The Midwest Has Gone Mad

Power-drunk Republicans at the state level have gone insane in the Midwest, from Ohio's "heartbeat" abortion bill that would effectively ban all abortions in the state to Wisconsin's union-busting, to the virtual dictatorship of Michigan's governor, we add Minnesota Republicans wanting to make it illegal for anyone on state assistance to have more than $20 in cash.

No, really.

Minnesota Republicans are pushing legislation that would make it a crime for people on public assistance to have more $20 in cash in their pockets any given month. This represents a change from their initial proposal, which banned them from having any money at all.


On March 15, Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee testified in front of the House Health and Human Services Reform Committee on House File 171. Buechner told committee members, “We would like to address the provision that makes it illegal for MFIP [one of Minnesota’s welfare programs] families to withdraw cash from the cash portion of the MFIP grant – and in fact, appears to make it illegal for MFIP families to have any type of money at all in their pockets. How do you expect people to take care of business like paying bills such as lights, gas, water, trash and phone?”

Well of course the answer to that is "They shouldn't be poor."  If you can afford to have more than $20 in cash on you, then you certainly don't need state assistance.  You're not really poor, you're a Welfare Queen driving the Caddy or a drug pusher or a pimp or a criminal.  Besides, if we make it a crime to have cash while poor, maybe you'll simply stop being poor and get a job and a bank account and a debit card like the rest of us, right?

Of course, the real reason is that Minnesota Republicans are so terrified of an America with a black President and their kids speaking Spanish, dating that Hmong kid down the street, or watching two boys kiss on Glee that they will do anything to permanently disenfranchise traditional Democratic voters:  minorities, union workers, state and local government employees, and the LGBT community.

They have to annihilate their political power, making anyone not like them so miserable that they beg for mercy, and that's when they turn the blade 90 degrees clockwise and push harder.  And while most of America fights over the scraps from the table of our corporate lords, they eat all they can and then some.  And when there's nothing left, they'll eat us.