MICHIGAN TO THROW 12,600 FAMILIES OFF WELFARE: WHO WILL BE NEXT?*
By Marian Kramer
The People’s Tribune www.peoplestribune.org
June, 2011
The Michigan House and Senate passed legislation approving a four-year lifetime limit on welfare benefits. If you have been on welfare for four years, you are automatically cut off.
Come October 1, 12,600 families will be cut off the rolls. The family unit will also lose their insurance and their food stamps. Then every month, more people will be eliminated. If you have been on welfare for say three years, you only have one year left. Ohio is also going through this process — they are trying to legislate a three-year time limit. These are examples of the wholesale cuts that are taking place in the Rust Belt against that section of the working class that has the least. If allowed, it could eventually affect the whole working class.
The four-year time limitation is part of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), the welfare “reform” bill that was passed in 1996 under the administration of Bill Clinton.
However, it was left up to the states as to when they would implement this part of the bill. Some states rushed to implement it and others tended to leave the time limitation alone.
Now, the present administration in Lansing—via Gov. Snyder—is not only implementing the time limitation with the blessing of the legislative branch of the government, he is going back retroactively.
[VOD ed.: However, the original legislation establishing the four-year limit was signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm at the beginning of her second term, although she had promised during her campaign not to do so. She used as an excuse that the legislation only cut off adults, not children in the family. It is unclear from the legislation whether that provision is still maintained.]
The Governor says people are to get a job. How can you get a job in an economy that is not producing jobs for the vast majority of people—people are thrown off the job rolls by technology. We have people coming into the Michigan Welfare Rights Office who are trying to match up two or three jobs. They still can’t survive. They are not grossing the amount of money they would have realized if they had their old jobs. They need assistance.
Homeless family waiting for housing assistanceThe Michigan government claims that by moving to do the four-year time limitation, an estimated $77.4 million will be saved. There is no consideration given to what will happen to people without money to buy food or shelter. They will be out on the street.
If the masses of people do not rally against these particular cuts, it will set the foundation for the cuts to go deeper. They will continue the taxation on the pension, eat away at other benefits of the workers, and eliminate certain programs not relevant for the corporate interests. If we allow this to go forward, what is it going to do for social security on a federal level—and will there be a time limit for social security? We have to think about this. Enforcement of this bill would set the foundation for all of our benefits to be eliminated.
When Snyder went after the pensions for Michigan seniors, the people mounted a massive campaign. Suddenly some $400 million in funds showed up. The government is not broke. They don’t need to eliminate people on public assistance in order to “fuel the economy.” They are trying to use general funds for the corporate interests. We should remember, too, that it took both Democrats and Republicans to pass the original bill. We need to fight in the interests of the whole working class. Tax the rich!
Many groups, including the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, are mounting a campaign. We see this as central to the overall battles taking place for workers’ rights. Please contact us. Call (313) 964-0618 or visit our website: http://www.mwro.org/.
*VOD ed.: The next are already here. Additional legislation was passed July 13 in Michigan’s Senate to extend the four-year limit to ALL recipients, not only those eligible to participate in the Jobs, Education and Training Program (formerly Work First). Click on Four year welare limit bill 2011-HEBS-4409[1] and Four year asistance cut-off 2011-HEBS-4410[1] to read Bills 4409-10.
The new legislation requires
- Anyone in the household over 16 who is not in school to meet the JET work requirements, or the family will be cut off. Child labor is back.
- 19-year-olds in the household will no longer be covered.
- Non-citizens will be required to undergo processing through the FEDERAL SYSTEMATIC ALIEN VERIFICATION FOR ENTITLEMENTS (SAVE) PROGRAM.
- Individuals must voluntarily assign all child support benefits to the state, a double dip: if a parent is working and paying child support, they are also paying taxes which support the Department of Human Services programs. Mothers are already required to identify the fathers of their children even if they are not sure of paternity. They were receiving a $50 a month pass-through from child support, but even that appears to be eliminated.
-
- Fathers who work are penalized twice
Instances of third-time noncompliance with numerous DHS rules will result in PERMANENT ineligibility for benefits, not just 13 months. Numerous additional reasons for noncompliance are added, with the provision that the department may create more such rules.
- The recipient will have only 12 days to take action to dispute the permanent ineligibility determination.
