To all my regular readers: I don't ask for much, but today I need your help.  I need someone to give a copy of the Providence Journal to individuals from the George Wiley Center.  I assume they don't read the news, because in the middle of an economic crisis, they are asking the state to spend yet more money.  On second thought, maybe they don't like to read much.  Maybe you should just suggest they watch the 6 O'Clock news.  Just don't forget to tell them what time it's on.

     Here are a list of the demands from those representing the George Wiley Center, followed by my thoughts on the subject. 


*  Reduce the length of the food stamp application from 28 pages to 4 pages.

     This makes sense, if it can be done.  Although, I'm not familiar with the application process, so maybe a long application is necessary.  I would assume there are questions about owning real estate, securities, bank accounts, cars, expenses, income, etc.  That seems like a lot of information to cover in just 4 pages.  If it can be done, it should, but it shouldn't be done at the expense of allowing unqualified people to slip through the cracks.

*  Restore budget cuts to school breakfast programs.

     The unemployment rate is rising and the deficit for the current fiscal year and next fiscal year are probably going to continue to grow.  If we restore this cut, we will have to cut somewhere else.  When the other program is cut, we'll have complaints from yet another group.  Or, maybe they don't want anything cut and they just want to raise taxes on people who have their priorities in order and actually feed their children before they leave for school.

*  Restore cuts to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

     Refer to the first two sentences of the paragraph above.

*  Open state offices at night and on weekends to accommodate the working poor.

     If we open offices later, and these terms aren't in the current employee contracts, wouldn't the state have to pay over-time?  Wouldn't there also be an increase in utility bills due to  the offices having their hours of operation essentially doubled?

*  Extend benefits from 6 months to 1 year.

     This is a terrible idea.  What if someone's financial situation greatly improves a month or two after receiving benefits?  That means they will be receiving benefits they don't deserve for close to a year.  If advocates for the poor really cared, they would have thought about this and would be concerned about potential fraud that could reduce funds for those truly in need.  This is a bad idea indeed.

*  Ignore some assets.

     Here's an interesting question: What type of assets should we ignore?  An expensive car, real estate, stocks, money in the bank?  I'm curious about what should be ignored, and why these particular assets were chosen.

*  Hire at least 40 new workers to handle applications 

     This one is my favorite!  If you go to the Department of Labor and Training's web site, you will see that eligibility technicians make around $40,000 per year.  If the workers receive family plans and other benefits, their compensation including salary and benefits could easily exceed $60,000 each.  That amounts to an increase of more than $2.4 million!

    
     As you can see, these changes will result in millions of dollars of spending.  At a time of rising deficits, a high tax burden, and a rising unemployment rate, I don't see how advocates for the poor can expect Rhode Islanders to pay more.  The well has run dry, and they need to face this reality.


http://www.projo.com/news/content/FOOD_STAMP_PROTEST_03-07-09_JSDIMOI_v13.36afc3a.html