Jesse Ventura on Welfare & Poverty Former Independent MN Governor; possible Presidential Challenger

Transition from Welfare to Self-Sufficiency

Social programs should be a safety net, not a hammock

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for a government-funded social safety net. What kind of nation would we be if we weren’t able to help people when they were genuinely in need? But we’ve got to make sure our government programs remain safety nets and not hammocks.

Focus welfare on jobs & training

It makes more sense to retrain people for the existing job market than to try to manipulate the economy artificially. Successful people are flexible. Government’s role is not to temper the economy to the types of jobs people want, but to make sure that people have ample opportunity to get the jobs that exist.

The vast majority of people applying for welfare are willing to work. For most, the problem is they don’t have the skills. About 50% don’t have a high school degree. Some have mental health problems. Many don’t have the best social skills. If the problem is that people aren’t employable enough, we need to work on helping them become employable.

Believes in private charity, not government charity

I get very disturbed when I see people demonstrating with signs that say “Welfare Rights.” There is nothing in the Constitution that says you have a right to welfare! Do you know what welfare is? It’s taking money from someone who is working to give to someone who’s not!

Maybe we should set up welfare so that it makes up the gap between what someone needs to live on and what they’re able to earn, [in exchange for government-supplied jobs]. For example, I think we need to have monitors on school buses. I believe everyone should have a job to do, no matter how modest.

Support LIHEAP, low-income heating assistance.

• WHEREAS, The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) enables states to assist low-income households in meeting critical heating and cooling needs; and
• WHEREAS, More than two-thirds of households eligible for LIHEAP have annual incomes under $8,000, making LIHEAP a targeted, cost-effective way to help low-income citizens pay their home energy bills; and
• WHEREAS, Households served because of LIHEAP include the most vulnerable populations in our states ? the elderly, disabled, and young children; and
• WHEREAS, LIHEAP provides a foundation upon which the Midwestern states have built community-based energy assistance programs and has permitted us to leverage state and local dollars to meet the needs of our citizens; and
• WHEREAS, In past years, funding for LIHEAP has been substantially reduced, and any new funding cuts will impede the states’ ability to meet the energy needs of low-income households; now therefore be it
• RESOLVED, That the Midwestern Governors’ Conference encourages Congress to renew its support for LIHEAP and maintain funding in Fiscal Year 2001 at or above the level appropriated for the program in Fiscal Year 2000.

Maintain federal Social Services Block Grant funding.

The Issue

NGA’s Position

In 1996, Governors reluctantly agreed to a slight reduction in funding for SSBG, from $2.8 billion to $2.38 billion, with the understanding that funding would remain at $2.38 billion through fiscal 2002, and then return to $2.8 billion. However, the federal government has consistently broken that promise. The nation’s Governors strongly urge Congress and the administration to reject the proposed cuts and to restore funding and flexibility to the program.

Maintain flexibility & funding levels for TANF block grants.

The Issue

NGA’s Position

In 1996, the Governors, Congress, and the administration entered into a historic welfare reform agreement. In exchange for assuming the risk involved with accepting the primary responsibility for transforming the welfare system from one of dependency to self-sufficiency, Governors agreed to guaranteed funding for the life of the TANF block grant along with significant flexibility to administer federal programs. The current NGA policy on welfare reform makes three key points:
1. Maintain flexibility. The TANF block grant was created so that states could develop innovative approaches to addressing welfare reform, and states have been successful in tailoring their programs to meet the individual needs of their citizens. This flexibility must be maintained so that states can continue the progress of welfare reform.
2. Maintain investment. States are provided with $16.5 billion each year in federal TANF funds, which together with the required state maintenance-of-effort funds, finance welfare reform. Some will argue that the funding should be cut because of the dramatic drop in caseloads. But TANF is no longer just about cash assistance - states are now serving a much broader population than under the old welfare system, and states are now providing services to families that help them succeed and advance in the workplace, not just cutting a check for cash each month.
3. Move toward greater program alignment. The Food Stamp Program is one example of a program that is in great need of reform, and its connection to welfare reform should be discussed in the context of reauthorization. Other related programs that should be considered include child support, child welfare, housing, the Workforce Investment Act and Medicaid.