Best regards,
Tom Burke
----- Original Message -----
From: Frso Web <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2000 8:50 PM
Subject: [Fight Back] Welfare Attacks Beaten Back in Minnesota
> ------------------------------------
> Fight Back News Service
> http://www.frso.org/fight
> ------------------------------------
>
> This article is from the Summer 2000 edition of Fight Back! newspaper.
>
>
> Minnesota Victory: Welfare Attacks Beaten Back
>
> By Kim Defranco
>
> St. Paul, MN - The MN Welfare Rights Coalition (MN WRC) won a victory at
the
> State Capital in the 2000 legislative session. After packing hearings,
> protests, and civil disobedience actions, they triumphed in killing one of
> worst bills. The politicians, mainly Republicans, tried to pass a law that
> would have forced 100% sanctions on families receiving welfare from the
> Minnesota Family Investment Plan (MFIP).
>
> "If this bill had become law, it would have been the biggest attack on
> welfare since Clinton signed the welfare reform bill into law in 1996. It
> would have cut families completely off welfare and thrown them into the
> streets," stated Didi Frances of the Welfare Rights Committee (WRC) in
> Minneapolis/St. Paul. "We needed to be a force there to show that they
can't
> pass laws that would devastate families."
>
> Other Victories
>
> The MN-WRC won other important victories. They were able to hold off the
> bill that would have cut $100 from the grants of families who live in any
> subsidized housing (Public Housing, Section 8) and also receive MFIP. "The
> MN-WRC has been fighting for the past three years to stop this $100 cut.
And
> every year we have been successful in stopping the cut from going into
> effect. Politicians just refuse to eliminate it completely," stated Deb
> Konechne, WRC.
>
> MFIP and General Assistance money for some immigrants were set to stop
this
> summer. The MN-WRC has fought for the past three years for Minnesota to
make
> up any cuts in federal money to immigrants. "This year again, we were
> successful in pushing Minnesota to continue cash assistance, food stamps,
> SSI and welfare cuts for immigrants who would be cut from the federal
> programs for another year," stated Didi Frances.
>
> Keep the Fight Back Going
>
> "A group of voices united in a single cause can make a difference. Members
> of the People Escaping Poverty Project (PEPP) and students from a nearby
> college rallied together against Representative Kevin Goodno's proposed
100%
> sanction bill. Through a flood of e-mails, picketing, phone calls, and
> letters, we let him know that while he may represent our district, he is
not
> representative of those who live within it. We do not support his efforts
to
> increase sanctions at all," Penny Simiu, Community Organizer of PEPP in
> Moorhead, Minnesota.
>
> "This just shows that when you speak out and fight against unjust laws,
you
> can win. When we stood together as a people and a coalition, the power of
> the people was unstoppable!" stated Dolly Cater, Low Income People
> Organizing for Power, Duluth. "And we will be back next year to continue
to
> fight and demand economic justice for all."
>
> __________________________________________________________
> Fight Back! / Lucha y Resiste is a newspaper that builds the people's
> struggle. We provide coverage and analysis of some of the key battles
> facing working and low-income people. This article can be reprinted,
copied
> or distributed as long as it is credited to Fight Back!. Contact us at
> Fight Back!, PO Box 582564, Minneapolis, MN 55440, USA.
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.frso.org/fight
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