Leaving in drOOOOOOOOOOves! (Pittsburgh: live, ranking, metro)

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Welfare queens are alive and well. I worked at a grocery store for 6 years and saw enough WIC cards from people driving newer Buicks.

It's important to note a difference between WIC and TANF (or what most people consider welfare). WIC is a public health program designed to ensure that pregnant woman and new mothers and their children are getting proper nutrition which can avoid more severe and costly problems if they don't have access. The usual WIC award is $50 per month. Due to its targeted nature the income requirements of WIC are less stringent with higher-income families being eligible than would be for TANF. A family of 3 can make up to $34k per year and still be eligible for WIC and yes, probably drive a newish Buick.

WIC (Women, Infants and Children) serves income-eligible and medically or nutritionally at-risk pregnant women, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding mothers, infants and children up to the age of five. WIC offers nutrition counseling, breast-feeding support and food vouchers redeemable at participating grocery stores for infant formula, milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, juices and other nutritious foods.The WIC Program is a health and supplemental nutrition program for pregnant women; breastfeeding women up to 12 months postpartum; non-breastfeeding women up to 6 months post-partum; infants and children up to 5 years of age who have a medical/nutritional risk and meet financial eligibility criteria. Funding is provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. WIC is administered by the Department of Health at the State and the Allegheny County Health Department at the local level.

[WINDCHIMES]

I used to work in a supermarket too as a teenager, I remember

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by WINDCHIMES

I used to work in a supermarket too as a teenager, I remember

Public assistance has changed a lot since the 60s.

Incidentally, this is the problem with many of the public policy "solutions" proposed by the Right. They continue to attempt to solve the problems of America circa 1980.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by WINDCHIMES

Ok...please tell me where middle class whites and blacks live together? The only city I can think of that might come close that has relatively no major crime would be Monroeville...not exactly a growing clean ideal place for anyone not what your race may be.

I don't think these places exist here like they do in other places. I love old town Alexandria and I think that is an ideal place for its very diverse, safe, beautiful but sadly too expensive for me to live

Churchill: 13.8%
Wilkins: 11.8%
Edgewood: 9.3%
Forest Hills: 9.1%
Chalfant: 8.1%
Sewickley: 7.3%
Ingram: 5.7%
Baldwin (Borough): 5.3%

[pman]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

Welfare queens are alive and well. I worked at a grocery store for 6 years and saw enough WIC cards from people driving newer Buicks.

Granted, it's a small dent in our country's financial problem compared to our military and other expenses. Politicians use the whole "welfare queen" thing to divide the population while bankers are the real thugs ringing us dry.

the main problems are the incentives are all screwed up. in a lot of cases, it "costs" more to work because you end up giving up benefits that are worth more than your salary when you consider housing, childcare, etc. it's one thing when there are people who abuse the system (and there are) and another when the system discourages work (which it can also do).

[Lobick]

Originally Posted by pman

the main problems are the incentives are all screwed up. in a lot of cases, it "costs" more to work because you end up giving up benefits that are worth more than your salary when you consider housing, childcare, etc. it's one thing when there are people who abuse the system (and there are) and another when the system discourages work (which it can also do).

That's true, but I think we need to acknowledge that any system you implement will face some of these difficult choices as long as income limits are part of the calculus. A more in-depth, case-by-case analysis of each applicants particular situation could be performed, but I imagine there would be little political will and even less funding made available for such a system to be rolled out.

And as ATC points out there are far more egregious abuses of welfare out there by the wealthy and corporations. Even John Stossel agrees:
Confessions of a Welfare Queen - Reason Magazine

[BrianTH]

The way the phase-outs for the various programs work, it generally is not true the marginal return to additional income is negative.

[gg]

Would be great if they just had plans for 6 months and then people have to work. If you are disabled, then maybe a little assistance until the person can find some desk type work. The life line needs to be cut and let the cards fall where they may.

[rhondee]

People who are disabled get disability- not Public Assistance. The people who are receiving Public Assistance are usually single mothers with children who live with them, no father around to help out either. The problem with that is many times there is no one available to watch the kids while they are at work.

In a perfect world, everyone could work 9-5, Mon. thru Fri job schedules. In the real world, many people work off shiftss, nights, holidays, weekends, etc and a babysitter is not always at hand and at the ready when mom has to go to work.

If you let " the cards fall where they may" you may wind up having a tragic situation like the 27 yr. old N. Versailles mother who worked nightshift as an exotic dancer, who lost her 2 kids in a housefire. She had no prior criminal record, was not receiving Welfare benefits and was doing her best to provide for her children. She couldn't find a babysitter to work nights so she made the tragic mistake of locking the apartment door with a deadbolt thinking that would keep her kids safe.

The lack of affordable daycare, or in cases when mom works off hours sometimes there is no daycare available at all, is the biggest obstacle that single moms face when they are trying to work while taking proper care of their children.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

All that media spamming about the "Most Livable City" thing seems to be working eh?

Pittsburgh was named the "Most Livable City" for the first time back in the 80s. Just sayin'.