Posted on 07/23/2014 10:57:31 AM PDT by cotton1706
Maines Republican governor wants all able-bodied recipients of the federal food stamp benefit to complete work or volunteer activities.
Gov. Paul LePage announced Wednesday that Maine will no longer seek a federal waiver that allows some able-bodied adults to receive food stamps without working or volunteering.
We must continue to do all that we can to eliminate generational poverty and get people back to work, LePage said in a statement announcing the change. We must protect our limited resources for those who are truly in need and who are doing all they can to be self-sufficient.
According to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, able-bodied recipients are defined as adults between the ages of 18 and 49 who have no dependents, are not pregnant and are not disabled. DHHS has identified 12,000 current recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program who fit that definition. They account for about $15 million per year in benefits.
Currently, Maine receives a waiver from the federal government that allows food stamp recipients to receive benefits without meeting work requirements. Maine has used the waiver for the last six years largely because of an anemic job market.
Maines unemployment rate reached a high of 9.7 percent in early 2010 but has dropped to 5.1 percent as of June. The rate is higher in some rural areas of the state.
(Excerpt) Read more at pressherald.com ...
Hopefully all the current bums will realize that this is mainly due to the giant influx of illegals that are eating into their pie.
Good. We are tired of working to support people who are not disabled or elderly.
Someone cue the Maine liberals to start crying and stomping their feet screaming ‘THIS ISN’T FAIR!!’ in 4.....3.....2.....
LePage is ME’s only conservative; there must be more conservative voters there than one would have thought. The state as a whole is very liberal and has been since Edmund S. Muskie with few exceptions.
Not that I oppose the policy change but is that large drop in the unemployment number reality? What is Maine’s U6 number, I wonder.
And with a delicious sense of irony, will re-injecting those 12,000 potential employees in the workforce drive up that 5.1%?
Currently, Maine receives a waiver from the federal government that allows food stamp recipients to receive benefits without meeting work requirements.
—
Uh oh, I don’t think that the Holder injustice dept. is gonna let this happen,i.e., to have a work requirement.
And, BTW, aren’t alot of Somalis being dumped in Maine?
How’s that working out?
Dont think it has much to do w/ unemployment numbers. The real win is the enormous amt of $ each ‘recipient’ consumes. Once off the dole the budget can be reduced and hopefully a few state workers as well. Last time I looked the state was the largest employer....something that needs also to be corrected.
Here come all those itty bitty violins, each playing the saddest sob stories you ever did hear. One trying to top the other. “If you think YOU got problems, listen to MY story!”
When I hear things like a certain area has no prospects for jobs or industry aka an “anemic” job market, I often think “well go back to doing what people did when people first decided to live there.” I mean at one point there must have been a way to make a living or everyone would have died there or moved on.
In Maine’s case wouldn’t that be fishing or timber? I know the fed has made laws that in some cases make this prohibitive, and in those cases I suppose you have to move to where there is work. But, if not, I would just start fishing again and selling my fish to people. /shrug.
In the great lakes I would get a boat and open up a boat shipping company across the great lakes or something like folks used to do.
I could be off base here, maybe the gov rules are so regulatory in nature you can’t do these things competitively anymore, but if that is the case then more power to the argument for deregulation!!
And FAT is not a disability!
Boy, is he in touble now!!!!!!!!!!
Wait til the Justice Bros hear about this...AND the Dept of Just Us!
Good for this Gov...this needs to happen in all 57 states.
I would be all for adding:
Maine’s rivers provided power and transportation
Every town has a mill
paper, shoes, lumber, clothing, etc.
Every town now has an empty mill.
Drug and alcohol addicts are not disabled either.
So really they got hit real hard by globalization and our regulations making those goods not fit to be made in the expensive USA?
Why should welfare queens suffer the indignity of actually working? It’s hard enough sitting around living on the fruits of other people’s labor.
The Moonbats in Saco were in full Koolaid Modeon Monday. They were having Gorbasms over MA Gov. Deval Patrick because he’s unleashing the Border Crashers on us. Of course they won’t be going to bucolic Saco anytime soon.
They’re probably running out of other peoples’ money...
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.