- If the landlord is delinquent on payment of property taxes to the state, vendored rents for the tenants on assistance will cease. “Delinquent” does not mean the landlord no longer owns the property; it just means he is behind and has a chance to catch up.
- Re-assessment of eligibility is now done every 12 months, instead of 24 months.
- The Department shall review the feasibility of a SUBSTANCE ABUSE TESTING PROGRAM WITHIN THE FAMILY INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM and issue a final report by Dec. 2011.
- Families will be allowed an additional $200 a year in exempt income to qualify..
- Under HB 4410, exemptions from the JET program will be only for periods of 90 days.
- There is only a 60-day post-partum period allowing exemptions for new mothers from JET.
- Pregnant women must present medical documentation of inability to work.
- A provision allowing DHS to provide for additional exemptions is eliminated in 2013.
Sponsors of the bill are: Kenneth Horn – (primary), Kenneth Kurtz, Sharon Tyler, Lisa Lyons, Marty Knollenberg, Dave Agema, Bruce Rendon, Chuck Moss, Ray Franz, Ken Yonker, Paul Muxlow, Matt Lori, Bill Rogers, Tom McMillin, Cindy Denby, Mike Callton, Wayne A. Schmidt, Hugh D. Crawford, Rick Outman, Pat Somerville, Kevin Cotter, Mike Shirkey, Bob Genetski, Greg MacMaster, Amanda Price, Jon Bumstead, Paul Scott, Al Pscholka, Peter Pettalia, Earl Poleski, Paul Opsommer, Ed McBroom, Ben Glardon, Kevin Daley, Kurt Heise, Margaret O’Brien, Joe Haveman, Philip Potvin, Frank Foster, Gail Haines, and Aric Nesbitt.
The bill passed 24-12 along party lines (Democrats voted against it.)
http://voiceofdetroit.net/2011/07/14/michigan-to-throw-12600-families-off-welfare-who-will-be-next/
Phoebe's Detention Room 
When this country spends billions on idiotic wars across the globe, having such a short-maximum will only result in the exhaustion of police services as these victims will now have to resort to criminal behaviors to supplement their loses. Dumb and costly move imo.
Hell…I’d pick shit with the chickens if it pays. Perhaps they should be asking their church for help. Remember, God helps them who help themselves.
Welfare was supposed to be a “hand up”, not a “hand out.” Some of these folks are third or fourth generation welfare recipients. It’s time to get them off the government teat, don’t ya think?
I don’t believe God enters into this problem.
“Victims”? The real victims are the taxpayers who have to support these people that keep having kids they obviously can’t afford, like the woman in the pic with 4 kids, one of which is probably not even a year old. If she was in such dire straits why did she have another kid?
As to what are they going to do now, how about get a fuckin’ job and don’t tell me they aren’t there, they just have to get off their lazy drug addicted, entitlement asses and look. When I was in dire straits with a small child, I picked friggin rocks, literally, to make a living and it was during a recession. And guess what? I didn’t keep having kids. And guess another one…. I didn’t resort to crime to supplement my loss of anything.
What’s their excuse for their criminal behavior now? And why do I have to pay them NOT to commit crimes?
And in case you missed it, it was Democrat Bill Clinton who instituted the Federal 4 yr maximum, some states chose to institute it immediately while others waited until now.
Perhaps if God was in their lives, they wouldn’t be having these problems.
If there was a God, he wouldn’t allow the people to suffer.
God created us and gave us free will just as He did Adam and Eve, He could have stopped the whole apple incident but He didn’t because He gave us free will.
To suggest that these people are suffering because of God is ludicrous, if they’re suffering it’s because of their own doing, they are suffering because of their free will. So you’re correct, in a way, this isn’t about God.
Many people believe the same way you do phoebe53, and good for them if that makes them happy, but usually only long enough to realize the reality of most religions.
Religion is man-made. Why are you turning this into a religious discussion, why don’t you just answer my question, which was, Why should I have to pay them NOT to commit crimes?
I already know why you’re turning this to religion, because you don’t have a reasonable argument to my response, just like you never came back with proof of your Casey allegations. You just throw shit at the wall to see if any of it sticks and it never does.
