Our Net Has Holes In It

What if the very system designed to lift people up is keeping them down?

In Our Net Has Holes In It, Clarence H. Carter—veteran public servant and former welfare reform architect—delivers a powerful and deeply personal examination of America’s fractured public support system. With more than three decades inside federal and state government, Carter exposes how today’s safety net has become a maze of disconnected programs, confusing rules, and unintended consequences.

Instead of helping people recover, grow, and thrive, the system often traps them in cycles of dependency. Through vivid storytelling—beginning with a childhood memory at the circus and the image of a safety net meant to catch and restore—Carter unpacks how the original intent of public assistance has been lost.

But this is not just a critique. It’s a blueprint for reform.

Carter proposes a bold reimagining: an integrated, person-centered, outcome-driven support system built on the core American value of individual freedom. He calls for a safety net that engages not just government, but the collective power of communities, nonprofits, businesses, and faith-based organizations.

Through real-life stories, historic parallels like the Winchester Mystery House, and actionable strategies, Carter shows how we can turn passive aid into purposeful empowerment. He urges us to stop measuring success by how much is spent or how many are served—and instead ask: Are we helping people truly rise?

Whether you’re a policymaker, nonprofit leader, reform advocate, or simply a concerned citizen, this book will challenge how you see poverty, public programs, and the people they serve.

It’s time to stop patching holes—and start building a net that works.