Just Like We Predicted

The people in the state legislature who have been hearing the ire of their constituents over the governor’s proposed cuts in education are making the kind of adjustments that advocates for education had pushed.  Not enough, of course, because they hate to raise the revenue needed to address public issues, but they heard their constituents and are making adjustments.

Here’s the problem:  they’re robbing Peter to pay Paul.  Peter, as always, is poor folks, folks with special needs, the elderly; to carry the Biblical reference, “the least of these.”  Yes, they’ll pay for restoring a fraction of the education funding by cutting programs for the most vulnerable among us.  Takes real courage to go after the weak, doesn’t it?

And here’s how they’ll sell it: they’ll call it “welfare.”  Why? Because everyone hates “welfare.”  You can read an earlier post in our blog on the truth behind the Right’s favorite boogey man.  But calling it all “welfare” hides the damage that will be done by implying the cuts will reduce “waste, fraud and abuse.” 

So, disabled people who need home health aides are getting “welfare.”  Moms who want and need to work and need child care subsidies are getting “welfare.” The elderly who get meals delivered to them or are too infirm to live their last years at home are getting “welfare.”  Homeless veterans who served their country but are living a nightmare and get lucky enough to find a bed at a local shelter are getting “welfare.”

You’ve got to be pretty tough to bully these “welfare” bums. 

We predicted this is what would happen.  These guys in the legislature are nothing if not predictable.

#healthandhumanservices #StateBudgetCuts #TomCorbett #PAStateBudget #cutstoeducation #welfare