RAGS TO RESPECTIBILITY. Former Congressman James Rogan (R-CA), has written a book, Rough Edges: My Unlikely Road from Welfare to Washington. He believes, as I do, that conservatism helps the poor more than liberalism. Mr. Rogan says "Conservatism is the antidote to intergenerational poverty. It is important for people to move from welfare to work if they are ever to be free. Conservatism - - by that I mean less government intrusion in people’s lives and more personal freedom from governmental intrusion in our lives - - preaches that independence from government handouts is the remedy to advancing in life. Coming from a welfare family, I learned that lesson. I saw what happened in the lives of so many people around me who became addicted to government largesse. They lost all incentive to climb the economic ladder."