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Western Carolinian Volume 60 Number 24

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  • 4 Western Carolinian April 6, 1995 News The Contract With America: Welfare Reform, Or Mean- Spirited Republicans? o A News Commentary ~> by Kyle Shufelt It has been thirty years and sorrie $5 trillion since the start of LBJ's "Great Society" and the war on poverty. Today, many people would argue that the welfare system is in serious need of overhaul. The real question is: how do we go about it? One of the centerpieces of the House Republicans' Contract With America is welfare reform. On March 24,1995, the House passed a sweeping welfare reform bill, much along party lines. Majority leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, was quoted as saying, "Today we take a first step in reforming a failed system of despair." Meanwhile Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo) said, "Everybody knows you're not going to get people off welfare if you don't have child care, if you don't have training, if you don't have health care." House Republicans counter by saying they are not eliminating social programs that help the poor and disadvantaged, but rather they are slowing the growth and sending them to the states where they can be implemented in a much more flexible and cost- effective way. And this is where the crux of the issue lies: devolution of power from the federal govern ment to the states. House Republicans believe the "one size fits all" strategy doesn't work; each state has its own diverse needs and should be free to exercise, with some supervision by the federal government, welfare programs that are most advantageous for their citizens. House Democrats, on the other hand, are against devolving power to the states because they feel the only way welfare programs will be implemented, to protect and aid the poor, is through the federal bureaucracy. And there may be some merit to the Democratic position, because the states haven't always been a model of justice and compassion. One could argue that without federal intervention, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 wouldn't have become law when it did. However, the federal government using states as a testing ground for experimental programs is not a new idea. House Republicans believe that with the pejorative condition of our welfare system, a new, some would call radical, approach to reforming a system that has bred illegitimacy, crime, illiteracy, and more poverty, is necessary; and it is their belief that states are the best instrument to affect positive change. House Republicans contend that if a provision in the Welfare Reform Act doesn't work, they'll scrap it and try something new. Much like FDR did during his presidency. So how does the Welfare Reform Act work? In basic terms, the bill replaces dozens of federal programs with five block grants to the states. Block grants mean that states would receive funds in predetermined lump sums and would have broad discretion in determining who gets the benefits and how services are provided. The assumption made by many liberal critics is that the states will not use the block grants as humanely as the federal government does. Republicans counter by saying the federal government does not have a monopoly on compassion, and some states have already created innovative programs that have cut costs and have allowed more of the money to reach the individuals that are targeted for assistance. How much of a cut are the Republicans talking about? According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), under the Republican plan the government would spend $1,185 trillion dollars over the next five years, compared with $1,264 trillion under current law—a 6.2 percent cut. This is a net savings of $66.3 billion, because the bill provides $13.44 billion in new authorizations. What are the Republicans going to do with these savings? Much of the savings are targeted for the $500 per-child tax credit for O Public Safety Highlights o • 3/30 Officers monitored a crowd which formed around a traveling preacher who showed up at the Dodson plaza at the Dodson plaza at approximately 10am and spoke to 4pm. •A student reported that a word processor was stolen from her room in Walker between 10:50am and 12:15pm. •A resident of Robertson reported a loud dog outside on the front lawn at 10pm. At 11:26pm, the resident again reported a loud dog in the area. Officers found the dog and its owners this time and warned them about the noise. •Officers arrested a male non- student for possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia after finding a group of people smoking marijuana under the overpass on NC 107 at 12:55am. •Officers banned three non- students from campus after they were involved in a fight in the Field House Lot at 2:07am. The subjects ran from police, but were apprehended near the Administration Building. Officers also warned three students who were involved about the legal implications of running from the police and fighting. •3/30-4/2 •A faculty member reported that someone had used the computer in his office without permission. •Officers responded to a complaint of a male subject in a female's room that would not leave. •Officers responded to a fire alarm in Leatherwood that was activated by a pulled box. •Officers responded to a vehicle fire in the Baseball Field Lot. The vehicle was towed off campus. •Officers responded to a complaint of harassment at Taco Bell •4/3 • Officers arrested a student for simple possession of marijuana. •Officers took four reports from students who had been receiving harrassing phone calls. •Officers arrested a student for failure to appear in court on a charge of reckless driving. •Officers found several students in Belk after hours. Courtesy of the Office of Public Safety families earning $200,000 or less, as spelled out in the Contract. Democrats have countered saying these tax cuts are aimed at the rich, and instead have offered a tax credit for families earning $75,000 or less. A Republican spokesperson explained it this way: Family A has four children and a taxable income of $99,307, for which they would have a tax liability of $24,200. With the $2,000 tax credit (4 children x $500), this family would receive an 8.3% decrease in their tax bill. Family B has four children and a taxable income of $22,700, for which they would have a tax liability of $3,700. With the $2,000 tax credit, this family would receive a 54% decrease in their tax bill. Under this tax credit, families earning $75,000 or less would receive 74% of the tax cut. Democrats claim the Republicans have targeted the poor to give to the rich, while Republicans claim they are reforming a system that has trapped people into poverty. The debate will continue as the House Bill goes to the Senate. Vie opinions expressed in this column are Kyle's, and are not i shared by the WC Are You Interested in Public Relations? Come to the organizational meeting for the P.R.S.S.A. (Public Relations Student Society of America) April 11th 7:00pm Stillwell Room 116
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