MyDD :: The War In My Backyard (Maryland)

The War In My Backyard (Maryland)

by Steve Hill, Mon Jun 20, 2005 at 10:09:31 PM EST

I have blog where I frequently write about the war on the poor. I often focus on Maryland because that is where I live (and because I get paid to write about Maryland). But if it is happening here, there is a good chance that it is happening in your state too.

In my state, if you are a single parent with two kids and you earn a little more than $500 in a month, you're too rich to qualify for Medicaid. In other words, you're out of luck when it comes to health care or health insurance.

You could go to a clinic somewhere, but they only provide primary care. They can diagnose you, but if you need treatment they don't do that.

Last week, our governor announced that he was closing the offices responsible for enforcing child labor, minimum wage and other wage laws. (I wrote about that here). His choice was more money for horse racing purses, or money to keep these wage enforcement offices open. His preference was the horses.

This one is more fuel for the fire, which I wrote about today: When a very low-income family applies for cash assistance they turn over their rights to child support to the state. The state then takes responsibility for collecting the child support (so far so good). How much of the money collected goes to the poor kids? NOT ONE PENNY. The state keeps it all and shares a portion with the the federal government.

This year, thanks to a combination of being miserly and years of budget cuts (like cutting funds for special education), our state is expecting a surplus of $270 million. It sickens me that some small share of that surplus is money that our state collected from low-income parents that was supposed to be child support for their kids.

I blog on this stuff a couple of times a week at the Maryland Policy blog. But after a while it just wears me out.

I'd like to think that people would care about this. But I'm not sure that we're paying enough attention.
Stay on this people, please.

Thanks for reading. (a similar post was on kos earlier; I re-wrote it here, inspired by Chris' open thread/call to action).

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DAGGER

by goplies on Mon Jun 20, 2005 at 10:28:45 PM EST

What state are you in? (none / 0)

I know people who follow state choices affecting lower income people in 25 states or so. I might be able to point you to some places to get you started.

by Steve Hill on Mon Jun 20, 2005 at 10:47:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

War on the weak... (none / 0)

I think that the current GOP leadership is trying to create an impossible situation for non-elite (mainstream, working class) American families, perhaps because of some kind of internal sadistic streak. Many of these authoritarian types seem to have a kind of resentment of people who aren't miserable, emotionally. They also want attention, as in the 'you're rich, so you must also be good, so this is God's reward' kind..

The reality is that richness and poorness is a mixture of many things, with the luck of affluent birth (and the support network that money brings) being increasingly important. Very few kids without that support network ever get rich, even if they are smart.. They consider themselves lucky to survive.. Repugnicans seem to want to obliterate anyone who reminds them of that fact..

Be afraid, be very afraid.. because this has seriously ugly implications for the future if the GOP remains in power.. They are trying to destroy us.. literally..

It gets worse..

When you spend ten or twenty years trying to marginalize a group of people, you hate them, and they hate you, and you at that point will do almost anything to keep them down.. even if it means criminalizing everyday behavior or things people must do to survive..

Is this ALL so that they can say 'I told you so'?

Yes, its, at the beginning, all about wanting attention.. (and access to mates)

You may think I'm a nut, but if you think about it, you'll see what I mean..I think..

Does this make sense to you (IOW please give me feedback on this theory)

by ultraworld on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 01:48:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: War on the weak... (none / 0)

You are on to something there. I'd like to see you develop that thought a little more. Put it into a new post as a cohesive statement.

DAGGER

by goplies on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 06:59:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: War on the weak... (none / 0)

The "god rewards the good" is an old Episcopalian view. Alternatively, the Baptists, who were poorer, often emphasized tht one's reward was in heaven.

Here is where your theory breaks down for me: I live in Maryland. We have an overwhelmingly Democratically controlled legislature. We have a Republican governor now, but he is the first since the 60s (Spiro Agnew).

Yes, our current governor is making horrible choices that affect working people. But the situation here--almost everything I mentioned in my post--happened under the watch of Democrats.

So my theory is: We think we care, but nobody is really paying attention. When it gets down to it, it's everyone for themselves, and the folks at the bottom are going to lose, no matter what party is running the show.

by Steve Hill on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 08:50:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Good Theory (3.00 / 1)

Amen to this:

"So my theory is: We think we care, but nobody is really paying attention."

Recently, I've spent a good deal of time watching and learning about the good that compassionate communities can do. But unfortunately, those types of communities are few and far between, and don't seem to extend at all to the higher levels of government. I feel saddened that my newly adopted state of Maryland can allow the things to happen that you write about, especially given the number of Democrats here.

The amazing thing to me is that I believe we do have a decent idea of how to effectively fight poverty, through some combination of assistance, incentives, and training. We do know how to educate children and adults. We do know how to ensure that the vast majority of people lead healthy, long lives.

And yet, as a society, we don't do much about it (even though many people on this board probably do). We act as if we were plopped down on this world yesterday without knowledge of economics, education, preventative health care, or human nature. We act so tentative about fixing our problems, that the people who actively don't want to fix problems win the day.