Who’s paying them not to commit crimes? I am not trying to turn this into religion, I believe religion is a joke, easily disproven. What proof of Casey allegations? Casey, the defendant, needs no proof, she’s the defendant. She doesn’t have to prove that Caylee actually drown, the prosecution was required to show that Casey harmed Caylee but there is no direct evidence of the ever occurring. Still though, keep up your great blog-work, you do a fantastic job.
Like I said, religion is man-made, that’s why there are so many interpretations. Aren’t you going to be surprised when your end days come and you realize that, whoops, there is a God and I’m screwed.
You said that they will have to turn to crime to subsidize their loses from not getting welfare so, by your reasoning, if we keep paying them welfare then they won’t commit crimes.
As far as Casey goes, I’d have to go back to that thread to get your complete quote but to paraphrase, you said, that there was proof presented in the trial that Caylee drowned in the swimming pool, that George and Kronk were responsible and that Casey knew nothing about it. I watched that trial every second from day one, I saw no proof presented only conjecture from Jose Baez as to that scenario.
Thanks and I enjoy debating with you.
You proved my point perfectly, thanks.
Which point might that be?
Several, but off-topic from the post. Back to the post, I am leaning to no prosecution on those caught on property crimes as long as they do not harm anyone or cause extensive damage. Hey, everyone I knows carries guns, try your luck at supplementing one’s income by stealing, which the state is imposing upon some victims. I could use the target practice anyways.
And once again you’re evading my questions.
You don’t make any sense.
the bottom line is ..this whole state is in trouble..they should have cut back how much they gave families not cut them off…what about the kids they didnt ask to be here and now they have to suffer cause their families lost there jobs and our economy has no jobs but minimum wage ones that cant even pay your bills with let alone eat on
If they are getting cut off it’s because they have been getting benefits from taxpayers for 4 years not that they have been working. Here’s a novel idea….STOP HAVING KIDS YOU CAN’T AFFORD!!! We, the taxpayers, are not responsible for the kids, lay that guilt squarely where it belongs, on the parents.
if you read my comment never said for anyone to keep having kids..i was saying its not the kids fault that someone brought them into the world. they should never have to suffer over bad choices of their parents. thats fine if they want to cut everyone off in the 4 years but never were they giving notice. they basically have less then one month to help themselves. i guess im looking at the big picture that there is going to be alot of children hungry and also now no health insurance to even keep them healthy. im a tax payer to and i dont see where its hurting me to help the less fortunate..maybe you dont have kids or maybe you have never sufferd maybe you have enough money to help the less fortunate..i hate to see such a cold heart
No, it’s not the kids fault but why should the taxpayers be responsible for raising them?
I don’t have a cold heart, I’ve helped many less fortunate than me and I’m not that fortunate but I refuse to take on the guilt of someone else’s actions. I’ve volunteered at soup kitchens, homeless shelters and a battered woman’s shelter. I have donated money to charities, walked in charity walks for March of Dimes. I buy for kids at Christmas and I’ve donated clothes and food, a couple of years ago donated a car to a woman with cancer who had no way to get to her chemo treatments, she was a total stranger.
That good deed came back to bite me in the ass as she never registered the vehicle in her name but somehow managed to get a 30 day tag for it. She was stopped and arrested for driving without a license and the car was left on the side of the road, was never picked up until the city towed it and then they came after me for storage fees. Fortunately I had a copy of the bill of sale so I got out of it.
There was a time when charity took care of the unfortunate but that was at a time when they really were unfortunate rather than lazy. I’m on board with feeding the kids, that’s what soup kitchens, food pantries, Churches and private charities are for.
Yes, I have kids, or should I say kid, I only had one, wanna know why, because I couldn’t afford more. I’ve had my share of bad times and it wasn’t easy to overcome them but I did, with no help from anyone except a Christian group that lent me money for a car so I could get to my new job. And if this was about the working poor I would have more compassion.
LIke I said previously, when I was down and out I did the “jobs that Americans won’t do”, I worked on a potato harvester literally picking rocks and I cleaned a Church 3 days a week, hated both but I was raised with a work ethic, you gotta do what you gotta do. I’ve been there and done that! I just have more self respect and ambition than the current entitlement crowd.
Well said Phoebe53, well said. the problem is there is adequate money to help all of these poor families if we could just stop invading other countries, blowing them up and then re-building them all.