Maine Just Put Welfare Leeches In Their Place

It's unbelievable there are people who are against this. There's so much work that needs to be done. Picking up trash on the side of the roads, picking weeds, whatever. It absolutely disgusts me that people would advocate giving my money to someone for doing nothing instead of working a few hours a week to get that stuff done.

There is such a divide between the attitudes of those for and against this it's insane. Liberals will literally try and make any excuse possible to keep from working. Conservatives man up and find a way.

There's literally tens of thousands of people hired every single day. If you aren't one of them you are likely inferior in some way to those who are. There's not done vast network keeping liberals down and out.

originally posted by: galaga
originally posted by: xuenchen


I wonder if the employment rate went up there?

I wonder if those people moved away?

I wonder if they turned to doing illegal things to make up for the loss?

Or were those people doing illegal stuff already?

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originally posted by: xuenchen
Maine has a 4.7% unemployment rate.

It has been dropping for a couple of years.....

Maine BLS tables

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originally posted by: Stormdancer777
a reply to: 3n19m470

Let me ask you why would anyone drop out of the program just because they have to work a few hours?

You think people would rather steal or sell drugs?

That's a good question. From another post of yours above, it sounds like when you needed it, there were programs to help you and your children to get through a rough patch and even to help you get into a job. I'm sure that receiving assistance was a last resort and not something you did because you were too lazy to work.

You mentioned that you were without transportation so for you it was down to bus, bike or walk. This doesn't strike me as unusual at all because lets face it, automobiles are fairly expensive items to own and operate!

I was curious about how many people in Maine live in rural areas and I came across this article from Bangor Daily News about how as of the 2010 Census, Maine was the most rural state in the Union with 61.3% of the population living in rural areas. So I checked the U.S. Census site and it turns out that as a whole, only 19.3% of Americans live in rural areas, down from 21.0% in the 2010 Census. These are areas largely without public transportation that may also be many miles from the places where job training courses are being conducted.

Turns out that the rural counties are also some of the most impoverished with poverty rates as much as twice as high as other areas. It stands to reason that TANF utilization is highest in areas with the highest concentrations of impoverished people.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to track down any data detailing WHY people dropped out of the program but I wonder how many of them did so because they were unable to comply rather than unwilling?

originally posted by: Milomo
It's unbelievable there are people who are against this. There's so much work that needs to be done. Picking up trash on the side of the roads, picking weeds, whatever. It absolutely disgusts me that people would advocate giving my money to someone for doing nothing instead of working a few hours a week to get that stuff done.

It's not the concept that I'm against it's the application. You also are totally misrepresenting the facts here. It's not a few hours a week, it's 20 hours a week. That's 80 hours a month for about $150 of Food Money. Less than $2 an hour. I want to see you go work for less than $2 an hour for a once a month payment of food money. Not even money to spend freely but just, non prepared, food credits.

Also, what about their transportation to get to the job and back??? How are they supposed to pay for the bus or a ride to the job site??? What about materials needed??? What if they get hurt on the job, are they covered for that too??? There are many things not addressed here besides the slave wages. Not to mention that the Cons also want to tell what they can buy with those food credits as well.

There is such a divide between the attitudes of those for and against this it's insane. Liberals will literally try and make any excuse possible to keep from working. Conservatives man up and find a way.

Enough with your partisan hack job of reality. Your bias overshadows your intelligence here. Liberals aren't trying to find excuses from working. They are trying to help people who are having trouble living a life worth living. Conservatives are in the habit of punishing the poor to fatten up their already bloated fat asses even more. They man up on subsidies and Tax Breaks for themselves however while shifting responsibility to those who have nothing left to give and so now they must pay a pound of flesh for some scraps of the table of those who already have more than they need.

There's literally tens of thousands of people hired every single day. If you aren't one of them you are likely inferior in some way to those who are. There's not done vast network keeping liberals down and out.