And well, I guess it's the poor people's own fault anyway. . .

by hoagieboy on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 09:27:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Good Theory (none / 0)

Change happens from the individual outward. The ills of the nation cannot be fixed from the top down without limiting freedoms of the individual.

What is more important to you freedom or equality? That is the question the Democratic Party has got to answer before it can start winning again.

by Classical Liberal on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 10:12:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: War on the weak... (none / 0)

I do think you are a nut UltraWorld, but your posts are always interesting. First of all money isn't everything, is it? Second of all - Why do you have no faith in this great country? There is no place in the world where it is more possible to rise from the bottom to the top. It isn't easy, but nothing worth doing ever is.

Don't buy into the hate being sold on both sides of the isle. Quite frankly more has come from the far left since 2000. I, personally, am sick of it and think it will only serve to continually hurt the party as a whole.

"Be afraid, be very afraid of ..." the big bad GOP is coming for you. Give me a break. Continually crying wolf will one day leave you with no sheep.

My advice to you - smile more. Life isn't that bad in the "Land of Milk and Honey."

by Classical Liberal on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 10:03:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: What state are you in? (none / 0)

New Friggin' York

DAGGER

by goplies on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 06:59:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]

New YorK (none / 0)

Democracy in Albany is a site kind of like this one, with commentary focused on NY.

The Fiscal Policy Institute does the geeky stuff -- tax and budget analysis, corporate accountability, minimum wage, etc.

I'm not sure, but I would guess that SEIU 1199 in NY has some kind of presence on the web on these sorts of issues as well.

by Steve Hill on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 09:05:37 AM EST

Re: New YorK (none / 0)

Steve, don't think I've seen you since 2001 BRFA hearings...it's a long way from DBM for me.

CBPP and their State Fisacl Analysis Initiative would likely have information on this topic. I know that Steve's group is part of this initiative, and I look to them for good numbers often.

"into your illusion, i make my intrusion"

by fng on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 09:31:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

DBM, fng... (none / 0)

Help me out here (I know what DBM is, it's the fng I'm struggling with).

by Steve Hill on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 11:07:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: DBM, fng... (none / 0)

Dan Tompkins. Worked for Eloise & Tom until Ehrlich, then jumped over to DLS for two sessions.

"into your illusion, i make my intrusion"

by fng on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 11:33:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Back Child Support (none / 0)

The state then takes responsibility for collecting the child support (so far so good). How much of the money collected goes to the poor kids? NOT ONE PENNY. The state keeps it all and shares a portion with the the federal government.

In California we have a dispicable law that rebates a portion of the back child support the County D.A. collects back to the general operating budget of the D.A. (I do not know what percentage of the back child support is refunded to the County D.A.'s office.)

Imagine a whole office of County prosecutors working on commission. The result is that fathers who are current and always have been current on their child support are dragged into court to prove that they are current. I had a personal friend who responded to the Los Angeles D.A.'s summons by taking down every single cancelled check that he had paid. His ex-wife went with him and said she would sign an affidavit that his payments were all current. The D.A. didn't care. My friend was told that their computer indicated he hadn't been making his payments and he had to hire a lawyer to prove it.

Collection of back child support is a run away train all over California as a result. God help the father who doesn't keep immaculate records of their child support payments. They get hit with vicious interest and penalties for payments they have already made and have their wages garnished. California also revokes business licenses and drivers licenses of "dead beat Dads."

The California legislature and County D.A.s have gone way overboard on collecting back child support.

by Gary Boatwright on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 12:59:39 PM EST

Re: Back Child Support (none / 0)

Gary--child support is a crazy, complex issue. There is nothing that I have worked on that generates so much emotion from people who are involved. That emotion makes it darn hard to bring sanity to how we deal with it publicly.

For those who are dirt poor, many of us see child support as the ticket out of poverty for the kids. What we don't seem to get is that if the kids are dirt poor, there is a very good chance that the parent who would pay child support is dirt poor too.

The notion of "dead beat dad" is mostly bogus. Much more likely they are dead broke. But we do virtually nothing to help them improve their economic well-being so that they can both pay child support and have some minimal subsistence level for themselves.

For those who aren't dirt poor, in my view, the pendulum may have swung too far squeezing those who would pay child support. There is a reason that we moved toward a system where the courts were at the center of child support, but that system becomes a complete hassle for people who could work things out themselves.

by Steve Hill on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 01:24:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Minimum Wage documentary (none / 0)

The FX station ran an outstanding documentary by the same guy who did "Supersize Me." It covered 30 days of him and his wife/girlfriend living on minimum wage in the state of Washington.

If FX runs it again or this documentary is made available to the public, don't miss it!

by Gary Boatwright on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 01:01:07 PM EST

Re: Minimum Wage documentary (none / 0)

P.S. The title of the show/documentary was "Minimum Wage."

by Gary Boatwright on Tue Jun 21, 2005 at 01:01:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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