so you managed to get there ahead of the storm. You know, but I'll tell you, my travels, I think, are probably indicative of a lot of people.

I was actually coming back from Puerto Rico before arriving in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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