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.
That doesn't make sense- considering that most of our welfare guidelines make it hard to get welfare if there is an able bodied man in the house. I was told the way they did it was the man would legally marry one wife, and support her and their children. His spiritual wives would each apply for welfare for themselves and their children on the basis that they were single parents. That is why it was hard to prove welfare fraud against them- legally they were single parents with children and so qualified under the rules. Morally of course it was very wrong. I personally could care less how many wives and children a man has- he needs to support them all. I am not willing to have my taxes pay so a man can have more wives and children than he can support.