Posted on 02/01/2009 8:34:06 PM PST by reaganaut1
WASHINGTON — Despite soaring unemployment and the worst economic crisis in decades, 18 states cut their welfare rolls last year, and nationally the number of people receiving cash assistance remained at or near the lowest in more than 40 years.
The trends, based on an analysis of new state data collected by The New York Times, raise questions about how well a revamped welfare system with great state discretion is responding to growing hardships.
Michigan cut its welfare rolls 13 percent, though it was one of two states whose October unemployment rate topped 9 percent. Rhode Island, the other, had the nation’s largest welfare decline, 17 percent.
Of the 12 states where joblessness grew most rapidly, eight reduced or kept constant the number of people receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the main cash welfare program for families with children. Nationally, for the 12 months ending October 2008, the rolls inched up a fraction of 1 percent.
The deepening recession offers a fresh challenge to the program, which was passed by a Republican Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 amid bitter protest and became one of the most closely watched social experiments in modern memory.
The program, which mostly serves single mothers, ended a 60-year-old entitlement to cash aid, replacing it with time limits and work requirements, and giving states latitude to discourage people from joining the welfare rolls. While it was widely praised in the boom years that followed, skeptics warned it would fail the needy when times turned tough.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Obama has a consistent ideology and only bends on issues to the extent he has to. He knows that government dependents are part of his base, and he will take care of his base. Republicans could learn something from the way he operates.
They need to throw the users.
throw out
Corporate Welfare though has seen quite a massive expansion.
Needs a barf alert.
This stuff is like rocket science to Lefties. Their big brotherism takes money out of the poor’s pockets too.
I question the myth of welfare reform. Reform may have been a reality at the beginning but I think the reality is much different even before the economic free fall. I think welfare reform critics only count reductions in selected programs. I know that refundable tax credits are not counted as welfare. There are many other ways that government provides welfare. The stimulus is an explosion in welfare so any pretense of welfare reform now is surely shattered.
I think about it a lot, every time I'm doing my taxes, which is right now. I think of all the money my wife and I are paying in and then I think of all the people who pay no taxes and are yet getting huge "refunds" via the E.I.C. and it makes me want to puke. Some welfare queen out there spreads her legs and pops out a couple of gold mines for herself in the form of the earned income credit.
I can't lay the blame on democrats either, it was originated by Richard Nixon, signed into law by Gerald Ford and increased under every administration since, without exception.
What does welfare rolls have to do with unemployment rates? Is it automatically assumed now that people collecting unemployment automatically go on welfare when their benefits run out?
Besides, it's a given that welfare rolls WILL rise as this economy worsens, and as states run out of unemployment and welfare funds they will be borrowing them from the federal government.
No worries, Obama will keep the printing presses rolling, authorizing overtime, and adding more shifts as the demand rises.
As the dollar value drops, it will be no problem paying people welfare with worthless money. don't forget, all other social programs like old age security and unemployment insurance will be getting their worthless money checks too, so everyone will be treated fairly.
Perhaps they will be able to save some money in other government departments; municiple dogcatchers won't be needed, because there won't be a stray dog or cat to be found anywhere, rat populations will decrease as well, along with all the other little critters that are easily caught in crude snares.
Interesting that the New Yorkian Times would mention "social experiments" in connection w spending.
We have a complete report on just such an experiment. It's titled, simply...
California.
You see, not too long ago, back in about 01, 02, and early 03, alleged, and Democrat Governor of California Gray Davis went on a spending spree not unlike that which the Dem Congress is currently hawking.
The spending was for things that Californians did not need, but it increased entitlements and government and IIRC the illegal aliens did pretty well too.
That, my good FRiends, put the Great State of California into a financial tailspin, which is still hounding us today.
The Dems in our legislature, who have no idea about where money comes from, keep trying to raise taxes to pay our vast debts. The mere threat of more taxes causes tax PAYERS just like me to move away.
So, this is a report to the New Yorkian Times on a social spending experiment. It turned out the way they all do, and always will. Look at the social spending meccas - - Detroit, New Orleans, etc. They are experiments with available conclusions, too.
But California is the true living laboratory.
Imagine, going from 6th (depending on who you ask) biggest economy in the world to insolvency, all because of economic ignorance, blind political faith, and...social spending.
.
Hmmmm...weren’t we talking about the repercussions of this a short while ago? Not to start it up all over again here, but this does rather give “substance” to our suppositions.
Not really. That's just where the money trail disappears Geoge Soro's is making a bundle short selling bank stocks. People just don't get it. The government is broke.
People: "but they can just borrow some more"
Me; "from who, China, Russia? Who? Nobody will buy US Treasury bills"
People: "the IMF"
Me: "the IMF is broke"
People: "The government will just print it"
Me: which will cause our dollar to devalue, which will trigger a landslide, making our dollar worthless. On the bright side, Soros's will be worthless too. And opra's unless she keeps her money in other currencies. Soros doesn't have that option on the billions he's raking in now. Nobody would trade large amounts like that.
Probably has more to do with large population decreases in these states, rather than actual need. More NY Times BS.
Democrats just don’t get it- socialism cannot exist without capitalism to provide the funds, ie workers salaries for them to steal.
If they want more social spending, they have to take care of capitalism, ensure it is healthy and growing. Growth is the only place where new money for social spending can come from.
Instead they foolishly tax the businesses that generate the wealth to pay the workers, cutting off their main source of revenue, and driving away business as well. The more they tax “the rich’ as they like to say, the less revenue they collect overall because of increased unemployment.
Leave it the slimes to see anything bad in less people receiving welfare.
So what is a liberal to do? Bama planted a full crop of deception that he was bringing in ‘good times’ and word is getting out he now he is calling for sacrifice? I doubt very seriously his beloved base are going to be all the pleased with only a $500 check, more food stamps and an extension in unemployment benefits, while the rich liberal bankers are getting billions.
These liberal elites love to peacock strut their stuff but I am guessing there are many liberal elites who are doubting their own tail feathers.
Further I am expecting some rich liberal spewing ‘let them eat ‘pie’! All the while the misery index increases by the media bull horns spreading the ‘bad’ news.
I think I will keep all my money out of the country, like Kennedy and Soros, when I get rich. Welfare needs to come from the sheeple, not me.
If the peasants have no bread, let them eat cake.
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