Republican Welfare Reform Pushed A Third Of America’s Children Into Extreme Poverty

[KamaAina]

http://www.politicususa.com/2015/09/05/republican-welfare-reform-pushed-americas-children-extreme-poverty.html

Republicans have had a good run tormenting Americans who are not wealthy by actively seeking new and improved means of increasing the number of Americans living in poverty. It is irrelevant whether it is deliberately killing decent paying jobs, slashing anti-poverty programs, or passing legislation to eliminate what few pathetic worker protection programs still exist, Republicans are never at a loss for finding ways to increase the number of Americans in poverty, especially children. Where any decent human being would do everything in their power to protect children from living in dire poverty, Republicans appear to specifically target America’s young who had the misfortune of leaving their mother’s womb, breathing air, and become a living being.

It seems that every year there is another report by an international human rights organization ranking the richest nation on Earth, America, as an exceptional nation with an inordinately high percentage of children living in poverty. It is that time of year again and according to a report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in 2014 “1 in 3 children in the U.S. lives in poverty as measured by living in a household whose income is below 60% of the national median income.” That works out to annual earnings below $26,4000 for a family of four; what any humane person in America would consider as poverty.

One of the factors contributing to the number of children in poverty is, besides slave wages, the persistent social safety net cuts at the hands of Republican savages. Republicans desperately want to completely abolish safety net programs such as food stamps, TANF (welfare), and any program created to combat poverty. They often refer back to their featured legislation in the “Contract With America” (1996), the hideous welfare reform act as a good jumping off point to fight poverty. They regularly tout its raging success at helping Americans claw their way out of poverty and promise that more “reform” (cuts) will end poverty in America. Of course, they would want to “reform” welfare in a big way again because since the brutal TANF program replaced the AFDC, the number of Americans living on $2 a day, or less in most cases, has more than doubled. Subsequently, that so-called “success” has contributed greatly to the number of Americans, including their children, who live in what every organization on Earth considers “extreme poverty.”

The Republican “special plan” to combat poverty as promoted by Ayn Rand and Koch devotee Paul Ryan is slashing more anti-poverty programs to death. Apparently, even though only about one-quarter of families living in poverty receive TANF benefits, that is still far too many for Republicans who refuse to create decent-paying jobs or raise the minimum wage to a level families could survive on. Conservatives believe that safety net funding belongs to the rich in the form of tax cuts and they bitterly resent the fact that families, and their children, living in poverty receive assistance for basic sustenance and shelter.

[RussBLib]

1. Clinton signed it

He should bear some responsibility. They were soooooo proud of it at the time.

[jwirr]

5. And they did nothing to help the most helpless victims of

their bill.

I was a single mother taking care of 3 children at home. One of those children was and still is severely disabled. She needed one to one care 24/7. I provided that care and our only support was AFDC. When the Clinton welfare reform passed I was told that I would need to place my daughter in an expensive institution and get a job.

But I was lucky enough to live in a state that recognized that my contribution to her care was actually saving money because I was on AFDC ($.60 an hour for the care she got compared to the cost of foster or institutional care). My state created exemptions to the Clinton law. I ended up taking care of my daughter for 45 years until I was not healthy enough to do it any more. Today she lives in one of those foster homes and costs the taxpayer at least $3000 a month. But the Clintons did not bother to consider that.

I remember at the time seeing a news story (I think from Dan Rather) about a black woman in NC who was doing exactly what I did for my daughter. The state did not step in to stop them from taking her child away so she could get a "job". What is burned into my mind is the picture of that woman standing in the door of her home with tears falling while the ambulance crew carried her child away. That is my memory of Hillary Clinton from the 90s and I will never forgive her for what she did to that other woman and her child.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

2. "Welfare Reform"

perfect example of right wing - third way framing.

It was not "reform". It was another step toward killing the idea that we should "promote the general Welfare".

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

[jwirr]

6. +1

[Hortensis]

3. All current GOP candidates feel it did not go nearly far enough

(except for possibly the loose flywheel, but he shows many signs of extremism and malleability, and the right is now looking for ways to control him if elected).

The leading right-wing organization fighting to destroy our government as we know it is believed to be as powerful as the Republican Party (perhaps more so as the GOP depends on it for funding), and their goal is to eliminate ALL social welfare programs, including Social Security, the minimum wage, Postal Service, compulsory education, all labor laws. And much, much more.

