Whoa! Polygamist solution is frightening...

[ForeverBlessed]

Originally Posted by Stephen Hoover

Absolutely not defending. IMHO we should consider doing away with all welfare and SSI.

But we need to be doing a clean sweep of blocks in the inner cities if it's illegal, because that's exactly what is happening there.

Thankful for States like mine that require a woman to seek employment or go to school while on welfare. They monitor it and you have to show proof of your job hunt.. interviews or applications for employment. Failure to comply results in taken off the program. You also have a lifetime benefit of 2 years to draw welfare in our state.

I spent about 3 months on our state welfare system.. for three kids, the cash benefit was $346 a month and food stamps and of course Medicaid. That is not enough to live on, and I can't understand for the life of me how people would want to live that way.

The state was paid back with the first tax refund my ex husband tried to claim on a federal return. Which is the way it should be.

[Hoovie]

Bless You 4ever1 You are a great example of proper, temporary use of the system.

[The Mrs]

One thing that struck me while catching up on this thread this morning...do the authorities bother the Amish communities? Are they practicing anything that is against the laws of the land?

Not that I know of or have ever heard about. They are peaceful law-abiding citizens. They are left alone to practice how they deem appropriate.

I don't think we need to fear the government getting out of hand and stripping us of our religious freedoms.

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by The Mrs

One thing that struck me while catching up on this thread this morning...do the authorities bother the Amish communities? Are they practicing anything that is against the laws of the land?

Not that I know of or have ever heard about. They are peaceful law-abiding citizens. They are left alone to practice how they deem appropriate.

I don't think we need to fear the government getting out of hand and stripping us of our religious freedoms.

I think you are totally correct, this case has little to do with religious freedom, and much to do with abuse.

[ForeverBlessed]

Originally Posted by The Mrs

One thing that struck me while catching up on this thread this morning...do the authorities bother the Amish communities? Are they practicing anything that is against the laws of the land?

Not that I know of or have ever heard about. They are peaceful law-abiding citizens. They are left alone to practice how they deem appropriate.

I don't think we need to fear the government getting out of hand and stripping us of our religious freedoms.

You are right, they are peaceful and law abiding... I think that is the difference. Amish doesn't depend upon government or take advantage of it.

I don't think we really have anything to fear either. We may be turning to a Godless society, but at least most still value freedom.

[Hoovie]

Originally Posted by The Mrs

One thing that struck me while catching up on this thread this morning...do the authorities bother the Amish communities? Are they practicing anything that is against the laws of the land?

Not that I know of or have ever heard about. They are peaceful law-abiding citizens. They are left alone to practice how they deem appropriate.

I don't think we need to fear the government getting out of hand and stripping us of our religious freedoms.

They can, do and should investigate the Amish or anyone IF there is evidence of abuse.


I guess my heart aches a bit much when I see babies torn from mothers.

They better have very good evidence.

If this was happening to Chimney Swift (birds) - If I removed the young from a nest inside a chimney I would be slapped with a $10,000.00 fine due to the Migratory Bird Act.

[ChristopherHall]

Originally Posted by ForeverBlessed

Thankful for States like mine that require a woman to seek employment or go to school while on welfare. They monitor it and you have to show proof of your job hunt.. interviews or applications for employment. Failure to comply results in taken off the program. You also have a lifetime benefit of 2 years to draw welfare in our state.

I spent about 3 months on our state welfare system.. for three kids, the cash benefit was $346 a month and food stamps and of course Medicaid. That is not enough to live on, and I can't understand for the life of me how people would want to live that way.

The state was paid back with the first tax refund my ex husband tried to claim on a federal return. Which is the way it should be.

I think we need more laws like that. It's also good to hear that your stay on the system was only temporary.

[dizzyde]

Originally Posted by ChristopherHall

From what I'm finding the legal age of marriage in ancient Judaism was 12 for females and 14 for males, but only with parental permission.

Just out of curiosity, have you been around many 12 to 14 year old girls? In our culture, the idea of children that age bearing children, or marrying, is, and should be repugnant. I have sheltered my daughter quite a bit, but still, even if a girl has led a hard life, the idea that she is ready or capable of maintaining a marriage or raising a child is just dumb, IMO. I do know girls who have gotten pregnant at those ages, and either given the babies up for adoption or family members have wound up raising the babies. My daughter is 20 now, and I think barely at the age when she should even start considering marriage.

The girls from this compound have of course been raised in an entirely different situation, but that doesn't make it acceptable. These are children, and they deserve to have a childhood.

Originally Posted by cneasttx

I am pretty sure the girl must be 18 at least without parental permission. I have heard of girls as young as 16 getting married with parental permission.

I was married in CA at age 17 (barely, two weeks after my seventeenth birthday). I had to go before a judge with my parents to receive approval from the state to be legally married.

Was I ready to married at that age? I was physically capable and emotionally stable, yes. Should I have been married at that age? No, I gave away part of my childhood, formative years that should have been spent on developing my mind, identity and character.

[Rico]

Originally Posted by ForeverBlessed

Thankful for States like mine that require a woman to seek employment or go to school while on welfare. They monitor it and you have to show proof of your job hunt.. interviews or applications for employment. Failure to comply results in taken off the program. You also have a lifetime benefit of 2 years to draw welfare in our state.

I spent about 3 months on our state welfare system.. for three kids, the cash benefit was $346 a month and food stamps and of course Medicaid. That is not enough to live on, and I can't understand for the life of me how people would want to live that way.

The state was paid back with the first tax refund my ex husband tried to claim on a federal return. Which is the way it should be.

Sister, some of those rules have changed. For example, my wife was exempt from the looking for work provision because of the age of our youngest daughter. I, however, had to be actively looking for work and participating in a program sponsored by the State for people on welfare. The only other exemption from looking for work within this program is if you are getting a GED. There used to be an exemption if you were in college, but they've taken that exemption away.

[Cindy]

Originally Posted by ForeverBlessed

Thankful for States like mine that require a woman to seek employment or go to school while on welfare. They monitor it and you have to show proof of your job hunt.. interviews or applications for employment. Failure to comply results in taken off the program. You also have a lifetime benefit of 2 years to draw welfare in our state.

I spent about 3 months on our state welfare system.. for three kids, the cash benefit was $346 a month and food stamps and of course Medicaid. That is not enough to live on, and I can't understand for the life of me how people would want to live that way.

The state was paid back with the first tax refund my ex husband tried to claim on a federal return. Which is the way it should be.

That is exactly what happened in Texas when President Bush was Governor. It really changed things for women especially in this state. Even in small towns like ours there are job search help with computers, and we even have a few times a year companies will hold a job fair and it is very successful.