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Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients info

Renae

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(NEWSER) – "The days of being quiet are gone," Robert Macdonald writes in a column in the Twin City Times. And what does the Republican mayor of Lewiston, Maine, want to break the silence on? People on welfare are "gaming the system," he tells the Portland Press Herald, spurring him to call for a bill that would see the launch of a website with the "names, addresses, length of time on assistance, and benefits" for "every individual on the dole. … The public has a right to know how its money is being spent." Macdonald—an ex-cop who had no prior political experience before he took office in 2011, the paper notes—also wants to limit welfare benefits in Maine to 60 months over a person's lifetime and to prohibit extra benefits for kids born after a person is accepted into the welfare program.
At fault for this "victimized, protected class" are "liberal, progressive legislators and their social-service allies," Macdonald writes in his column. It appears Macdonald's experience has influenced his perspective. "Go into a grocery store. They flaunt it," he tells the Press Herald. "I'm not sorry. I hope this makes people think twice about applying for welfare." Macdonald also hopes the website might spur neighbors to "make a call" and rat out those taking advantage of the program.
Maine Mayor Robert Macdonald Wants Website to Post Names of Welfare Recipients

And before anyone a cow has. Maine already does this for Pensioners.

Search: State worker pensions - The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Irresponsible governance, undoubtedly aimed at placating the portion of the GOP base who wish to dehumanize welfare recipients. Unfortunately this mentality is not uncommon.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

It is all a question of how openly we want to treat information.
And for what purpose. When ones explicit goal is to shame certain parts of your citizenry by releasing their personal information, it shifts the debate from privacy to ethics.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i


What an ass. Guy essentially wants to shame people and open them up to bullying. I expect that this mayor won't be mayor at next election season should this pass.

As for pensioners, who cares about them? They worked for that pension, earned it.

However I would say that both are violations of peoples right to privacy and such laws should be thrown out.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

What I fail to see is what purpose would be served by a city (or state) publishing the names/addresses of those receiving federal assistance? Should we also publish the names/addresses of those getting SS/SSDI or EITC? It would obviously involve a local cost to do the publishing but what is the local benefit?
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

What an ass. Guy essentially wants to shame people and open them up to bullying. I expect that this mayor won't be mayor at next election season should this pass.

As for pensioners, who cares about them? They worked for that pension, earned it.

However I would say that both are violations of peoples right to privacy and such laws should be thrown out.

i disagree regarding welfare recipients, these people are 100% dependent on the taxpayer, it's not a pension or social security for them, in many cases they never paid a worked a minute or paid a penny into the fund they're drawing from, there are millions of people who exploit welfare as a lifestyle choice. why should their information not be public knowledge, as they are drawing public funds due to their refusal to work for a living. and yes, they are refusing to work, there are plenty of jobs out there, Craigslist any city in America for more details. hard to blame them though, welfare/other handouts combined pays much better than minimum wage. perhaps there's the true problem; we're incentivizing people to not work, because working isn't worth it. three options; raise minimum wage, cut welfare benefits, tariff china and bring the real jobs home. really only two i guess, since our self serving government would never consider the third.


as for pensioners/social security recipients i agree, they earned that money, and it's none of our business.


Do welfare recipients have an incentive to work? « Hot Air
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

And for what purpose. When ones explicit goal is to shame certain parts of your citizenry by releasing their personal information, it shifts the debate from privacy to ethics.

There we are at the question of your knowing better than the other guy, what are things that must be censored and what opinions are legitimately expressed. Personally, I dislike you attitude intensely, but would never want you shut up, like you seem to want done to others.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

What an ass. Guy essentially wants to shame people and open them up to bullying. I expect that this mayor won't be mayor at next election season should this pass.

As for pensioners, who cares about them? They worked for that pension, earned it.

However I would say that both are violations of peoples right to privacy and such laws should be thrown out.

Good morning, Kal'Stang. :2wave:

During the Great Depression in this country, names of families receiving welfare were posted on the door of the courthouse in many towns. At that time, it was considered a disgrace to receive welfare, and very few families would admit they were not doing "okay." Times were very difficult for everyone, and even those who had some money in the bank could not take it out since most of the banks were shut down. The saying "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" became the way of life for most people. Very sad period in history for most people in this country back then. I have many books on the subject and it's remarkable to me how people were able to somehow survive those dark days.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

i disagree regarding welfare recipients, these people are 100% dependent on the taxpayer, it's not a pension or social security for them, in many cases they never paid a worked a minute or paid a penny into the fund they're drawing from, there are millions of people who exploit welfare as a lifestyle choice. why should their information not be public knowledge, as they are drawing public funds due to their refusal to work for a living. and yes, they are refusing to work, there are plenty of jobs out there, Craigslist any city in America for more details. hard to blame them though, welfare/other handouts combined pays much better than minimum wage. perhaps there's the true problem; we're incentivizing people to not work, because working isn't worth it. three options; raise minimum wage, cut welfare benefits, tariff china and bring the real jobs home. really only two i guess, since our self serving government would never consider the third.


as for pensioners/social security recipients i agree, they earned that money, and it's none of our business.


