Welfare Warriors
Fall 2007
MW Voice FEATURE
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OTHER FALL 2007 ARTICLES
Fall
2007
Millions More Need Welfare Now
Lots of folks believe that “there is
no welfare anymore, right?” Corporate media buffs, no doubt.
Meanwhile the number of people who have to get foodstamps has nearly doubled since 2000. A September USDA
report found that 26.7 million Americans receive foodstamps now. Only
17.2 million folks required foodstamps in 2000 to survive hunger. Of course some of the “no welfare”
believers are thinking of the cash benefits for the mostly single mom
families. Those numbers have dropped from 5 million to a little over 2
million, despite increases in poverty. In Wisconsin for instance, we
have 571,000 people living in poverty now.
Yet only 7,000 families receive cash support. What a scandal! As a result of the welfare attacks on
US families, we are also seeing a huge increase in the number of
single-mom families with zero income. That same USDA report found
that another million families now survive on foodstamps alone--with zero
income. In 2000 there were 586,800 no-income families. Now there are
1,638,000 mostly moms trying to raise kids with no money. America the
beautiful. Speaking of poverty, MOTHER WARRIORS VOICE
NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT. We are hanging on by a hope and a prayer—all
volunteer staff are working in a office heated to only 55 degrees. The
computers love it but our fingers are numb! Please send some extra $$$
or persuade your library to subscribe or buy some gift subs for loved
ones. We need to keep this mamas media alive. I had to finally break down and apply
for foodstamps again. My first-hand experience sure confirmed the
nightmares of illegal DSS practices we hear about daily. Milwaukee runs
a scam where they claim to have “lost” your documents over and over—and
then terminate cases as a result of their errors. After running that
scam on me, they also just tossed away my housing verification, screwing
me out of $47 a month in food! Milwaukee DSS are shameless lawbreakers.
Pat Gowens
Editor, Mother Warriors Voice