[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Henry10

Who's "we?" What do you mean you have the wealth to deal with state deficits? Who says that the wealth some private dude made belongs to you?

Even further, you're gonna do what with the someone else's wealth? Give it to the politicians?

You think that'll fix the deficit?

I live in Fairfield County. Trust me, my husband and I are paying not taking. What I mean is that the wealth is here to deal with the financial mess in CT, it is just a matter of voting in the politicians who will fix things.

[Henry10]

Originally Posted by CTartist

I live in Fairfield County. Trust me, my husband and I are paying not taking. What I mean is that the wealth is here to deal with the financial mess in CT, it is just a matter of voting in the politicians who will fix things.

Ok. I'll play along.

Current taxation is not enough, so you say let's raise taxes. Are you willing to pay the same rate as someone else you are proposing raising taxes on?

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by CTartist

This is a question to anyone who knows the answer. I don't know anything about who pays for welfare. If a CT resident is on welfare does the state of CT pay for it or does the money come from the federal government?

As I understand it Food Stamps aka SNAP is paid for by the Fed Govt and administered by the states. The states can also make their own rules regarding qualifications such as asset levels. States may or may not also set lower time limits I'm not sure. (Max time limit is 5 years) but if you are single/married without kids you can only get food stamps for 3 months out of every 36 month period.

This was waived during the recession and is often what most anti-Obama people prattle about when they say Obama increased the welfare rolls/increased benefits, etc. To my knowledge this waiver was stopped about Sept 2015. You can search articles for what happened in Maine when these people were cut off from food stamps (for one example)

Now TANF (temporary assistance to needy families) is very different. IT is given to states in the form of "Block Grants" and can be spent however they feel. TANF is also NOT available to single/married people WITHOUT kids.

Here is one article describing its use
How States Use Federal and State Funds Under the TANF Block Grant | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

A snippet

"In TANF’s early years, when the economy was strong and cash assistance caseloads were shrinking, states used the flexibility of the block grant to take some of the funds that had gone as benefits to families and redirect them to child care and welfare-to-work programs to further welfare reform efforts. But over time, states redirected a substantial portion of their state and federal TANF funds to other purposes, to fill state budget holes, and in some cases to substitute for existing state spending. Even when need increased during the Great Recession, states were often unable to bring the funds back to core welfare reform services and instead made cuts in basic assistance, child care, and work programs."


Be very suspicious of any politicians that talk about "Block Grants" or "Opportunity Grants." Many of the leading Republicans like Paul Ryan want to turn every Fed program into a "Block Grant" so they can separate themselves from the programs missions and continually cut the programs without guilt.

It's part of their playbook First under fund programs, proclaim they don't work, them privatize them and/or close them altogether.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by Henry10

Ok. I'll play along.

Current taxation is not enough, so you say let's raise taxes. Are you willing to pay the same rate as someone else you are proposing raising taxes on?

I'm more than willing to pay 15% on my W-2 wages just like the millionaires and billionaires do on their investment income.

Let me know where I can sign up.

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

I'm more than willing to pay 15% on my W-2 wages just like the millionaires and billionaires do on their investment income.

Let me know where I can sign up.

I see what you did there. But federal tax rates are different than state tax rates.

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by Henry10

Ok. I'll play along.

Current taxation is not enough, so you say let's raise taxes. Are you willing to pay the same rate as someone else you are proposing raising taxes on?

I never said to raise taxes. I am saying that CT is a wealthy state and we need the correct politicians to balance the budget, cut certain spending, I would say lower some salaries and benefits etc. If we were a very poor state with low incomes then I would say things are pretty dire but that is not the case.

BTW, everyone is implying that "the welfare state" of CT is causing many problems in our state I guess because we are liberal. But look at this map. We have one of the lowest welfare rates in the country and ironically the conservative states have the most on welfare.

http://ijr.com/2015/01/230371-2-map-...-can-deceiving

[CTartist]

Originally Posted by MrGompers

As I understand it Food Stamps aka SNAP is paid for by the Fed Govt and administered by the states. The states can also make their own rules regarding qualifications such as asset levels. States may or may not also set lower time limits I'm not sure. (Max time limit is 5 years) but if you are single/married without kids you can only get food stamps for 3 months out of every 36 month period.

This was waived during the recession and is often what most anti-Obama people prattle about when they say Obama increased the welfare rolls/increased benefits, etc. To my knowledge this waiver was stopped about Sept 2015. You can search articles for what happened in Maine when these people were cut off from food stamps (for one example)

Now TANF (temporary assistance to needy families) is very different. IT is given to states in the form of "Block Grants" and can be spent however they feel. TANF is also NOT available to single/married people WITHOUT kids.

Here is one article describing its use
How States Use Federal and State Funds Under the TANF Block Grant | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

A snippet

"In TANF’s early years, when the economy was strong and cash assistance caseloads were shrinking, states used the flexibility of the block grant to take some of the funds that had gone as benefits to families and redirect them to child care and welfare-to-work programs to further welfare reform efforts. But over time, states redirected a substantial portion of their state and federal TANF funds to other purposes, to fill state budget holes, and in some cases to substitute for existing state spending. Even when need increased during the Great Recession, states were often unable to bring the funds back to core welfare reform services and instead made cuts in basic assistance, child care, and work programs."


Be very suspicious of any politicians that talk about "Block Grants" or "Opportunity Grants." Many of the leading Republicans like Paul Ryan want to turn every Fed program into a "Block Grant" so they can separate themselves from the programs missions and continually cut the programs without guilt.

It's part of their playbook First under fund programs, proclaim they don't work, them privatize them and/or close them altogether.

