Welfare in Maine (Hancock: section 8, apartment complexes, renter)

[mollysmiles]

and the dilemma is that no matter how many facts are posted, and how many links are given, there are people that insist on perpetuating that myth. There is no excuse for ignorance.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by deerislesmile

And back to perpetuating the myth that people who recieve welfare do not work....

If I can interrupt here...I'm not sure that that is the meaning he intended to convey. I read his statement as "The 'liberal' government...does not support the working people", meaning that the politicos have less consideration for those who are supporting the system than for those who are taking advantage*** of the system, rather than saying that "those on welfare don't work."


***(My use of the phrase "taking advantage of" is not intended to imply any legitimacy or lack thereof, only that they are receiving benefit from it.)

[mollysmiles]

I hope you're right Zymer.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Cornerguy1

Not having read and retained every post in the last 10 pages, I may be asking something already covered, but does the Maine welfare system have any kind of mechanism that requires users to either maintain an active work search or attend re-training sessions as a condition of continued use of the system?

In other words, are folks who are on welfare required to look for work or retrain or else get the boot from the system?

I know that for food stamps you are required to actively search for full time work, and take anything that comes your way that you are qualified for. You are required to turn in a weekly (?) report listing all the places that you applied to, and any out come of each application (if you got interviewed, they said they'd call back, etc.).

I assume that it would be the same for welfare.

In the state of Minnesota it used to be such that literally anyone could receive Government Assistance. Now, they have completely revamped the system. Essentially you are first required to attend a course that basically teaches you how to look for a job. Second, you are required to maintain an active search for employment (a minimum of 20 applications a week). Third, your bennifits are only good for a period of time (three months for food stamps-not to sure about GA) and then you are cut off, regardless if you ever found employment or not. Once your benifits have been cut, you have to wait, I think a minimum of three years for food stamps and five years for Government Assistance (welfare) before you can re-apply.

Of course, though, woman with children receive different consideration and I believe they can remain on the system as long as they have at least one child under 18 years of age living with them.

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

.....Of course, though, woman with children receive different consideration and I believe they can remain on the system as long as they have at least one child under 18 years of age living with them.

Nope, the rules are the rules, and *everyone* follows the same rules. There is also a lifetime limit on some benefits, as mentioned earlier in this thread.

[Citrusguy1000]

Thank-you for clarifying what I intended to say in my short little post. I am simply stating that Maine seems to punish those people heavily that work hard and do not utilize the welfare system. If you work and need welfare as well such as medicaid for your children, great, I'm glad it's there. Maine, however, has a tax structure that is grossly weighted against the working poor, middle class, and those with money as well. I can say this due to many years spent in Maine as a poor person, college educated idiot, and as a business owner. I love Florida, for example, as it does not just throw wasted money at problems as Maine does, it is conservative with the fiscal belt. There is no income tax here. Even though Floridians complain about their property taxes now, I'm paying less in property tax for a nice house than I did in 1999 for a crappy house in rural Maine with half the land. Maine will continue to be, "The great Maine brain drain." as long as you make excuses for the liberal junkies that reside in the Maine house and live in the southern 1/3 of th state. They are making and have made decisions that have almost eliminated any hope of your children being fiscally independent from government aid and financially successful. Again, I don't judge those on welfare who need the Temporary help, I'm just stating my disdain for a failed system. I worked in social services for much of my life in Maine and saw the flawed system first hand. I wish the leaders in Maine would read some literature on sound economics or take a lesson or two from Florida where property taxes went down this year after a legislative session due to complaints from citizens. Would that ever happen in Maine?? I think not. By the way, my car doesn't cost 535 dollars to register in Florida, a new car or old car, or Bentley, cost 35 dollars a year, no excise or as I would say "excessive tax." Again, so glad I moved, Maine is depressing, not to mention the 10 below winter nights in January, brrrrrr!!! LOL

[mollysmiles]

Citrus I understand what you're saying. Unfortunately this system is what we have right now to help those in need. My issue in this discussion is to try to eliminate much of the misinformation that surrounds the programs that Maine offers for those needing help. There is no way that people can/will push to change the system of assistance when they don't even have the facts regarding what the system currently offers and the restrictions currently in place.

[elston]

"The law in its majesty equally forbids rich and poor alike from stealing bread and sleeping under bridges." --Anatole France

[Citrusguy1000]

Unfortunately, in the long run, it is not helping most. The system does not teach independance from government and self-reliance. I agree that social services are needed, but Maine is way too top heavy in social services, they need to dramatically reduce social service spending. Will some people suffer as a result of this, Yes. Will some end up working and becoming self-reliant, Yes. Will those who do work hard be able to progress toward financial stability more quickly and realize their goals if the tax burden is reduced, Yes. The welfare system in Maine, and in many other states for that matter, does not promote economic self-reliance, but only a subsistance wage. Why would a single mother with medicaid and foodstamps and only a high school diploma want to work in fast food where she would make a similar net income as she received on welfare, but lose her medical coverage? The system is flawed, we all know that, and it exploits the poor. Again, government is way too top heavy in Maine, and in other states, but especially in Maine. It's so hard to get ahead working in Maine. I have a masters degree, worked two jobs there, and owned an apartment building and just scraped by. Anyway, I'm enjoying reading the posts, and I do miss the fall in Maine and its beauty. I also miss the one month of summer on the coast!! LOL O.K. two months of summer wheather!!

[flycessna]

I think one important thing to realize with "Maine Welfare" is that the big problem with it is that it is.... TOO BIG. Now we can debate about why it is to big but the reality is probably that we are all right.......

yes there is some people taking advantage of the system:

yes the system may be a little too liberal in who qualifies:

And yes...there are many people in Maine who are just in need....whether through job loss, disability, and or because of just a general lack of job skills and education.

The bigger picture is that Welfare in Maine IS a problem.....it has far too much a negative impact on our economy and our ability to grow economically. It hurts our demographics and overall is at the center of most of all the complaints I here about Maine......taxes too high.....too poor......lack of jobs.....all of this comes back to a welfare system that perpetuates itself.

There are those that that do not want anything to change here and are afraid of economic growth because they envision sprawl, strip malls, and crime. A valid concern, but I say the change is coming whether you want it or not. Travel anywhere outside of Maine and VT and maybe North Dakota and Mont. Our countries demographics have changed immensely with massive immigration and massive population increases since the last census 2000. The change that has happened to the southern part of this nation in the last seven years is unbelievable. I cannot wait to see the real numbers in 2010. People will be coming here at some point. We need to decide if we still want to be a haven for the unemployed, uneducated, and unskilled….or do we want to attract educated, skilled, and a healthy workforce.