Last Thursday, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (R) signed a sweeping new welfare bill into law.
At the signing, he re-iterated the same old, tired Republican mantra on the poor: "Too often, while well-intentioned, our poverty programs fail the poor. They fail them by keeping them in cycles of dependency. This legislation helps break that destructive cycle."
Phyliss Gilmore, secretary of the Kansas Department of Children and Families added, "We are very, very happy to be able to be here and to have this celebration."
what eye thynk: Governor Brownback's proud use of Republican trickle-down economic principals has put Kansas on the road to bankruptcy. His low-to-no corporate tax policies and $1 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy have created record budget shortfalls. State money due to Kansas school districts has not been paid and funding for homeless shelters has been so reduced that shelters across the state are being forced to close. Rather than consider raising taxes in order to put funds back into state coffers, Mr. Brownback is instead looking to save money on the backs of the poor with new welfare restrictions.
Some of the new regulations seem to come from a place of common sense: no cruise ships, tattoos, liquor, tobacco, or visits to strip clubs for example; or requiring that recipients work 20 hours a week or enroll in job training, I'm all for that. But others are so punitive that they can only be interpreted as an attempt to shame.
Under the new regulations, families receiving public assistance will be prohibited from purchasing certain types of food like steak, seafood or cookies. (Poor children don't deserve treats!) Families will not be able to use their welfare debit cards for movies, swimming pools, or--and, yes, this really is in the bill--lingerie. (I'm picturing moms who rely on public assistance walking around bra-less but saving money on laundry soap since nobody in the family will own any underwear.)
But the most egregious new restriction was introduced via an amendment written by Senator Caryn Tyson (R) that limits recipients to $25 per day in debit card cash withdrawals from their welfare funds. It is a fact that many poor families don't have checking accounts, so if there is a large bill--like rent or utilities--that they normally pay in cash, how is that going to work exactly? If families have to set their daily cash "allowance" aside for rent, what about cash needs for other uses, like bus fare or school fees? Hidden in this new $25/day rule is another slap in the face to those in need: the state of Kansas charges a fee of $1.00 for every ATM debit card withdrawal, so this law has the potential to lower poor people's funds by $30 a month; more if the bank charges an additional fee.
The new law also requires drug testing for those suspected of drug use, (who decides?); and reduces the life-time limit for public assistance from 48 months to 36 months.
Rest assured, however, one place the poor are not banned from using their state debit card is at their local gun shop.
Phew, for a minute there I thought Kansas had lost track of what was important.
I keep imagining some little dickens walk up and say, "Please Sir. I want some more"
ReplyDeleteGreedy little kid that Oliver is, isn't he now?
When we read stories like this in school there was always an ogre. Always. Seems Kansas is an ogre.
That's scary. Scary as hell.