Do welfare recipients have an incentive to work? « Hot Air

Sorry, but just because one receives welfare does not mean that they give up their Rights. Doing such only creates a second class society.

Also the majority of welfare recipients do not have an income solely derived on welfare. Majority of them also have jobs. Remember the biggest complaint about Wal-Mart? That the majority of their employees are on welfare? Think that just applies to Wal-Mart employee's? The problem is that employers do not pay enough for people to make a living. They do this because they know that people need jobs to survive and that if one person won't take the job for the pay that they demand people take, 10 others are lined up that will take the job. People know this so they take the job instead of demanding and holding out for better pay. That is not those peoples fault. This isn't the only reason that people get on welfare either. There are many MANY reasons and this is not a black and white issue. Simply stating that those on welfare are leeches and lazy that should be humiliated is a myopic point of view and doesn't take into account the thousands of reasons that people get on welfare to begin with.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Good morning, Kal'Stang. :2wave:

During the Great Depression in this country, names of families receiving welfare were posted on the door of the courthouse in many towns. At that time, it was considered a disgrace to receive welfare, and very few families would admit they were not doing "okay." Times were very difficult for everyone, and even those who had some money in the bank could not take it out since most of the banks were shut down. The saying "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" became the way of life for most people. Very sad period in history for most people in this country back then. I have many books on the subject and it's remarkable to me how people were able to somehow survive those dark days.

Morning Polgara! :2wave:

From my understanding, a lot of people did die during the Great Depression because they couldn't.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Sorry, but just because one receives welfare does not mean that they give up their Rights. Doing such only creates a second class society.

Also the majority of welfare recipients do not have an income solely derived on welfare. Majority of them also have jobs. Remember the biggest complaint about Wal-Mart? That the majority of their employees are on welfare? Think that just applies to Wal-Mart employee's? The problem is that employers do not pay enough for people to make a living. They do this because they know that people need jobs to survive and that if one person won't take the job for the pay that they demand people take, 10 others are lined up that will take the job. People know this so they take the job instead of demanding and holding out for better pay. That is not those peoples fault. This isn't the only reason that people get on welfare either. There are many MANY reasons and this is not a black and white issue. Simply stating that those on welfare are leeches and lazy that should be humiliated is a myopic point of view and doesn't take into account the thousands of reasons that people get on welfare to begin with.

The simple fact is that welfare (a reward for personal economic failure) does not fix any of those thousands of reasons (excuses?) that people seek it out. I agree that listing the names/addresses would not (directly) fix anything either, but it just may cause more focus on a better solution to the underlying economic (personal?) problems which welfare was supposed to help fix.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients info

oh joy, more poverty shaming. wasn't surprised to see his party affiliation. also, when are we going to start piss testing politicians?
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Welfare should not be considered as an entitlement. Many people do game the system. Often, they can't pass an 8th grade math efficiency test yet they can masterfully navigate the plethora of application forms and bureaucratic red tape to suck the most out of the system they can. Hell, they look upon their quest to leech off of society as their profession. Those are the people we need to aggressively pursue. They make it bad for those who genuinely need the help. It takes the monies out of their baby's mouth.

Lack of character and sloth should not be subsidized by our tax dollars. But, one way or another, it will be. If we can't make someone work to support their self, they will just resort to crime. In which case, we lock them up and end up supporting them anyways. :roll:

I would also submit that we should shame the politicians, who are given loads of money by special interest groups, (their OWN form of welfare,) by making them expose those who have bought them. Politicians have no problem with keeping their shameless revenue resources hidden in the dark.
 
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Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

The simple fact is that welfare (a reward for personal economic failure) does not fix any of those thousands of reasons (excuses?) that people seek it out. I agree that listing the names/addresses would not (directly) fix anything either, but it just may cause more focus on a better solution to the underlying economic (personal?) problems which welfare was supposed to help fix.

A "reward"? Tell that to those that are on it. :roll: And despite the rhetoric, not everyone can succeed no matter how hard they try. Some do not have the mental capacity to. Some do not have the physical capacity to. Some simply just don't know how to go about doing what needs to be done to get out of poverty. Some programs work for some people, but not all people. Some have histories that they regret but it will affect them their entire lives. I could go on and on, not one of them "excuses" but actual legitimate impediments. Point of fact is that our country loves to punish people for even the slightest of offenses, perceived or real. Shaming people isn't going to do anything positive.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

A "reward"? Tell that to those that are on it. :roll: And despite the rhetoric, not everyone can succeed no matter how hard they try. Some do not have the mental capacity to. Some do not have the physical capacity to. Some simply just don't know how to go about doing what needs to be done to get out of poverty. Some programs work for some people, but not all people. Some have histories that they regret but it will affect them their entire lives. I could go on and on, not one of them "excuses" but actual legitimate impediments. Point of fact is that our country loves to punish people for even the slightest of offenses, perceived or real. Shaming people isn't going to do anything positive.

