ARTS & FARCES internet

A few years ago, cries of “Stop the war—on the poor!” from demonstrators would likely have solicited yells from passing cars of “Get a job!” Not yesterday, as about 100 activists descended on the Governor’s residence to protest the first families falling subject to the state of Minnesota’s five-year welfare cutoff that went into effect on 1 July. In 1997, the state passed a welfare reform law that, instead of aiming to eliminate poverty, limited public assistance to the poor.

Is it getting harder for corporate special interests to pit the plight of the poor against the middle class as the middle class experiences jobs, retirements, and purchasing power all fading in the light of corporate misdeeds? Judging by the honking from passing cars and hands waving in friendly support, I have to think our citizenry could be experiencing a wake-up call. But wouldn’t you know it; someone just had to call the police and complain about a bus of poor folks arriving at the Governor’s residence. Poverty always creates fear—most especially among the wealthy.

While the rich continue to whisper in each other’s ears the necessary tips for the best stocks to unload first on a nervous Wall Street, and our nation watches to see whether the first lady of marketing—Martha Stewart—will be indicted, the plight of the poor comes closer and closer to average citizens.

Here’s what a few of the participants had to say yesterday afternoon at the Welfare Rights Committee’s protest:

Erin Redleaf: “I think the Governor and the legislature have the priorities entirely wrong. I’m rich, I’m not poor. We don’t care about the poor in this country. We only care when poverty overflows into crime… and interferes with the lives of wealthier people.”

Jane McDonald, the youngest of the well-known activist McDonald sisters, all of whom are nuns: “Ken Pentel knows better than to live in a mansion… as Governor. He will stand up for the rights of the people, make the right coalitions; do the right things. Just the title of the party speaks for itself—the Green Party—and we don’t mean the greenback dollar bill all the time—though God knows we need that—but the green grass, and the green trees….”

Ken Pentel, the lone gubernatorial candidate (Green Party) to join the protesters:

“I’ve been here [protesting this issue] since 1997 when the [welfare reform] bill passed 67 to 0 under Roger Moe’s leadership because the neediest citizens did not have influence… and were marginalized into poverty. It made me angry, I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been organizing for… basic human dignity ever since, for all people. My thinking is that you take care of the neediest first… both the Republicans and the Democrats throw a few crumbs here and there but the people at the highest income levels have received the best benefits for the last twenty years…. We’re the thoughtful part of the political spectrum, we’re the ones trying to make this society stronger, and all the other parties seem to want to do is to marginalize more and more people. And that’s got to change…. I will be the governor to all the people of Minnesota, not the selectively wealthy.”

Pentel indicated that there is economic strength for Minnesota in ending poverty and challenged the other gubernatorial candidates to join him on the picket line.

Deb Konechne, founding member of the Welfare Rights Committee: “Today’s time limit on poverty is disastrous in Minnesota history. They’re throwing children and lives into the street… this is a crime against society. [Let’s] put a limit on poverty—not on the welfare [of our citizens].”

Kyle Makarios, hotel and restaurant industry union member: “We have a lot of low-wage workers and we’re in the business of trying to raise wages and benefits for all working people. When we get thousands of members kicked off of a social support network into low wage jobs, those workers are directly competing with our members. “Our motto, ‘An injury to one is an injury to all’ is very real to us.” Makarios indicated that he did not see the plight of the homeless as isolated, but as the plight of all low-wage workers.

Bernie Hesse, labor organizer: “These people have been working. They’ve been fired because they were the last hired…. All workers want is a living wage, health care, and some security when they can no longer work. Nobody wants to be on assistance. We need to talk about the two billion in corporate welfare we give away.”

One unidentified Hmong child interpreted for his mother: “She said she is poor and she has no money to buy anything.”

Another young unidentified Hmong mother: “I’ve been working and working and working. And my husband is working and working too. There is no one to take care of the children and I got laid off from my job and now there is no money either.” This mother stated she had been working in Minnesota for the last five years.

Dede Francis, spokesperson for Welfare Rights Committee: “Unless you have walked in the shoes of the poor, you cannot truly understand. Even someone with food stamps has to have somewhere to cook it, to eat it.”

Polly Mann, a well known activist and cofounder of Women Against Military Madness (WAMM):

“I’m here for the women and children. Regardless of what’s being said, it is not a great economy. It’s a great economy for the rich but the poor continue to get poorer, the minimum wage continues to go down; we have inflation. The legislators eat well, and sleep well, and wear good clothes, and legislate against people who are at the mercy of the elements. I see this directly tied up with our huge military budget. We spend more than half of the country’s disposable income on the military to kill people in other countries who are also their poor… and we condemn the poor to die here. I don’t want to hear one Fourth of July speech lauding the beauty of this country when the country is sick. Pentel is speaking the truth… it’s very important that he be heard.”

Ann Alquist, news director at KFAI radio: “The United States hasn’t shown regard for poor people. If you look at the history of the under-privileged, I don’t see it changing any time soon.” When asked whether the protest was an assignment or a personal passion, Alquist replied:

“I think this event is newsworthy because the goal of any good reporting should reflect how the work of the powerful affects the less powerful. The mission of the station is to represent those who are under-represented. I don’t pretend to be objective, I have an obligation to be fair; to be well informed. The people here will not have their health care benefits cut off or their food stamps cut off, they will still be eligible for that, they’re just not going to get a welfare check—they stopped receiving their welfare check at the end of May, actually. However, I’ve never met a legislator who had to live on a welfare check either, so I have to ask questions as well. If I could get my reporters in there interviewing INS officials or legislators it might improve things a lot because they might get a sense of how things work [for the poor].”