We tried to tell them 20 years ago this would happen

...when they pushed through Welfare Reform. We knew it would lead to more poverty, not less. It is not rocket science here but the hatred for the poor was thick as mud then and still is in many places. Hate to say it but they were right here on DU screaming they shouldn't, "have to support other people's kids..."

News flash here folks about those kids: whether or not you choose to have kids, they are the ones who will pay YOUR Social Security, YOUR Medicaid, fight in YOUR wars, manage YOUR infrastructure, and take care of YOU when you are no longer able to care for yourself. Sooo these families are supposed to be "on their own" while those who "did not want to support other people's kids" feel entitled without paying to line up with their hands out demanding what they think they are entitled to without paying anything. What if these unsupported families said, "Ok you freeloaders, since you did not want to support us, we should be the only benefactors, we don't feel we should have to support those who did not support us. C'mon kids and grandkids, help me only, ~ and as for you you useless deadbeats, you are on your own sucka!"

Before Welfare Reform over 70% of people used welfare for support in order to get training and go to college (since the the other parent could or would not pay child support). Thanks to Welfare Reform they were jerked out of school and forced to find a McJob that would not even pay the rent, plunging them into lifelong poverty. 80% of those women were on welfare from fleeing domestic violence situations ~ and still are. And only 1/3 of those on welfare were and still are people of color ~ but the "face" of welfare used women of color as "demons" to stoke more hate for the poor.

Punish 'em, take way what little support they had and hit the road ~ who cares about the devastation of families, the kids who were left without a home, without decent adult guidance, the lack of decent jobs with decent wages??!! So instead they jacked up the prices for housing, while people rolled in the dough selling their high priced housing to move where the housing was cheaper ~ only to jack those prices up too. Now we have a "housing crisis" and now the prices are still not affordable for anyone.

The Clintons and their supporters cheered on idiots like Judi Gulliani who forced the poor into working for less than $.50 cents per hour"working off their welfare grants" ~ while undermining good union jobs to displace workers with livable wages in NYC (so much for feminism unless it applies to upper income women or women in other countries, forget low income women here). They gave corporations large grants and generous tax breaks for "being so nice" as to exploit these low wage workers who have been forced into lifelong poverty. With HUD money they gentrified inner city neighborhoods so that only the upper classes can afford that housing.

Now they are all surprised the the poor moved where there is more affordable housing ~ where the upper income no longer want to live because it is too far from their jobs, no decent public transportation, no jobs close by, and industry has polluted what was once pristine property.

Listen we told them, we TOLD them what was coming and they refused to listen to us. In every state we told them with little or no media support, no consideration from those in power, or few legislators who supported us (Yea Patsy Mink, RIP!). I myself stood in both US and state legislator's offices with ministers, nuns, priests, teachers, social workers, low income people, students, low income supporters, and so many others ~ but we were laughed off the stage. We were called "idealistic, unrealistic and bleeding heart libruls..."

So now Detroit and many other cites are being devastated because people are too poor to afford housing and are fleeing to the suburbs where no upper income people want to live anymore because their housing is subsidized with HUD money that should be allocated for low income housing but often is not... well surprise, surprise!

My 2 cents,

Cat in Seattle