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See NAFTA and China trade policies, the bastard children of Bill Clinton.
China's status as one of hundreds of most favored nations, was restored in the 70's and renewed annually by Congress and whomever was sitting the oval at the time. A majority of a Republican majority Congress decided to make it permanent and Clinton signed it.
NAFTA roots go back to the Reagan years. Bush 1 signed off on it, subject to Congress approval. A Republican majority Congress approved it and Clinton signed off on it.
Doing away with either agreements would hurt the US more than any potential gain.
Outsourcing to China is too costly and has pushed deeper into Asia and substantially contributes to emerging economies who in turn buy from US multinational corporations who employ US and other people.
60% of GE's income is derived from offshore business. Imagine the number of US jobs that would vanish if GE did not expand globally.
Last I checked the US was about 5% of the world's population. Why would anyone seek to prevent US business from expanding to the other 95%?
"The Kansas legislators must be pleased that they have protected their swimming pools from those nasty welfare recipients. But the gratuitous nature of the law becomes obvious when you consider that it also bans all out-of-state spending of welfare dollars — so the inclusion of a cruise-ship ban is redundant in landlocked Kansas."
Replacing the cash benefit could reduce the potential for fraud. No reason why the TANF balance benefit could not be restricted to the basic necessities.
I agree with most of what you say, but not that statement. Over 50 years ago my Grandmother found herself in the unenviable position of raising 4 of her Brother's children after he passed away. She simply couldn't afford it and went to the County for assistance. They gave her 'vouchers' each one labeled with what she could buy, i.e. 4 pair of boys underwear, 1 pair of jeans. I recall going to J.C. Penney with her and watched her agonize over trying to figure out exactly 'what' she was allowed and what was not permissible. When she got in the checkout line people were whispering and a few of them actually pointing at her. When we left she was so humiliated that she said cried. There is no reason to treat people like that.
The majority of people use cash benefits as intended, to care for their families. What about kids getting PELL grants? That's a form of welfare, should they be limited to buying school supplies and maybe we should only let them enroll in certain programs? Maybe they are using their PELL grant for smartphones, or for movies or milkshakes? Can't have that, after all it's OUR money they are wasting.
Treating the poor as though they are idiots serves no purpose except to make it easy for States to make severe cuts in aid so they can pocket what they don't spend.
LOL..there was an audit. There were all those investigative articles where TANF money was traced to those various ATMs.
And Congress passed this law in 2012. President Obama signed it.
This was historic because TANF money has never been restricted.
And being this was historic I'm surprised (NOT) that the major MSM sites didn't have blaring articles on it.
And now all states are mandated to restrict TANF money or face penalties and withholding of Fed money. The states are using the Fed language because the Fed got comments from the states on what to ban and put together this language which the states will use and be consistent in all states.
Obviously you "missed" this. The Fed did not admit to any welfare abuse. They just said there were "inconsistencies" in how welfare money was being spent
That's the Dems for ya !!!!
But you go ahead and keep blaming the Republicans for a law signed by Obama.
And as far as "swimming pools" is concerned..ATM withdrawls were traced to various water parks.
I wouldn't have even responded to that post because it clearly misrepresented what a previous poster speculated on.
As to posters saying (R's) are making something out of nothing, this is not the first time other states have done audits and discovered abuses like EBT's being used at liquor stores, strip clubs, etc.
This should p iss of (D's) just as much as (R's) because that money should be going to the genuinely needy people who cannot fend for themselves.
Heck even from a purely political standpoint, it should bother (D's) that abuses like this give (R's) ammunition to reduce benefits overall for the actions of those who abuse the system.
Yes they do..SSDI and SSI which lets refugees apply.
" Able-bodied" is the opposite of disabled.
SSDI is a benefit paid to disabled workers who have accumulated adequate work credits.
SSI is a benefit paid to disabled people who have never worked or have not accumulated enough work credits to qualify for SDI.
Neither SSDI or SSI are TANF benefits.
Someone who has qualified for SSDI or SDI may have minor children and may also qualify for TANF benefits. As such, they would be excluded from the work TANF requirement.
SSDI, SDI and Social Security benefits are also credited to an EBT card. And no doubt about it, seniors cruise and attend casinos and some of them may use their Social Security EBT card to make cash withdrawals on cruise ships and near casinos. Nothing off about that.
It is not lost on anyone that some SSDI/SSi law firms rely on some MDs to manufacture disabilities and some engage in paying off SSDI/SDI judges, too.
While the number of SSDI/SDI applicants is more than double the rate in 1992 ( aging of the population) , the percentage of approved adjudicated applications peaked in 2001 and currently never been lower.
And IMHO they should eliminate all cash benefits because nowadays you can get by just fine with no cash.
My son pays his rent with a his debit card. Has a bank account only for his direct deposit of his paycheck. Has had it for 3 years now and never ordered any checks. I myself only write 1 check a month now.
We are in agreement and should rule the world.
I am hard-pressed to recall the last time I used cash to buy anything. I have a complete audit trail of my spending. I don't trust debit cards and rely on credit cards and pay off the balances, every month.
Many employers provide their employees the option of a physical check, direct deposit or an EBT card. As I understand it, younger workers are opting for EBT cards.
I wouldn't have even responded to that post because it clearly misrepresented what a previous poster speculated on.
As to posters saying (R's) are making something out of nothing, this is not the first time other states have done audits and discovered abuses like EBT's being used at liquor stores, strip clubs, etc.
This should p iss of (D's) just as much as (R's) because that money should be going to the genuinely needy people who cannot fend for themselves.
Heck even from a purely political standpoint, it should bother (D's) that abuses like this give (R's) ammunition to reduce benefits overall for the actions of those who abuse the system.
The states are charged with the responsibility to oversee the TANF benefit.
Many states were aware of abuse and did nothing.
That Congress had to make a new law that made it clear the states had to take action to prevent abuse is silliness.
If it was state money that funded TANF, perhaps some states would take their responsibility more seriously.
The top recipients of TANF withdrawals are casinos, Disney World Resorts and 5 star hotels in Hawaii for many states.
I bet if they did research, they would find out the TANF recipients are low wage workers at these places and they are using the card to buy lunch while they are at work. Such as grounds workers, security officers, custodians, food service workers, hotel laundry workers and hotel maids.
They probably are paid such low wages that they still qualify for TANF, especially if they work part time. So if they are at work and want to grab a sandwich or even an apple from the cafeteria...then it rings up as a Hotel expenditure or casino expenditure. Lots of those jobs are very low wage and workers would be considered the 'working poor'.
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We are in agreement and should rule the world.