Thanks Mr. Gompers. Your post is very enlightening.

So it is not really the state of CT (or CT taxpayers) who are directly paying for the people on welfare in our state. So when some of the people on here are blaming some of CT's budget woes on the people on welfare they are making a misinformed statement. In fact if CT has one of the lowest % of people on welfare we are actually getting "shortchanged" while the states with a higher % of people (many Republican states) on welfare are reaping the benefits of the welfare program. That is very ironic.

[MrGompers]

Originally Posted by CTartist

Thanks Mr. Gompers. Your post is very enlightening.

So it is not really the state of CT (or CT taxpayers) who are directly paying for the people on welfare in our state. So when some of the people on here are blaming some of CT's budget woes on the people on welfare they are making a misinformed statement. In fact if CT has one of the lowest % of people on welfare we are actually getting "shortchanged" while the states with a higher % of people (many Republican states) on welfare are reaping the benefits of the welfare program. That is very ironic.

We are paying for people on welfare at least indirectly, because most of us are paying federal income taxes. However, I can extrapolate even more.

CT receives .69 cents back from the Fed Govt for each $1 CT pays the Fed Govt.

CT is actually no #2 in Fed tax paid per capita at around $11,500 (Wash DC is #1)

One could argue that the excess that CT is paying to the Fed Govt is going to other states to prop up their welfare systems and under funded Govt's. MS + NM 49th and 50th receive about $2 back for each $1 they pay.

[Henry10]

Too many reality deniers...

Originally Posted by MrGompers

As I understand it Food Stamps aka SNAP is paid for by the Fed Govt and administered by the states. The states can also make their own rules regarding qualifications such as asset levels. States may or may not also set lower time limits I'm not sure. (Max time limit is 5 years) but if you are single/married without kids you can only get food stamps for 3 months out of every 36 month period.

This was waived during the recession and is often what most anti-Obama people prattle about when they say Obama increased the welfare rolls/increased benefits, etc. To my knowledge this waiver was stopped about Sept 2015.

Waiver continue for many states, including CT. http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/defaul...ver-status.pdf

Waivers in another corrupt program, which started as an "innocent" thing ("hey, since unemployment is high, people can't find jobs") and now still goes on although unemployment rate is lower than the trigger. CA, RI, IL still have full waivers, while FL for example was stopped for example.

So, if you are a single, fully-bodied adult in many states (including is some areas of CT, guess where) you still get welfare without being required to work. Keep in mind that we are not talking about welfare queens here. Them, nobody can touch.

Originally Posted by MrGompers

Now TANF (temporary assistance to needy families) is very different. IT is given to states in the form of "Block Grants" and can be spent however they feel. TANF is also NOT available to single/married people WITHOUT kids.

Why don't you mention SAGA? It IS for single adults without kids. http://www.ct.gov/dss/lib/dss/pdfs/t..._FactSheet.pdf

And SAGA is just another CT welfare program, in case you can't get into some other program, which is in case you can't get into another program.

Originally Posted by MrGompers

Be very suspicious of any politicians that talk about "Block Grants" or "Opportunity Grants." Many of the leading Republicans like Paul Ryan want to turn every Fed program into a "Block Grant" so they can separate themselves from the programs missions and continually cut the programs without guilt.

It's part of their playbook First under fund programs, proclaim they don't work, them privatize them and/or close them altogether.

I would like to see the feds get out of welfare entirely, but of course that is heresy to the liberals, who love concentration of power, and an iron-fisted Govt telling people how to live. Liberalism's first instinct is tyranny, and for that you need a strong Central Govt in the hands of a few.

Welfare has not reduced poverty. It has only destroyed the work ethic of tens of million, and made them economically enslaved to the state. In return, it has made many politicians very powerful and wealthy. Wake up.

Even more, it is attracting millions of illegal and legal aliens, which for many of them, the primary goal is to participate in the looting of treasure that middle class pays for.

Originally Posted by MrGompers

We are paying for people on welfare at least indirectly, because most of us are paying federal income taxes. However, I can extrapolate even more.

CT receives .69 cents back from the Fed Govt for each $1 CT pays the Fed Govt.

CT is actually no #2 in Fed tax paid per capita at around $11,500 (Wash DC is #1)

One could argue that the excess that CT is paying to the Fed Govt is going to other states to prop up their welfare systems and under funded Govt's. MS + NM 49th and 50th receive about $2 back for each $1 they pay.

Another laughable trick. Anyone with a a 3rd grade math can see through this.

Feds distribute the same $ amount / person to every state, based on population. Since the red states have lower incomes than "progressive" blue ones, of course this skews this graph to the point of being a joke.

Besides what is the moral of this story -- hey, conservatives -- you get a lot more than others from the Central Govt, so you should love the Central Govt?

Seriously, what is the point?

[Henry10]

Originally Posted by CTartist

Thanks Mr. Gompers. Your post is very enlightening.

That post was mis-informing.

Originally Posted by CTartist

So it is not really the state of CT (or CT taxpayers) who are directly paying for the people on welfare in our state.

It is not true. CT does pay directly for some welfare programs. Again, there are many different programs that we call "welfare."

You can read here where tax dollars go in CT: A guide to the budget: Where do your tax dollars go? | The CT Mirror

Secondly, CT taxpayers pay for a bureaucracy (state employees) to administer these programs. If anything is ironic it is that pensions for such state employees are what's breaking the back of CT.

Debt Service is another indirect form. Don't let the politicians and their drones fool you. We are borrowing money to partially pay for "welfare" programs + employees to manage them.