I am horrified by the current TANF rules.
If there are 2 adults in the family they are both required to work or volunteer 133 hours per month. In a family of 4 their benefit amount is $604--if they have no other income. (If they have income it's decreased.) This amounts to "paying" them $2.29/hr. They also must make a co-pay for their state funded child care.
A family with 2 parents has NO window for time off for a new baby. A single parent has 3 months off. A single parent "earns" $4.54/hour, for $604.
These rules have been developed over the past 15 years since Newt Gingrich's glorious "Contract w/ America" put in place by "liberal Bill Clinton".
These are "family friendly" policies under which a family during the Greater Depression must function. How do these help families? $600 is not enough for rent and power bills, not to mention toilet paper, laundry soap, tooth paste or any other item needed for daily life. (We will not discuss food-as if a family is this poor we hope they receive Food Stamps(SNAP) and WIC.) IF this was not during the greater Depression AND there were jobs, this might be somewhat excusable by the thinking, "these people just need to get jobs!"(Lazy SOB's implied). BUT during these times when thousands are unemployed, or underemployed, who have college degrees, and decades of experience, how do the elite 1% expect young families to survive?
I was told by the #2 person @ my state's Dept. Of Health and Human Services TANF office, that TANF is "meant to be a training program" so "these people" can get "job skills", and learn a "work ethic", so that they "can get jobs".
What jobs? Where are the jobs?
She was not at all concerned that these families are struggling.
All she could suggest was "write to your legislators". SHE wasn't worried.
Snotty 1%-no she's not even there, and yet has no compassion for those on the program she oversees.
Sad, unbelievable, annoying, maddening, frustrating.
