In 1996 congressional republicans and president Bill Clinton
altered welfare for the better. The largest cash welfare program, Aid to
Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was altered by having work requirements
added to the program, changing the program name Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF). In the next five years of this reform, welfare decreased by 50 percent
and child poverty dropped. Clinton proudly
declared that the reform would “end welfare as we know it”. Millions of families have been able to move
off of TANF because they were given the opportunity to work and support themselves
with the programs work requirements and work training offered.
This past July 2012, Americans watched as Obama’s administration
came out with a change to the successful welfare reform law of 1996. The Obama’s
administration allows the states to waive the TANF work requirements, taking
out the very element that made this reform so successful. In the establishing
of the welfare reform, congress intended the work requirements to be mandatory,
meaning non-waivable. The Obama administration
is illegally claiming authority to waive the TANF requirements by using section
1115 waiver under one of the social security acts, but I bet you didn't know
that in order to use the section 1115 waiver, that what you want to be able to
waiver must be listed in section 1115. As to our knowledge TANF is not listen
in section 1115, making it illegal.
AFDC, was a one way handout. Government mailed checks to
welfare dependents with no expectation of receiving anything back. Under TANF, taxpayers continued to provide
aid, but the dependents were required by law to engage in work, or efforts to
put themselves into the work force, by obtaining their GED, seeking vocational
training, or by attending college.
With Obama’s administration pulling the work requirements
out of the TANF, it leads to more government dependency. What expectation do we
have for those on welfare with no work requirements, but the expectation that
they will be back for more government aid through means of government checks
and food stamps.
A few days later in July 2012, Representatives Jim Jordan,
David Camp, and John Kline introduced H.R 6140, The Preserving Work Requirements
for Welfare Program Acts. This legislation would prohibit Obama’s
administration, from removing the work requirements that made the 1996 welfare
reform so successful.
As Americans we need to be active in this movement, every
tax payer is paying into government aid. Let us better help out fellow Americans
by expecting welfare dependents to give back. In return it helps encouraging
economic growth as they begin to provide and get themselves off of the welfare system.
Government aid is to help them get back on their feet and it is not intended
for people to live off of for a long period of time.
Turn in next time for more ramblings,
Sunshine Girl in Red.