That is what is at stake this election. Rubio, Kaisich, and Cruz are only three of hundreds of people running for election who will do Kochtopus bidding if elected or re-elected. So will the Supreme Court once they have packed it.

Charles Koch: The only legitimate role of government is protection of person and property.

McConnell opened his remarks by saying, “Is this working? I know it’s been a long, but very inspiring day. And I want to start by thanking you, Charles and David for the important work you’re doing. I don’t know where we’d be without you, and um, and I want (inaudible) for rallying, uh, to the cause.”

Mitch McConnell has voted against raising the minimum wage 17 times in his career. He has filibustered every recent attempt to raise the minimum wage in the current Congress, so anyone with half a brain should not be surprised that he promised that he wouldn’t raise the mininum wage if he becomes Majority Leader. ...

In the process of praising Citizens United, McConnell described how the Koch infested Supreme Court has opened the door to conservative billionaires buying the government, “And we’ve had a series of cases since then that I’ve filed amicus briefs in and had lawyers arguing in. We now have, I think, the most free and open system we’ve had in modern times. The Supreme Court allowed all of you to participate in the process in a variety of different ways. You can give to the candidate of your choice. You can give to Americans for Prosperity, or something else, a variety of different ways to push back against the party of government. It has nothing to do with overly political speech.”

[Wellstone ruled]

4. You nailed here.

Many times I have bitched about the actions or inaction of our Democratic Party when it comes to the general Populace of our country. This is one of our Party's sad days when Clinton signed this POS. Lost my faith in Clinton when he made statement,why should some Black b=t=h with five kids make more money than the Governor,never ever Billy.

[Hortensis]

7. It was, indeed, in part BECAUSE it was supported by

a solid majority of the people.

I think you posted under the wrong statement, though. It was not just over 100 million voters that pushed Bill Clinton and the Democxratic Party right but, above all, the people who spent vast fortunes secretly developing this new national notion that welfare was not a safety net for us but an easy chair and case of beer for vast numbers of sniggering cheats.

Right now there is a thread on this very forum, posted by a DUer (!) claiming that 50% of all immigrants collect welfare. You can thank this previously secret, cabal of billionaires for the fact that millions of people how have a knee-jerk belief in this kind of thing.

Welfare = lazy, cheat, immigrant, black is no accident. It's a plot. .

Welfare is a government program. Just the first of those they intend to destroy.

[Wellstone ruled]

9. That Statement is so false

when it comes to Welfare. Worked Part Time at a County Welfare Office as a Inbound Officer. My position was to verify eligibility of Inbound Persons and to move them onto a Case Worker. Be honest,once in a while I would see out right fraudulent persons. Most of the Apps I would encounter were White Males and Females who just had a major job lost or illness that wiped them out. Most of our dollar budget went to the Caucasian Segment of our County. But,the GOP needed a whipping Boy and the rest is History to be repeated on a daily basis.

[Hortensis]

10. Which statement? You agree with me. BUT

what about what matters? That was 20 years ago. The huns are sweeping down on us as we...type. Open your eyes! Everything you say you believe in is in grave danger. Now!

[Wellstone ruled]

11. Yes,very aware what is happening.

the safety net is so shredded. What we see daily is the huge increase in our Homeless Population. People are falling through the cracks at a rate never seen before. And the Conservative response is,let the Church's take care of it. That is so BullCrap it is unbelievable. Here in Vegas,last month the so called Homeless Count was done,nineteen thousand,false. Best estimates by groups that do help with persons of need claim,more likely closer to forty thousand. And the MSM here is rife with got to cut Welfare Programs cause it attacks unsavory persons.

[Hortensis]

12. NO! NO! NO! The conglomerate of 700 plutocrats

with Charles Koch at the front is only the largest of many extremely well funded ultraconservatives and groups who are determined to lreinterpret (destroy) the provisions of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, that are always getting between them and the power, money, and/or well-ordered society lead by them that they want. Their gods are "free trade," or as we know it making a huge bonfire from all previous regulation, and "safe, stable, free society," or as we know it one the people have very little say over.

We've already transferred at great deal of our power and wealth to them. They want the rest. And it's happening NOW!

[Wellstone ruled]

13. That has been the trend to date.

The goal of the Republican Party has always been one Party(Fascist)Rule with a two class Society. And all Social Welfare Programs run by Churches. That is why I am a Democrat Socialist.

[Katashi_itto]

8. The Republicans had help. Clinton.