I’ve seen posts here saying that the FLDS in Texas weren’t taking welfare.
I know some polygamists do, but I’m not sure about this group.
The common practice with FLDS in other states has been that one woman is the legal wife, and draws welfare for all the children in the family.
The rest are spiritual wives.
Somewhere, I read that the YFZ Ranch(FLDS) does not make ‘welfare’ claims for dependent children.
I have seen no proof, that it is true, or not.
The YFZ Ranch has been one of the larger sources of TAX income to that county.
The Ranch is owned by a couple of corporations, under the banner of the UEP.
They don’t need welfare.
This case is centered on one thing, child abuse.
But that is not what it is all about.
Child Abuse turned out to be the one clear thing that the state of Texas could prove was occurring, and stop.
There was child abuse. There was sex with minors.
How much, we will know soon.
CPS had to take drastic action, because the conditions did not allow them to be successful on a single case basis.
They are the ones who have to take the ‘heat’ for what the rest of Texas wanted done.
Jeffs stepped on a bunch of toes, in moving to Texas.
Then failed to get proper construction, land use, water treatment permits, and violated dumping restrictions.
Texas were worried that JEFFS was going to bring people in by the thousands (which he did) and take over the county, and political posts, just like he did in Colorado and Utah.
Newsgroups, Websites, and town meetings were held to find ways to put a stop to the FLDS ‘encroachment’.
This is the culmination of all that.
Because there were crimes. And it is being done legally.