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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Tragedy Of Welfare "Deform" Near Prostitution For Welfare Clients To Feed Their Kids.
My reaction to the headline on the state of welfare reform on Huffington Post today.
As I commented in an earlier thread I used to work for a program once called "The Work Incentive Program". With the help of a bipartisan Bill Clinton he helped destroy that wonderful program that I worked at for 6 years from 1976 until 1982 when Reagan trashed the National Employment Service by cutting our budget. I lost my position for 5 months was demoted to a clerk before I got my grade back.
Sorry but I have to say this folks. Piss on Reagan and all his CONSERVATIVE progeny and piss on his library and grave. Dig the asshole up and throw his remains in the ocean. Because of him millions of Americans have suffered and even died. I deliberately mean all disrespect for a dead Reagan. And piss on the GOP and all its candidates. I apoligize for this language in advance but I have have enough.
Once I tell this story you will know why I am so vile towards ANYTHING the GOP did and does.
We had at one time a National Employment Service that I proudly worked for for 24 years. The best years of my life was working with welfare clients and the homeless. I would do it again and again and again. Nothing is more rewarding than the successes I had getting poor, abused, and at times terrified young women into some kind of meaningful work.
In one year Lowell and I negotiated around $250,000 in federal OJT contracts for welfare clients in our County. It was gratifying to see one of your AFDC clients get a job and go to work and even continue after the contract was up. Yes there were bitter disappointments. The program WAS cost effective and did change lives for the better. And yes we had scammers but that is just part of human nature. These GOP bastards and I have worst word are the biggest scammers of all. That is another issue.
We had a good crew of Social Service degreed Social Workers and aides, two certified counselors, 3 employment specialists and a secretary. And we all carried case loads of about 100 welfare clients. We assessed them for their needs and went work trying to help these mostly poor women get a life. We paid for schooling, car repair, federal OJT contracts, child care, and some medical. Most qualified for food stamps and Medic aide. We also paid for work search. It WAS a great program.
And for all you assholes out there who are trolls and Returdlicans - screw you and go to H. I would NOT help any of you if you and your family were drowning these days. You and your kind were responsible for killing this program because you helped end it with your votes. It is not name calling if what you say is TRUE. And Clinton was too stupid to understand what he did with "welfare
deform". He is just as responsible.
The Temporary Assistance To Needy Families (TANF) was a fraud and a sham and a sentence to a life of misery and poverty for women and young children. IT WAS A HARASSMENT PROGRAM FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. it was all about forcing women to take jobs that they could not live on or feed their children. Most of the support that the original WIN program were removed. The real effect would be similar to sending a person out in the middle of the Mojave Desert 50 miles from civilization with a quart of water. It was that god damned impossible situation under what I saw in 1998 before I retired. I was not about to be a terrorist towards these clients and threaten to take food out of theirs and their kids mouths if they did not obey the "whip".
I am just beyond furious with what has gone on under TANF and the new welfare regime. I guess we now have block grants and the states do not have to use the money for welfare clients. What we are doing is more than immoral. It is downright criminal.
So what is really left women now. They will not be able to control their family size with the GOP planning to make contraception either illegal or unavailable. Now that they want to jail women who might have an abortion, there are few options left. Women are in a Catch 22 if they have not means. The REAL TRUTH now is that many of these women are faced with selling themselves to feed their children. That will be really true with food stamp cuts the GOP is proposing.
Just watch the historic play "Les Miserables" and the fate of Fantine. THAT IS THE WORLD THE GOP WANTS TODAY.
Being a veteran of Vietnam I will no longer take GOP sh--. I will go out of my way to make some Republican bastard pay for what they are doing and plan to do. I will confront in make miserable where I can. Romney needs to be followed, stalked and challenged everywhere he goes. WE NEED TO BREAK HIM PSYCHOLOGICALLY AND WE NEED TO HUMILIATE HIM. WE NEED TO CRUSH HIS CANDIDACY BEFORE IT GETS ANY KIND OF GOOD START. His crowds should be small or nonexistent.
Debate is over as far as I am concerned. It is time for verbal war with this criminal GOP who is now using FOREIGN money in their campaigns and is violating the law by having their campaigns communicate with the super pacs. It is time to throw off the "Boy Scout" uniform and toss them into the pig sty they were born in.