The (bolded above) folks are what we commonly refer to as disabled. Those "impediments" are not ever going to be fixed and should be treated as disabilities not temporary conditions that need "welfare" which is supposed to be temporary . Not giving folks tax money is no punishment - that is the rule, not the exception.

Low income alone does not qualify one for most "welfare", including Medicaid, programs. We have created a system that actually encourages out of wedlock childbirth while pretending to want to "break the cycle of poverty".

Of more than 20 major studies of the issue, more than three-quarters show a significant link between welfare benefit levels and out-of-wedlock childbearing.23 Higher benefit levels mean higher out-of-wedlock births. Children living with single mothers are seven times more likely to be poor than those living with two parents.

TANF and Federal Welfare | Downsizing the Federal Government
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

The (bolded above) folks are what we commonly refer to as disabled. Those "impediments" are not ever going to be fixed and should be treated as disabilities not temporary conditions that need "welfare" which is supposed to be temporary . Not giving folks tax money is no punishment - that is the rule, not the exception.

Low income alone does not qualify one for most "welfare", including Medicaid, programs. We have created a system that actually encourages out of wedlock childbirth while pretending to want to "break the cycle of poverty".

TANF and Federal Welfare | Downsizing the Federal Government

Except of course that those parts that you bolded includes far more than just those that are medically mentally disabled and physically disabled. Not everyone has the capacity to learn beyond 12th grade high school education. Not everyone has the physical capacity to stock shelves at Wal-Mart. Everyone is different. To expect the same out of everyone that isn't medically disabled ignores reality. For instance, you can't expect someone that barely graduated because their mental capacity wasn't up to the task to be able to comprehend college level material. Due to that they are never going to get a job that pays a middle income wage. Which means they are going to be stuck working at places like Wal-Mart which means that they will only be getting paid poverty amount and that person will be on welfare for the rest of their lives. Not for lack of trying, but for lack of sufficient mental capacity. Yet they have sufficient mental capacity to not be considered mentally disabled.

As for the children out of wedlock thing, that's life. :shrug: What do you propose to do about it? Force people to stay together by making divorces illegal? Punishing those that have sex outside of wedlock?
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Except of course that those parts that you bolded includes far more than just those that are medically mentally disabled and physically disabled. Not everyone has the capacity to learn beyond 12th grade high school education. Not everyone has the physical capacity to stock shelves at Wal-Mart. Everyone is different. To expect the same out of everyone that isn't medically disabled ignores reality. For instance, you can't expect someone that barely graduated because their mental capacity wasn't up to the task to be able to comprehend college level material. Due to that they are never going to get a job that pays a middle income wage. Which means they are going to be stuck working at places like Wal-Mart which means that they will only be getting paid poverty amount and that person will be on welfare for the rest of their lives. Not for lack of trying, but for lack of sufficient mental capacity. Yet they have sufficient mental capacity to not be considered mentally disabled.

As for the children out of wedlock thing, that's life. :shrug: What do you propose to do about it? Force people to stay together by making divorces illegal? Punishing those that have sex outside of wedlock?

Nowhere near 15% of the US population is in your mentally challenged but not disabled category.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Nowhere near 15% of the US population is in your mentally challenged but not disabled category.

Let's say you are correct just for arguments sake, as noted previously there are more reasons than just being mentally challenged. What explanation do you have for those?
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Nowhere near 15% of the US population is in your mentally challenged but not disabled category.
Actually, about 10% of the US population are Below 80 IQ:
http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/iqtable.aspx
One ref at Wiki says that's:
"Borderline impaired or delayed"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_classification
That's alotta people. App 30 million (at 9%)
Below 70 (app 2%) is considered 'retarded' or whatever the current PC term is.

Many of these people, along with the mentally ill, end up in Jail.
 
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Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

It is all a question of how openly we want to treat information.

Fine!!

Then we need to do the same for all public servants, who cost me a Hell of a lot more than someone on welfare.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

If we feel the need to shame those who are working the system, how about publishing those who have been on the dole for a long period of time, say 5 years? (Exempting people with legitimate mental and/or physical issues) That should preclude those who use it legitimately for its intended purpose as a temporary measure.
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

Fine!!

Then we need to do the same for all public servants, who cost me a Hell of a lot more than someone on welfare.

Power to the people!
 
Re: Mayor Thinks People on Welfare 'Flaunt It,' Has Plan to post welfare recipients i

"Go into a grocery store. They flaunt it," he tells the Press Herald.

Welfare recipients buying food in a grocery store is 'flaunting it"? Looks more like the mayor is trying to flaunt his power over the vulnerable and needy.
 
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