http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nation/story/69467.html
Could California become the first state in the nation to do away with welfare?
That doomsday scenario is on the table as lawmakers wrestle with a staggering $24.3 billion budget deficit.
County welfare directors are "in shock" at the very idea of getting rid of CalWORKs, which has been widely viewed as one of the most successful social programs in the state's history, said Bruce Wagstaff, director of the Department of Human Assistance in Sacramento.
"It's difficult to come up with the right adjective to react to this," Wagstaff said. "It would be devastating to the people we serve."
H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance, said California is in an unprecedented fiscal situation that has made all programs, from education to human services, vulnerable to deep and painful reductions.
"I don't wish for a moment to minimize the profound impact" that eliminating CalWORKs would have, Palmer said. "But the easy decisions are way past being in the rearview mirror for us. We face the specter of California not having cash on hand to pay its bills in July."
Wagstaff and other administrators are betting that the state will rescue the "welfare to work" program. But they are bracing for cuts that would slash benefits to the lowest levels since the late 1990s, when CalWORKs began as part of the federal government's bold reform of the welfare system.
Read the complete story at sacbee.com
C-CS
9 comments:
In the early 90s Michigan, previously known as the Welfare Wonderland, cut its welfare rolls by a huge number and there were very few problems. In fact our liberal governor is pretty much going with the same program because it worked.
SR-thank you for the up-date on my former state---
Would you recommend looking for property - let's say on Lake Mich. or Lake Huron? This is a seriou question....
serious question:-)
Welcome to California the home of the Illegal Immigrant.....
TS-thank you for mentioning that issue--one of largest outlay of tax cash $$$--
Throwing Stones, if we weren't paying for illegal immigrants, we wouldn't be in this fix.
And our gov't would rather close hospitals and reduce the numbers of firemen and cops than stop illegal spending.
BUT, this is looking better and better.
I'm hoping shoprat's right about how cutting welfare didn't cause problems; I'm wondering if we'll see more and more homeless and bums all over the streets now.
Carol, what do you think? I sure hope this welfare stuff stops..but I'm doubtful about what it would do to the state.
That would set a huge precedent for the rest of the country.
Say what you will about John Engler, he made some big mistakes, but throwing all able-bodied adults with no minor children off the welfare rolls was not one of them. Then he started requiring that many welfare recipients work for their benefits, and renamed the state social services The Family Independence Administration.
SR-I always respected John Engler for his stand in eliminating those who would not work from the welfare rolls...thanks for the reminder....
Z-I've learned from observing the Dark Siders - they 1) write - 2) verbally state-and 3) follow through with their INTENTIONS-for the long term using the technique of 'a little at a time'...we can do the same...the proverbial - 'camel's nose under the tent'....
KrisE-a precedent in deed!--
You know what they say-'as California goes-so goes the rest of the nation'...
The last election -w/ the downfall of ALL of the tax increase propositions- shows that Californians are waking up!
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