MAINE - PUBLIC ASSISTANCE & CONVICTED FELONS

The following information is more from the "Fixing the System" report released last week from the Maine Heritage Policy Center. Previous postings contain attitional information contained in the report. (Any bold markings are the choices of this writer.)
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"According to the federal Government Accountability Office, Maine is only one of 9 states in the nation that not only allows convicted drug felons to receive taxpayer-funded Food Stamps and TANF cash assistance, but makes no further demands on them whatsoever, such as requiring drug treatment or testing."

(Writer's note: Is this Welfare for drugs - or just a way to avoid dealing with both problems?)

"There are work requirements for those who ultimately enroll in TANF, but Maine has evidently chosen not to strictly enforce these requirements. According to FY 2008 data from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, only 11.4 percent of Maine's TANF-receiving famlies with work requirements actually completed work activities during FY 2008, far less than the national average of 29.4 percent. In neighboring New Hampshire, by contrast, 47.4 percent of TANF families with work requirements worked."

(Writer's note: Maybe this is why taxes are so much lower in N.H. Do you think?)

"Maine's TANF families are not even working a little. In Maine, 77.5 percent of TANF families with work requirements had zero hours of work participation in FY 2008. In only one state that year - Missouri - were fewer TANF enrollees with work requirements actually working.

"These low levels of job holding are not the result of welfare enrollees dealing with disabilities. According to the ACF, only 0.7 percent of Maine TANF recipients also collect disability benefits. 99.3 percent do not."

(Writer's note: These stats are from 2008; can't blame the 99.3 percent on the economic situation since President Obama has taken office. These are just people who chose to be on welfare and chose to not seek any kind of "qualifying" work. The word is LAZY. And the working and retired taxpayers are supporting these BUMS.)

"Work rates are low in Maine even though the state's TANF program has a very broad definition of "work." According to the welfare advocacy organization Maine Equal Justice Partners, among the "activities" that "count" toward TANF work requirements are paid employment, volunteer work at a "public or non-profit agency," up to six weeks a year of job searching, or participation in various education and job training programs. For the year ending Septemebr 2007, only 25 percent of TANF-enrolled adults in Maine had paid employment. Another 16.5 percent participated in various work activities such as those described above, while the remaining 58.5 percent had no employment or work activities of any kind.

(Writer's note: For those 58.5 percent, see LAZY and BUMS above.)

"The high degree of unemployment and underemployment among Maine TANF recipients may be related to the program's long list of approved excuses for failing to meet work requirements. According to Maine Equal Justice Partners, these "good cause" reasons for "not doing" what the program requires include justifiable excuses such as serious medical or domestic violence issues, but they also include "bad weather" as an excuse, and that the "activity required that you travel more than two hours round trip."

(Writer's note: Gee, "bad weather." They live in Maine. May have even moved here for the easy access to welfare. And "bad weather" is an excuse for not seeking employment. Get real! As for two hours round trip travel, that's one hour one way. To get a job? To actually earn their way. Life is tough. Wouldn't want to expect too much from the free-loaders, would we?)

"As a consequence, the vast majority of Maine's TANF recipients are not only jobless, they are not even seeking employment. Remarkably, just 23.1 percent of Maine's adult TANF enrollees were considered "employed" during FY 2008, and 11.6 percent considered "Unemployed." The remaining recipients, a staggering 65.3 percent of the total, were classified as "not in the labor force," meaning they were not even looking for a job. In only four other states were such a high percentage of adults on TANF considered to be "not in the labor force." Nationally, only 27.3 percent of TANF adults were classified as not seeking work in FY 2008."

(Writer's Note: Don't blame the federal government for the state of Maine's welfare drain on the taxpayer's dollar. Federal welfare program require recipients to seek work. The problem is that deferal law allows the individual state's to opt out of that requirement for any state-funded welfare programs.)

"Despite the work requirements imposed by the 1996 federal welfare reform law [under President Clinton], those enrolling in Maine's welfare system seemingly do not need to seek work in order to receive cash assistance."

Seems to this writer that the way the Maine Democratic Party has been able to stay in office has been to buy the votes - literally - through the never-ending, always expanding welfare programs for which there is no accountability. When do the taxpayers - the bill payers - plan to stand up and say, "Enough already." This writer can only hope that time will be this coming November.