Socialist Action /April 2000
The Crisis of W-2 in Milwaukee
By ANALISA L. DREW
MILWAUKEE-It comes as no surprise that since the implementation of W-2,
or Gov. Tommy Thompson's Welfare "Reform," in Wisconsin, Milwaukee
is in the throes of a crisis of unparalleled proportions.
As more people are faced with the awful reality of their situation: losing
government aid, having to work in minimum wage jobs, receiving no day care,
and having families to support, tough decisions are having to be made.
Skipping meals is common for adults and children, since the local food
pantries are facing severe shortages due the dramatically increased demand
for help. Some are having to leave the state or face the prospects of becoming
homeless themselves.
According to statewide data, there were alarming changes in people who
were using shelters between 1997 and 1998: 52 percent more families said
they were evicted, 42 percent more families stayed in shelters between one
and six months, and 145 percent more families reported no income. In addition,
the number of families receiving food stamps in Milwaukee County has fallen
nearly 10 percent in the last year.
The situation has remained the same over the past few years. Milwaukee,
almost overnight, has developed an enormous homeless population, complete
with shanty towns existing underneath area bridges.
One large community under the 27th Street viaduct, a large bridge which
spans the industrialized Miller Valley, had erected cardboard shelters and
collected furniture in an attempt to make a small, livable community. This
community was raided and destroyed by city workers, obviously with the approval
of our elected officials, taking away what little shelter these people had
from the cold Milwaukee winter.
The city of Milwaukee's officials, as well as the state government, are
turning against their poor and, Giuliani-like, are preferring that they
simply "disappear."
Tommy Thompson has declared W-2 a huge success, blatantly ignoring the
truths behind its "success" and the many families that have plummeted
into abject poverty due to his policies.
As one woman facing the consequences of this reform said, "We're
not nobody to them. They don't care what happens to us, just so long as
no one really sees what we go through every day. They don't see my babies
crying because they're so cold. I can't afford no heat. I work, but $6.50
an hour and some food stamps ain't enough for the four of us.
"My mom has been helping us, but what's gonna happen when we run
out of money? She's been saving up for retirement, but now most of that
money is gone. I don't know what we're going to do. Some other women aren't
so lucky, they don't have no one to help them. We go to St. Ben's [food
pantry] a couple times a week, and they give us what they can, but sometimes
it ain't enough." This woman is not alone.
We need to stand up to these policies today. We need to not only end
these people's suffering, but also give them the opportunity to follow their
hopes and dreams. These people cannot achieve anything while they are slaves
to the welfare system or trapped in minimum wage jobs. Together, we can
stop this enforced poverty and the system which causes it!
Socialist Action /April 2000 |