Welfare as bridge or apartment

I’ve been hearing on Michigan Radio, the southern Michigan’s NPR affiliate network, that the state Senate has already passed a bill requiring Medicaid recipients to work or attend classes (some exemptions available). The radio summary includes part of the Democratic rebuttal, that the bill doesn’t take into account the difficulties in transportation and child care. Gov. Rick Snyder says he opposes the bill, that the state is better off when all residents are healthy. Good for him, but that doesn’t mean he’ll veto it.

Nancy Kaffer of the Detroit Free Press adds more. She mentions a few more reasons why the bill is a bad idea. Then she delves into the worst part. The bill allows for exemptions to this work rule for counties with an unemployment rate above 8.5%. Rural white counties, the base of the GOP majority in the legislature, would keep their Medicaid. But Detroit, with an unemployment rate higher than 8.5% is in Wayne County, whose rate is 5.5%. Detroit residents, 80% black, would not. The same dynamic is true in Flint and Genesee County and other poor cities.

The bill’s sponsors think that 20% of Medicaid recipients will lose coverage. Some will die. The state won’t save money because administration costs will go up by $30 million.

Melissa McEwan of Shakesville responds:

This is legislation of the profoundly racist narrative that is extremely prevalent among poor whites, which essentially argues: White people just use welfare as a bridge. Black people use it as an apartment.

It's an attempt to entrench into law the notion that Good White Folks use welfare the way it's supposed to be used, to help someone who works hard but is just down on their luck get back on their feet blah blah bootstraps, while Black people cynically and selfishly abuse the system.

Takers and makers. The Republican Party isn't even trying to hide the white supremacy central to their policymaking anymore. Thanks to Donald Trump for showing they needn't even bother.