Copyright 2002 The Seattle Times Company The Seattle
Times
May 5, 2002, Sunday Fourth Edition
SECTION: ROP ZONE; Opinion; Pg. C2
LENGTH: 386 words
HEADLINE:Welfare reform: Don't go backwards
BODY: WASHINGTON state is a success story in this
country's dramatic shift from cash entitlement to temporary assistance. A
five-year study finds welfare recipients here are working more and
earning more than in the early years of welfare reform.
Critics of the study correctly note that workers making $7.25 an hour
are not out of the ranks of the working poor. But wages rise with skill level
and this will happen if the state continues its notable investment in targeted
job training and partnerships with community colleges.
Moreover, the study's primary point people are better off than before
welfare reform is important. This optimistic picture extends to the rest
of the country, where welfare caseloads have been reduced from their 1994
peak by 57 percent.
So, how do we build on our success?
The answer will not be found in the White House's plan for the next phase of
welfare reform.
The proposal is too strict on
those remaining on welfare. It increases the percentage of families that
must be engaged in approved work activities as well as how many hours they must
work. States that fail to meet the heightened goals face monetary sanctions.
Those who remain on welfare face employment
barriers including disabilities, drug or alcohol addictions and
other problems. Yet, the Bush administration would limit endeavors, such as
counseling, that could count as work. Such a get-tough gambit running headlong
into rising unemployment and stalled economies might force Washington state to
return to make-work projects already rejected because they offered recipients
little experience and rarely resulted in unsubsidized jobs.
Research shows that investing heavily in job training and child care
removes the largest barriers to finding work. Washington has spent nearly
all of its welfare savings on child care. Congress must provide more
money for child care if parents are to work.
The
federal government must also provide benefits for legal immigrants. They are
taxpaying citizens. The White House has proposed reinstating food-stamp benefits
for legal immigrants. This would free up funds in this state that were going
toward immigrant benefits.
Middle ground must be found
within the Bush plan and those emerging in Congress if welfare reform is
to continue its successes.
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