Maine, under recently re-elected Republican Governor Paul LePage is instituting a work requirement to its Food Stamp program.
As a result, adults 18 to 50 years old with no children and who are able to work must do so or volunteer for 20 hours each week. Otherwise, their benefits will be limited to three months over a three-year period, according to The Boston Globe (H/T Mad World News).
“People who are in need deserve a hand up, but we should not be giving able-bodied individuals a handout,” LePage said in a statement. “We must continue to do all that we can to eliminate generational poverty and get people back to work. We must protect our limited resources for those who are truly in need and who are doing all they can to be self-sufficient.”
New York City, under Sandinista-supporting Democrat mayor Bill deBlasio, is following Obama’s example and eliminating the requirements that welfare recipients work for their bennies.
Every workday morning, Phedra Schliefer-Tobias mops floors, cleans toilets and scrubs sinks just like the rest of the members of the custodial staff in a nine-story office building in Lower Manhattan. But her city-issued identification card — her badge of shame — makes it clear that she stands apart.
In bold, black letters, the ID card describes her as a “Non Employee,” proof that she is not on a career track. She is a 48-year-old welfare recipient, working for her benefits and “going nowhere,” as she puts it.
But these days, Ms. Schliefer-Tobias is hopeful that her ID card is destined for the trash bin. Across New York City, she and other workfare participants are abuzz about news from City Hall.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is revamping the city’s welfare program, vowing to dismantle what was once the largest workfare program in the nation and to embrace new strategies for moving thousands of people off the welfare rolls and into jobs.
Instead of work, the welfare recipients will only have to sign up for “education and training” programs; i.e. Free [stuff] from the Government {FSFTG}. Meanwhile, the workfare jobs will be filled with unionized employees, and connected Democrats will get city funding for “education and training” of the welfare recipients. For Democrats, a win-win-win. For taxpayers, not so much.
“Non Employee,” proof that she is not on a career track. ”
Who would consider a 48yo woman scrubbing toilets to be on a career track?
My str8 friend’s wife complains about the low quality/ high quantity of volunteers gotten via forcing High School students to do service hours. There is a viral video of a cleaning lady looting a hotel guests property. Are there enough things that they can do in NYC without supervision to occupy the Free Stuff Army’s volunteer hours?
If she doesn’t like how wearing a “non-employee” badge feels, she could always apply for a job as a sink-scrubber and get an “employee” badge with another company, right?
But then she’d lose all her state and federal “benefits” as well as the city ones.
the Republican Party in New York should try to persuade Rudy Giuliani to run for mayor. He ran a prosperous and safe city for tourists and residents. If he won’t then find a fiscal conservative and start the campaign ASAP to bring sanity and safety back to New York City.