Arizona Republicans seek to increase the welfare rolls
Posted by: Donna
From yesterday’s East Valley Tribune:
With state finances evaporating, Gov. Jan Brewer is moving to help those with needs get their services from church and nonprofit groups.
In an executive order Tuesday, Brewer created a 20-member task force to coordinate volunteer efforts statewide. The panel also will look for ways to both inform people of the services that are available.
One of the focus areas will be helping put low-income families together with organizations that provide free or low-cost child care.
That follows budget cutbacks last year which have limited the number of people who will get state subsidies to help them pay for the services. That created a waiting list for any new applicants, a waiting list the governor’s office said now caps 10,500 children.
More than half of those children, according to the state, are in families below the federal poverty level of $18,312 for a family of three.
“Child care assistance is critical to helping families retain employment and become self-sufficient,” the governor’s office said in a release. More to the point, they said allowing parents to keep their jobs while knowing their children are in good hands avoids two less desirable alternatives: quitting work and turning to government assistance, or leaving children in unregulated facilities.
Psst…Governor…you know, when government coffers are bare, the same situation tends to hold for charities. I’m sure your efforts to link people in need of childcare to charities will bear some limited fruit, but I predict that the state will still be left with thousands of single mothers who will be left with no choice but to go on welfare.
Since we’re on the topic, and because my status as a childless spinster makes me the foremost expert on parenthood, I have to ask: Why is it that conservatives insist middle class mothers absolutely must stay home with their young children while at the same time acting as though poor women staying home with their children is a heinous offense against society? As an expert on childrearing, I must insist that the children of poor people deserve the same consideration as their better, whiter, non-poor counterparts. Therefore, it stands to reason that we should just go ahead and pay welfare to the poor mothers. Right, conservatives?
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The clulessness of state government is stunning.
Can’t pass a budget? Guns in bars!
Cut spending for education? Religious symbol at the capitol!
Raise taxes? (eek!) Punt it to the voter!
Cut services to the poor? Dump it on non-profits!
Non-profits streched to the limit beause of unemployment and less services,therefore less donations? Then…..oops.
From an insider I know. Talk about clueless. Apparently Phil (morose face-sorry we have to cut way back) Gordon felt his new state provided car wasn’t good enough.
Oops, city provided.
Timmey’s cat,
” From an insider I know ”
Insider to what ?