Tax breaks like the home mortgage deduction confer financial benefits, and some argue they're part of the government safety net.

'Welfare' used to simply mean 'well-being'. These days it often has negative connotations and multiple meanings.

'Entitlement' has almost contradictory meanings in casual conversation – and also, depending on your views, in political discourse about the social safety net

How did that phrase — the safety net– become a household term for social programs in the first place?

Our reporter learns to fly on a trapeze — and gets a crash course in safety nets, both real and metaphoric.

One woman's definition of a safety net: Something that lets you take risks, from going to school to flying from a trapeze.

VP candidate says businesses can grow jobs and private donations can displace the safety net.