Show Will Plan Reduce Welfare Rolls RoUs The Utah Taxpayers Association Association Association sharply criticized President President President dent Nixons Nixon's Family Assistance Assistance Assistance Assist Assist- ance Program in their monthly month month- I ly Bulletin which was issued today President Nixon has termed the program a method method method meth meth- od for putting people back to work reducing the welfare rolls and expanding the payrolls payrolls payrolls pay pay- rolls of the nation For the first time in history the Working Poor will receive a guaranteed minimum in in in- come The whole emphasis will be to get people off welfare welfare welfare wel wel- fare rolls and onto the work rolls BUT THE Utah Taxpayers Association says this sounds great in theory b but u t asks Will it Work They want to know if it will eliminate a mess and create a monster According to the Bulletin all low income families with at least one child would be eligible for Thousands of struggling college students could also get handouts Annual Annual Annual An An- nual payments would amount to each for the first two members of an eligible family family family fam fam- ily plus for each additional addition addition- al family member Thus a family of four would receive a guaranteed annual minimum minimum minimum mini mini- mum income of 1600 THE PLAN would allow adult members of a family to earn a combined total of a year without any loss lossin lossin lossin in benefits Therefore a four member family could have a total income of 2320 with no cut in payments Above of job earnings each 2 of wages would bring a loss of 1 in benefits Thus Thusa a family of four could have income up to plus food stamps before becoming becoming becoming becom becom- ing ineligible Adult recipients would be forced to register for work and if necessary take job training There would be penalties penalties penalties pen pen- for those not comply comply- ing Child daycare centers would be operated for work work- ing or training mothers The federal government would pick pickup up the whole t tab a b on the plan States could supplement supplement supplement sup sup- it it TilE THE NATION is now spending spending spending spend spend- ing about 8 billion a year for welfare would jump this 55 percent to bil bil- bil- bil lion The number of people on relief would jump from 10 to 25 million It would put 12 percent of the nations nation's population on the public dole But the thing that worries the Association is that the plan has already been tested and it flopped Congress in 1967 wrote into the Social Security Security Security Se Se- amendments an experimental experimental experimental mental Work Incentive Program Program Program Pro Pro- gram WIP It was very similar to the work incentives incentives incentives tives of the Nixon plan WHEN THIS plan was analyzed analyzed analyzed ana ana- by Frederick B. B Arner Amer for the thc Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress Congress Congress Con Con- gress a few months ago he element element element ele ele- ele- ele reported Almost every ment of the WIN program has been disappointing In March of last year 16 million million million mil mil- lion adults were receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Depend Depend- ent Children yet et barely 30 had entered training programs pro pro- grams The Thc Wall Street Journal reported reported reported re re- re- re ported recently that a similar similar similar simi simi- lar work incentive program in New York City had been beena a dismal failure It offered larger incentives than the Nixon proposal It was made available to families Yet after a two year trial only persons had worked themselves off the dole BUT THE BIG question according to the UTA is where are the savings Of the 96 million people now on welfare welfare welfare wel wel- fare 48 million are children 15 million are mothers of school pre-school children 2 million million million mil mil- lion are the aged are disabled and are blind all aU exempt from work requirements This leaves I only 00 f for th the work-or-starve work benefits Utah Taxpayers Association says The Thc present tax load loadis loadis is is evidence enough that we cannot afford to experiment with Magic Formulas Just because everyone agrees the current welfare up set is a amess amess amess mess is no reason to embrace embrace embrace em em- brace everything called an alternative especially when the alternative is unproven and could well be far worse than what already exists |