Ah yes, the old "blame the victim" conservative mantra. Obviously if you are unemployed or find yourself in need of some help you clearly don't deserve it because it's all your fault. Life is perfectly fair and it's as easy as just reaching out and taking whatever you need, right??? So if you're not doing well, then you must be defective and deserve whatever malice comes your way. Even if that malice is actually a law being put in place against your doing by the very same group who is making things worse for you. But I suppose they are also to blame for this bill being put in place too. It was the "leeching" which forced the poor wittle conservatives into a position where they had to make them into slave labor to earn their scraps for their own good.

how loud will the supporters of schemes like this cry when they lose their paying jobs because "volunteers" have been forced into "legal" slavery to feed their families, I can't think of a corporation passing up the chance to "help" these "welfare leeches" in exchange for free labor.

too many morons, not enough monkeys.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
I reckon doing 24 hours a month for about $ 200 worth of food is probably a little better than minimum wage anyway. Considering the alternative of going hungry while laying about it doesn't sound like it's too unfair.
This could go as a national trend which is a good thing.
As others have mentioned corporate welfare needs to end even more badly as the cost far outweighs any social programs.

You are not taking into account the 'cost' to the volunteer for 'volunteering' childcare, trasportation and other associated costs - are the agencies going to feed them?

This is just - no not just - this is a way to external costs for both government and business and, as is 'fair', they will get what they pay for - substandard work. It's a means of forcing people off the rolls and into the streets.

a reply to: FyreByrd

What's up with these numbers anyway??? Who pulled them out of the ass in scripting this bill???

They have 20 hours a week work or 24 hours a month volunteering??? Why such a difference???

I like the idea of a job training program though. Although I thought this was already available to everyone getting assistance anyway.

Also, volunteer where exactly??? Are you supposed to just walk in some business somewhere in your homeless filthy clothes and say "Hey, I'm here to volunteer as your minion a few hours a day!" Or can you volunteer to sit in the grass at the park for 10 hours a day and make sure nobody loiters there??? Can you volunteer over at your buddies house as well??? Who verifies this stuff and if they do verify it doesn't that create a whole other government sector of jobs needing actual pay???

If Cons want to shrink government so bad why would they support a program that would require additional government positions of qualified people to run this program??? Although they could hire some of the homeless folks to fill the positions but not for $2 an hour.

originally posted by: mOjOm

20 hours a week or 80 hours a month and the average money paid to a single person is about $150 a month in food stamps. That comes out at just under $2 an hour and this is supposed to be progress??? Give me a break.

I agree that is a ripoff. One day a week for $400 a month in foodstamps would be fair. I'd also like to see a similar option for people who become unemployed and can't pay their child support.

a reply to: Bone75

Sure. I'm not totally against the idea here. I like the idea of getting people to work who can. But at less than $2 an hour that's criminal. We have laws against slave labor and sweatshops. Now they're trying to legalize such activities within Gov. itself.

They've done the same with prison labor too. It's a great racket and anyone in the mob would agree.

If you want these people to earn their scraps at least pay them accordingly. No wonder people declined, because even homeless and hungry still have a little dignity and self worth left to realize that $2 an hour is an insult.

originally posted by: Mugly
a reply to: trollz

they do it in my state as well but not for everyone. i dont know the criteria.
my brother in law is a giant turd and he gets food assistance.
he is perfectly able to work he just wont.
he is supposed to do like 20 hours of work as well but he fakes it all the time.

he has his father sign a paper saying he cuts his grass and cleans his yard and #. of course he doesnt do anything of the sort but thats how easy it is to scam it

Wait a minute, wait a minute, back up the bus here. Let me get this straight. You know someone is scamming the system, and you know that someone has someone else helping them in doing so. Have you bothered to report them, or are you letting is slide, in effect, also being complicit in this fraud?

Something doesn't add up here. You're either lying, or possibly trying to covertly brag about your own scamming of assistance. Always report scammers. If you don't, you're merely aiding them.

originally posted by: xuenchen

originally posted by: fshrrex
a reply to: xuenchen


With all due respect...This quote was not in the OP Source article. If It was it would have been a better conversation.

That's why some research is always a smart thing to do.

Especially when something sounds lopsided.

The MSM has many people totally freaked out.

Another point.....

Maine has around 1.3 million population.

Only a few thousand get food stamps.

The low percentage compared to the national level is something to look at.

And, Maine voted for Obama in 2012.

There are a lot of Democrats in Maine.

Their problems may not be entirely the fault of Republicans.

No, it's the Republicans. They have Governor Paul LePage - Republican, who passed this bill.

