In all her enthusiasm to promote the benefits of work, Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook perhaps overlooked those in situations where employment is not possible. GOV. BROWNBACK has lauded the decrease in TANF case loads as a sign of progress.
We say that with tongue firmly planted in cheek.
“Works lifts individuals out of poverty. It lifts individuals out of depression, and it gives them a sense of self-worth,” the Shawnee Republican said in defense of curtailing welfare benefits.
So, we had it all mixed up.
Legislators are looking out for the needy by holding back support. Oh yeah. Tough love.
Before their recess Friday, legislators voted to reduce benefits and tighten restrictions that put Kansas par to none.
National headlines say it all:
The Huffington Post: “Kansas Bans Poor People From Spending Welfare on Cruise Ships.”
Time Magazine: “Legislation Bans Welfare Recipients from Spending Benefits on Cruises:”
Slate.com: “Kansas Bans Spending Welfare Money on Cruises.”
The headlines, of course, are mocking the knee-jerk reaction the naive have toward the poor. Lazy people are spending my hard-earned money to go see a psychic, lounge around a pool and, of course, go on Caribbean cruises — all of which Kansas legislators have written into law. For real.
Sarcasm aside, the legislation is truly punitive.
For starters, it reduces the lifetime limit a person may receive cash assistance from 48 months to 36 months. And that’s down from the original time frame of 60 months.
Also new is a $25 limit, down from $60, for ATM withdrawals, as proposed by our own Sen. Caryn Tyson.
That’ll buy some milk, eggs and diapers, but a utility bill payment will require multiple ATM withdrawals with an 85-cent user fee attached to each withdrawal after the first.
Legislators contend the measure will encourage the poor to open bank accounts from which such services can automatically be deducted.
Yes, right along with their American Express accounts.
To qualify for food stamps, formally known as the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, a family can make no more than $6,000 a year.
And the benefits can hardly be abused. A family of three in these parts receives about $386 a month — enough to buy a cruise down the Neosho.
The truth, however, is the program’s benefits have shrunk, not the demand, plunging thousands of needy Kansans into deeper poverty.
More than ever, the poor are with us. In Allen County, more than 25 percent of our children live in poverty — a dramatic increase over the last 10 years. And yet, the number of children receiving TANF assistance has decreased by 28 percent.
If we are known by how we treat the lesser amongst us, our reputation is fast sinking.
— Susan Lynn
Lawmakers think tough love best for children in poverty
