I can speak to this for sure. In fact I just spoke to this at my break this a.m. I work for the welfare department, and I’m the lone vocal conservative. Afer I was asked my opinion this a.m I was explaining to some coworkers how Welfare keeps people poor. If a welfare recipient gets a job or starts getting more money, then their food stamps are reduced, or the parent/s lose their Medicaid coverage. The Medicaid standards have steadily increased since about 1999. Everyone and their brother can have a baby "for free" now, but don’t get married because the government rules will treat you more worse. Have a baby with someone you don’t love, get rid of him, then have another drug dealer who you don’t love move in with you, and live off that for a while until you’re eligible for SSI. That’s the welfare recipient’s path to retirement and blissful existence- forget about the kids you have created, they’ll get by somehow. I have to say the contract with America (10/97)reduced the "assistance" rolls, but in Ohio but the Medicaid and food stamps "clients" have increased. "Assistance" is defined as getting cash (the old AFDC- OWF in OH). The skewed thinking is that if more people get food stamps then Ohio gets more federal funding through FNS. Eligibility workers are encouraged to ask Medicaid only people if they want food stamps. Of course mega-farms are subsidized, and this means more money for union workers propped up by gov’t. subsidies. Besides the farm workers (many of whom are transient migrants), most government workers are unionized. See SUPA.org. for info on rule changes on union dues & pol. contributions. I just happen to be a union steward in my county union. At the state level it is AFSCME with Socialist Democrat John Sweeney at the helm. Non welfare food distributions centers (like a church organization in Lorain OH) lost its ability to get USDA commodities recently because they were not following FNS (a division of USDA) rules to the tee. Basically FNS wants food pantries rather than one time meal distributions. Of course my liberal minister (when I go to my parents church) thinks that it is a political ploy by George Bush to reduce the appearance of people waiting in lines for waiting for food. Sorry- but I could start my own blog on this crap so I’ll stop.