From OP link

This is a huge victory for the Republicans of Maine and of course the sore loser Democrats are trying to tarnish the reformation’s success. Democrats are urging for special measures to ease back on some of the new requirements because they are too strict. However, their response is ill-fated because even if the requirements loosen up, once someone is removed from Maine’s food stamp program, it will be another three years before they can receive benefits again from the program.

a reply to: Nyiah

i was waiting for this type of reply
yes, i know someone who is scamming the system
no i didnt report it

my bro in law is not the first dude i have known that has scammed in some way. didnt report them either
my father in law also cheats on his taxes. didnt report him either
bfd
not really into ratting people out, so yeah
stop acting all high and mighty

i had snap benefits when i was on comp. when comp ended and i was back to work, snap was gone
so, not that that is out of the way


to all the people asking how these poor people are supposed to get to their volunteer job and where they are supposed to do it
if it is anything like my state it does not have to be at a business and all you need to do is have a paper filled out

yard work for people.
mowing their grass. doing errands for them

it all qualifies

a reply to: Mugly

Mugly, what state are you located in? I was unaware of this type of system in place in the US. So, Maine isn't the first then,

a reply to: StoutBroux

lets just keep it at midwest
no, maine is not the first but i dont think it has been going on here long.
i had never heard of that type of program before

they dont give him much either. hundred bucks a month or something like that

i was surprised he got anything at all. dont really hear of single guys without kids getting much in the way of assistance. at least not around these parts

originally posted by: FyreByrd

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
I reckon doing 24 hours a month for about $ 200 worth of food is probably a little better than minimum wage anyway. Considering the alternative of going hungry while laying about it doesn't sound like it's too unfair.
This could go as a national trend which is a good thing.
As others have mentioned corporate welfare needs to end even more badly as the cost far outweighs any social programs.

You are not taking into account the 'cost' to the volunteer for 'volunteering' childcare, trasportation and other associated costs - are the agencies going to feed them?

This is just - no not just - this is a way to external costs for both government and business and, as is 'fair', they will get what they pay for - substandard work. It's a means of forcing people off the rolls and into the streets.

Why are you bringing up childcare????

This doesn't apply to those with children.

a reply to: StoutBroux

Maine's legislature seems mixed....

Political party strength in Maine


and,
United States presidential election in Maine, 2012

a reply to: trollz

Somehow, Maine is managing to lead the nation in reason if nothing else. I may be forced to reward them with my residence.

Personally, I don't think that reform and additional conditions could ever make the farce of state welfare be manageable but, that said, forcing people (taxpayers, not recipients) to consider the implications thoroughly can't be detrimental.

a reply to: mOjOm

No I wouldn't work for two bucks that's why I went to school work hard all that. Transportation I don't know don't care. I've found a way always have. I'm sincerely unconcerned how someone stealing my money gets along. Yes if you're legally poor it's your fault. I promise if every poor person gave me their life story I could find fault. Cry all you want but some people are inferior to others, and I sincerely don't care if liberals starve in the streets. Schadenfreude.

So, wait, did this happen in March of 2015?

Since October, healthy adults without children have been required to work at least 20 hours a week, volunteer or participate in a work-training program to continue receiving benefits in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program after three months. It's the result of the administration's decision to no longer seek a waiver for the federal requirement, which it had used since 2008.

ETA: Maine Adds Work Requirement to Welfare Benefits

So they JUST did this, eh?

Ive worked as a cashier for many years and to be honest the people who get hurt the most by cutting food stamps are the children and people over 65. Seeing little kids in a grocery cart full of snacks and soda is one thing and makes you wonder about their parents as they buy junkie foods to feed their kids but watching some ones 80 year old grandma barely able to push a shopping cart up to the register and watch her as she pulls out a pile of TV dinners a 5 pound bag of sugar and a box of tea will break your heart. I used to let them know that we had certain types of meat on sale and that the butcher would be happy to make smaller sized packages for them until one morning this lil old lady told me with tears in her eyes that she hadnt eaten any real meat in over 2 years.. IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE, that she could make her $120.00 in food stamps stretch for a month worth of meals if she only ate pre frozen tv dinners and sweet tea was her monthly "extra" that she indulged in. Yes there are food banks here in my area that could help her but the lines are so long that the elderly rarely go,, its too tiring. So the next time you go and visit an elderly person TAKE THEM A BAG OF GROCERIES! The same goes for the holidays.. grandma and grandpas dont want any more bath towels or another set of slippers... give them a box of food preferably in single serving sizes.

Sorry I went a bit off topic