War On The Poor: Minnesota Republicans Want To Bust Poor People Who Carry Cash

[meegbear]

They're not just crazy, they're evil -- and un-Christian, should they have the audacity to claim otherwise. If only we could force them to live like this, they wouldn't last a week:

St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Republicans are pushing legislation that would make it a crime for people on public assistance to have more $20 in cash in their pockets any given month. This represents a change from their initial proposal, which banned them from having any money at all.

On March 15, Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee testified in front of the House Health and Human Services Reform Committee on House File 171. Buechner told committee members, "We would like to address the provision that makes it illegal for MFIP families to withdraw cash from the cash portion of the MFIP grant - and in fact, appears to make it illegal for MFIP families to have any type of money at all in their pockets. How do you expect people to take care of business like paying bills such as lights, gas, water, trash and phone?"

House File 171 would make it so that families on MFIP - and disabled single adults on General Assistance and Minnesota Supplemental Aid - could not have their cash grants in cash or put into a checking account. Rather, they could only use a state-issued debit card at special terminals in certain businesses that are set up to accept the card.

The bill also calls for unconstitutional residency requirements, not allowing the debit card to be used across state lines and other provisions that the Welfare Rights Committee and others consider unacceptable.

Buechner testified, "We’ll leave you with this. It is not right to punish a whole group because of the supposed actions of a few. You in this room could have a pretty rough time if that was the case. It is not right to stigmatize and dehumanize women living the hard life of trying to raise children while living 60% below the poverty level. It is not right to use racist, bumper-sticker hate to inflict human misery for political gain."

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http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/war-poor-minnesota-republicans-want-b

[Blue Owl]

...If the change in my pocket wasn't enough, well FUCK YOU... FUCK YOU

CeeLo Green summed it up nicely!

[driver8]

1. Unbefreakinlievable...

If these people spent as much time doing something useful as they do interfering with other people's lives, the world would be a much better place.

I am so sad for our country.

[yurbud]

2. you would think more people would get this since the GOP is trying to make most of us poor

and the Dems are doing little to stop them.

[Safetykitten]

3. Well our President feels we can work with people like this.

[Love Bug]

4. In our discussion of this in the Minnesota forum, it's been pointed out

that this is probably a transparent way of being able to control what recipients can buy using their state-issued debit card. It's a good way to track what they buy, too, because we all know our current economic troubles are caused by those Welfare Queens and we can't let them use public money for anything other than what we deem acceptable. :sarcasm:

[corpseratemedia]

5. how can a law like this be "legal?"

it's exactly akin to having to wear a yellow star

if you don't have anything over 20..people or businesses would think you're on public assistance and treat you differently.


i'm telling you, the new GOP are nazis

[Turbineguy]

6. Hey! If I had 20 bucks in my pocket

I wouldn't need a fuckin' job, I'd be as rich as a Wall street tycooooooooon!

[alp227]

7. Thom Hartmann mentioned this today, and this reminds me of Arizona SB1070

damn, apparently only the "undesirables" (poor people, smokers, immigrants) deserve a nanny state - not good ol' boys.