IF THEY WIN WOMEN AN CHILDREN AND THE VULNERABLE LOSES. WE ALL LOSE FOR A GENERATION OR MORE WITH A NEONAZI SUPREME COURT. AMERICA LOSES AND THE FLAG BECOMES A MEANINGLESS SYMBOL OF WHAT USED TO BE. Obama may not be perfect but he may be our only hope for now.
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freshwest
(53,661 posts)
KT2000
(20,577 posts)They have not been held accountable for their cruel and heartless actions on fellow citizens. In fact, they hold themselves in higher esteem because they go to church, carry weapons, and fly the flag. Media falls for this.
I no longer default to politeness but rather call people, who dare to blather their hateful desires for those less fortunate, on their cruelty and hypocrisy.
Ghost of Huey Long
(322 posts)As for the entire attitude of the OP- Oh I'm there!
And we need to feel this way about the corporate media as well. They have been selling Reagan's evil message forever. None of this is possible without them enabling the greedy, evil, fascist, lying, sadistic bastards. We cannot have a reasonable discussion about the problems in this country because they have distorted the truth to such an extent, no one even knows, for instance, why there are no jobs here. Blame Obama? It was the freaking 'free' trade agreements, pushed by Republicans and signed under Clinton. Do people have no memory or what?
The media are granted a license to use OUR PUBLIC AIRWAVES from the FCC stating they will serve the public interest.
Then they turn around and lie about everything, blame the victims of their policies for the massive debt the corporate politicians created meanwhile distracting Americans with stupid shit to serve their corporate masters.
They can have cable to spout their stupid shit, but they should have to compete with real news serving the public interest on our public airwaves.
As Huey Long explained, 'our problems are simple, but the rich won't let us solve them'
We need to tax the rich and hold them accountable to the rule of law.
A media serving the public interest would speak this truth and hold people's attention more than their corporate cable stations because deep down I believe people really are seeking the answers and have a radar for the truth.
We need to take this anger to the corporate stations and demand they do their jobs, demand the FCC revoke their licenses and don't leave until we get what we want. If we do not, they will manufacture consent and steal the Nov election just like they did in Wisconsin, They are feeling more empowered than ever.
http://occupytvstations.com/
HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)programs, attacks on the safety net (SS, medicaid, medicare) & union protections have proceeded because *the ruling class wants them* and the ruling class controls media & funds politics.
it's not that hard to understand.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)
charliea
(260 posts)You may need a copy editor, but damn that's how I've been feeling since 'ol Ronnie Rayguns got in. I remember that program, I thought it was wonderful. Help, training, guidance that's how good government should work. I don't know but I bet the right analysis would show it was wildly cost-effective too.
To me it boils down to the fact that Republicans want to engender an environment where wealth accrues to the few, and the hoi polloi can just do without. That is: corporations are the real beneficiaries of government regulations (or lack of them) and the people are not.
Amongst a whole host of other issues I like dealt with is one that I think would tweak "them" where it counts. Let's implement the Financial Transfer tax to all stock, bond, derivative trading, etc. My own Congressman (Defazio) has introduced it before but it aint gonna happen until we boot out the current House leadership. I'd love to see that orange clown lose his gavel.
I'm an old pessimist, generally but somehow I think that Rmoney is managing to step on every "third rail" available. So far he's alienated women, immigrants, people who like coherent extemporaneous speech, and independent voters who think people are creatures that breath.
bluesbassman
(19,373 posts)
freshwest
(53,661 posts)RobertEarl
(13,685 posts)That is all they are and bullies always pick on those who appear the weakest.
That's why they bully the women and children, whom, because of this society's norms, are weakened and beaten down. Democrats try to help them up all the while republicans are beating them back down!!
Time to end this game we have been playing. End the War on Women and their children. We have a leader who will follow us if we just decide to quit playing games.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.”
~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
Zalatix
(8,994 posts)Democrats will lose everything if they don't go to war. We all need to get out in the streets to protest, and then get out the vote. We need a Democratic Party that will wage wars in local elections as well, like they DIDN'T do in Wisconsin.
