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March 16, 2010

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Meg Whitman on California’s Failing Welfare System

Many of you know that I endorsed Steve Poizner for Governor about 15 months ago. I’ve met him several times, and he struck me as sharp, effective and ready to tackle the major challenges that California has in front of it.

Since then, Meg Whitman entered the race. I’ve always been an admirer of what she did to grow eBay from a handful of employees to an $8 billion dollar business. I’ve had the chance to hear her speak in person. I think she’s great.

So it’s disappointing to me to see these two candidates attacking each other, but that’s politics for you, I guess. I still intend to vote for Steve Poizner in the primary, but I’ll be more than happy to support either of them in the general election.

(For those friends supporting Jerry Brown in this race, well…all I can say is, our state had a $4 billion surplus when he came into office and he left a $1 billion deficit. I can’t think of a single thing he’s done to merit a second chance at being Governor. Care to share what I missed?)

In any case, here’s a great op-ed piece that Whitman wrote about California’s failing welfare system.

During the Rose Garden signing ceremony in August 1996 of his landmark welfare reform law, President Bill Clinton told a welfare-to-work story that had inspired him to join with Congressional Republicans and pursue reforms to break the difficult cycle of dependency. The Washington Post reported Clinton describing how a decade earlier he had asked Lillie Hardin, a former welfare recipient in Arkansas, what the best thing was about being off welfare. Ms. Hardin replied, “When my boy goes to school and they say, what does your momma do for a living? He can give an answer.”

For too many Californians, the heartbreaking truth is that their son or daughter has been left with no good answer. That is because while other states have made progress in reforming welfare, California has been left behind.

The numbers tell a bleak story. In 1996, California had 21 percent of the nation’s welfare cases. Today, 32 percent of all welfare cases in the United States are in California, even though we only represent 12 percent of the total U.S. population. Consider this troubling comparison; California is nearly twice as big as New York State, but we have five times as many welfare cases.

Despite being a state famous for opportunity and promise, California lags much of the nation when it comes to moving people from welfare to work, according to the federal government. Only 22 percent of welfare recipients in California who are required to meet federal work minimums are working. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, our state is one of only nine that does not unconditionally enforce the federal government’s five-year lifetime limit on cash welfare assistance. These flaws in our welfare system, coupled with a monthly cash check that is almost 70 percent higher than the national average, work against the goal of helping more welfare recipients leave welfare for a life of greater independence and dignity.

California simply cannot afford this kind of failure any longer. The good news is we don’t have to. Michigan, which enacted sweeping welfare reform in the ’90s, is a good example. When adjusted for population, Michigan has half the incidence of welfare dependency as California, despite a higher unemployment rate than ours. A 2009 study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that if there were stricter sanctions on adults who fail to meet work requirements here in California, the state’s caseload would be substantially lower and its work participation rate would be significantly higher. Everybody would be better off.

She is dead right.

Read more from Fiscal Sustainability, Politics and Government
  • Megan

    Sorry Aaron, I think both these candidates are weanies. That's nothing new for Republicans, esp. in CA. She's actually pointing to MI as a shining example of how to do welfare right? Has she heard of Detroit? And who doesn't bother to vote for DECADES then suddenly cares deeply about the size of government and feels qualified to run CA? As for Poizner, he owes me money. My property taxes have gone up 40% in the past 6 years in part because of his support of Prop 39.
    I hate election season. Where'd I put my Prozac?

  • Megan

    Sorry Aaron, I think both these candidates are weanies. That’s nothing new for Republicans, esp. in CA. She’s actually pointing to MI as a shining example of how to do welfare right? Has she heard of Detroit? And who doesn’t bother to vote for DECADES then suddenly cares deeply about the size of government and feels qualified to run CA? As for Poizner, he owes me money. My property taxes have gone up 40% in the past 6 years in part because of his support of Prop 39.rnI hate election season. Where’d I put my Prozac?

  • http://www.aaronklein.com/ AaronKlein

    It is a sad irony that Michigan's welfare system is better than California.

    I've yet to find a perfect candidate for Governor of California in this race. But I know of two who are LIGHT YEARS better than Jerry Brown. I'm not even willing to say lesser of two evils at this point…

  • Megan

    I don't trust Meg at all. I get the feeling that she paid a staffer to listen to Rush for a week so she could write her candidate statement. I don't believe for a moment that she or Poizner will do anything to change CA for the better if either one gets elected. Remember how exciting Shwarzenegger was at the Republican Convention? What happened to the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan when he actually had some power? I'm not saying there's any better alternative, or even any alternative at all, but I'm tired of pretending I'm getting laid when I'm getting screwed.

  • http://www.aaronklein.com/ AaronKlein

    Oh my gosh…you need to write blog comments for a living! That was one for the ages. :)

    I was never enamored about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not even once. It was always better of two evils.

    When it comes to fiscal issues, I have a strong degree of trust in entrepreneurs who have built businesses. They often don't make good political candidates, but they usually do a great job in office when it comes to right-sizing government and controlling spending. They understand the consequences of not doing so.

    So like I said, neither candidate perfectly fits my beliefs. And they'll still have to deal with the legislature. But I think we're in for a very different Governor from Schwarzenegger, no matter who wins.

  • Megan

    Getting interrupted by kids every third word stirs my mental juices (I thrive on frustration).
    I hope you're right about Meg Whitman. I don't know who I'll vote for in the primary.

  • http://www.aaronklein.com/ Aaron Klein

    It is a sad irony that Michigan’s welfare system is better than California.rnrnI’ve yet to find a perfect candidate for Governor of California in this race. But I know of two who are LIGHT YEARS better than Jerry Brown. I’m not even willing to say lesser of two evils at this point…

  • Dan Lee

    I think it would be interesting to see some information on how much the immigration issue has had on California's welfare explosion in recent years. I think the results would be … enlightening.

  • Megan

    I don’t trust Meg at all. I get the feeling that she paid a staffer to listen to Rush for a week so she could write her candidate statement. I don’t believe for a moment that she or Poizner will do anything to change CA for the better if either one gets elected. Remember how exciting Shwarzenegger was at the Republican Convention? What happened to the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan when he actually had some power? I’m not saying there’s any better alternative, or even any alternative at all, but I’m tired of pretending I’m getting laid when I’m getting screwed.

  • http://www.aaronklein.com/ Aaron Klein

    Oh my gosh…you need to write blog comments for a living! That was one for the ages. :) rnrnI was never enamored about Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not even once. It was always better of two evils.rnrnWhen it comes to fiscal issues, I have a strong degree of trust in entrepreneurs who have built businesses. They often don’t make good political candidates, but they usually do a great job in office when it comes to right-sizing government and controlling spending. They understand the consequences of not doing so.rnrnSo like I said, neither candidate perfectly fits my beliefs. And they’ll still have to deal with the legislature. But I think we’re in for a very different Governor from Schwarzenegger, no matter who wins.

  • Megan

    Getting interrupted by kids every third word stirs my mental juices (I thrive on frustration).rnI hope you’re right about Meg Whitman. I don’t know who I’ll vote for in the primary.

  • Dan Lee

    I think it would be interesting to see some information on how much the immigration issue has had on California’s welfare explosion in recent years. I think the results would be … enlightening.

  • http://newsbleat.com/2010/05/14/failing-welfare-states/ Failing Welfare States |

    [...] With a title like that you thought this was going to be about Europe, right? Nope, this is about California where 32% of all welfare cases in the entire United States reside. [...]

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