Posted on 11/24/2008 8:08:16 AM PST by SmithL
An ailing economy is threatening the success of welfare reforms that in the past decade moved millions of people off the public dole and into jobs.
Caseloads are shooting up in Sacramento County and across the state as the economy slumps and unemployment rises. At the same time, the welfare system is facing unprecedented budget cuts from the state and a possible financial penalty from the federal government.
The effect is fewer services for people who need them more than ever, administrators told The Bee.
"I have a lot of concern right now," said Bruce Wagstaff, director of the Department of Human Assistance, which administers CalWORKs in Sacramento County. "This is serious business."
Under a bold reform of the welfare system, launched in 1997 by the federal government, many who had depended on public assistance for themselves and their families went to school, learned new skills and found jobs... In California, welfare caseloads plummeted 45 percent.
In Sacramento County, the number of people enrolled in CalWORKs – the program that the state adopted to replace Aid to Families With Dependent Children – has jumped nearly 9 percent during the past year. Other aid programs also are dealing with sharp increases in demand. Nearly 20 percent more people are getting food stamps in Sacramento County. More than 26 percent more people are getting General Assistance.
Things are even more dire in other counties.
...
CalWORKs no longer is meeting federal standards requiring at least 50 percent of clients to work 30 hours a week, officials said, so the program could be subject to a federal penalty of up to $149 million. At the same time, the state has cut its CalWORKs contribution by $70 million. The losses will mean cuts in staffing and programs that are critical to the program's success,
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
What?
The Obamessiah is President Elect (not really, the Electoral College has not voted . . . who complained about them in the past? They are a vote away from the salvation of the USofA as we know it or the death of representative democracy as we love it) and will ride in on a white Unicorn (lots of symbolism in that) and “save the day.”
I’ve done Casework in AL and GA and it is difficult to meet the Federal Guidelines with reduced funding. Which just shows to go you that the Federal Government needs to opt out of Social Work and let the States fund their own.
The Federal Government could reduce its costs by half if they got out of the Welfare and Education business and left those two to the States. A novel idea.
Any chance these people will load up their Model A trucks and head back to Oklahoma?
Good. The sooner the system collapses from its own weight the better.
That’s my take as well.
The sooner it collapses, the sooner we can get the weight of this socialist crap off of our (non)collective backs.
That’s our greatest Alie in this fight. Liberals/Progressives act out a great fight but have nothing in the morality department to back it up. They are too easily corrupted, since they already believe that lying, cheating and stealing are always necessary to achieve a goal.
Their loyalty is razor thin and they drift with the wind, to whom ever offers the most for them. When things get tough, they run and hide. When great work and sacrifice is needed, they disappear and are nowhere to be found.
Draft them to fight a war, (Well those who do not run and hide.) you lose.
It’s the best thing we have to defeat them; Their own lack of moral strength and fortitude.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.