25 Comments
Oct 2Liked by Joe Mayall

It's definitely a vicious circle. I was on welfare when I was a young mother and I didn't get enough to survive on. If I worked, I'd get kicked off benefits, food stamps and no financial aid, so I would end up quitting and have to go back on again. Then because I didn't tell them I was working, I made a few thousand I think. So I ended up overpaying through my taxes and didn't even know it till many yrs later when I got a check in the mail. It's made to dehumanize people. I truly believe that. Until they train people skills and let them get on their feet slowly, it will never work. Great article and you're right, mine as well light the fire up.

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author

That is so saddening to hear and a perfect example of why means testing is pointless. These "donut holes" that allow people to slip through are a plague on the system and eventually end up deterring people from applying or receiving necessary assistance. As you said, it's a vicious cycle. I hope you're doing okay.❤️

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I've had better days. I'm on SSI and only get half of what people normally get. Bac on Medicaid and snap. I need a few surgeries. You should do an article on how people on Medicaid face discrimination on Medicaid. I can't find a decent Surgeon who takes my plan. I even wrote to a few Politicians telling them that if they really wanted to help people on Medicaid that they would allow people to get better Doctors. If I can't get the medical help I need, how do I go back to work? Being on SSI is like being in your own prison.

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Oct 1Liked by Joe Mayall

It is very cruel. If any of you have ever had to be on a food assistance program you know the multiple hoops you have to jump through to prove you are worthy. Do you have any idea how many people are living with food insecurity on top of everything else?

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author

I've never had to apply for food stamps, but I have for unemployment, and it's a similar struggle. Just needless barriers that are designed to slow and prevent us from accessing assistance.

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Oct 1Liked by Joe Mayall

Yes. And one of the things you have to do for food stamps is have your employer fill out a form proving the hours that you verbally have told the state agency you work. Mind you, you have a fuckin' pay stub (excuse my language), but that is not enough! Now your employer gets involved and don't think for a minute that doesn't put a big ole mark on your head. It's humiliating.

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author

That is absolutely ridiculous. The waste of time and effort is one thing, the humiliation is another aspect entirely.

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Oct 1Liked by Joe Mayall

Yes, it sure is. Thank you for writing this piece.

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author

It's my pleasure! Thank you for reading it.

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This ties in to disability benefits where people have to go every year and ‘prove’ they’re still disabled, like their leg didn’t grow back or something. It’s pretty clearly evil.

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author

JFC. That's so dark. I had to "prove" I was unemployed and still job searching to collect unemployment. I can't imagine the strains and humiliation of someone having to have a bureaucrat certify their legs don't work. A profoundly sick system.

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Totally. Especially when the person can barely move and has a million obstacles to even transporting themselves to the damned office to submit the necessary idiotic paperwork. It’s malicious.

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One of the truest, yet stupidest things our former governor ever said was that welfare was “trampoline” (as in it was supposed to be)

It’s true it is. Because anyone who knows anything about trampolines is that the height is gives you is only temporary and then..you don’t stay up, you fall back down.

One of the biggest hurdles is the benefits cliff. A gradual reduction as people begin to do better, and especially those with disabilities would solve much of the problem and not only save states money, but raise revenue for the state.

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The "cliffs" are a huge issue. I have a friend who works in narcotics rehab here in Denver. He talks about how folks can get publicly funded Narcan and other support, but when they get a minimum-wage job, it bumps them out of the income bracket without being able to support themselves. It's a huge policy whole.

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I’ve seen it as both an advocate and an employer in the disability space. People want to work, but will make sure they don’t go over 25 hours a week to keep their disability, and healthcare. Everyone knows it’s a problem. But no one wants to budge on addressing it

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Homelessness serves many capitalist functions. Yes, employers love it, but so do real estate hedge fund parasites. They can charge obscene prices for housing knowing people don't want to become homeless.

Add into the mix the nationwide housing shortage (despite communities have land available). This is a fake scenario to keep the propaganda going and prices skyrocketing.

Then there's the criminalization of homelessness. Income for courts, law enforcement, and prisons. Unfortunately I could keep going...

Please keep writing these kinds of articles. They educate people and get them to thinking 🤔

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author

I once heard someone point out that, in a dark way, homeless people serve as a reminder to the rest of us what happens if we stop working. If you live in a city, chances are you see someone without a home every day. Conscious or not, that has an effect on us.

Thank you for your kind words, and I'm thrilled to hear you find value in my work. I'll keep writing them as long as people keep reading!

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Oct 4Liked by Joe Mayall

Your articles never fail to either: inform me of thoughtful, evidence-based, and effective means of governance; or provide greater depth and clarity on my own deeply held beliefs and values about how we should manage our communities/world. This one was a bit of both!

This phenomenon of “thrifty” and “sensible” enactment of policy is so widespread, going far beyond just welfare. Particularly the way it essentially lays traps for people to run into while, in good faith, attempting to get their justly deserved money, resources, or even basic rights! Like the ungodly cruelty of penalizing and demanding repayment from welfare recipients who unknowingly and often retrospectively failed the means test… what evil inspires such a system.

Not exactly similar to this topic, but I’m reminded of Florida’s (who else?) re-enfranchisement of felon’s voting rights. Specifically the waste of resources in hunting down and prosecuting “criminal” voters who fell short of the ridiculous criteria in the fast and loose process of enacting the law. I was made aware by one of the best podcasts out there which I’d recommend to everyone, ALAB (all lawyers are bastards) 😂. I’ll add links to the episode below.

https://soundcloud.com/alabpodcast/episode-28-something-given-has-no-value

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/alab-series/id1477059799?i=1000580350240

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author

First, thank you Graem! I'm thrilled to hear you find value in my writing. That's exactly why I started this publication, so I'm glad it's being felt by the reader.

Second, the concept of welfare enrollment "traps" is a great way to put it. It's not just jumping through hoops. Many systems are DESIGNED to exclude people. I recently had to file for unemployment. As someone who is pretty tech-savvy, it was one of the most confusing software processes I've ever encountered.

Thanks for those episodes! I'm always looking for new resources to learn.

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founding
Oct 1Liked by Joe Mayall

Great article and information

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author

Glad you appreciated it!

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Great article 👍 Thanks for bringing this topic into discussion. Most people don't know about the bureaucracy of poverty & the cruelty of their policies.

Yes politicians delight in means-testing the applicants. Humiliation is big in the policy. Our twisted culture thinks it's shameful to be poor. The poorer you are the closer to death you should be ... Look at the treatment of homelessness.

Means-testing is all about power and oppression. Poor people are non persons. They are America's whipping boy for politicians, a steady paycheck for government workers, government bonds and grants for communities... Everyone benefits except the poor these programs are made for. The poor are kept poor so others can profit off their misery.

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author

Thanks for your kind words of appreciation!

I couldn't agree more with your analysis. Folks need to realize that poverty is a feature of capitalism, not a bug. Unemployed masses help capitalists keep labor costs down, as someone is always willing to work for less to escape poverty. I also think capitalists appreciate having visibly poor and homeless folks for us to see, as a subtle reminder to what will happen to us if we stop working for them.

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