* More casualties of the governor’s decision to slash most state funding from the child care assistance program…
Because of stricter guidelines for the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, fewer people qualify to receive subsidies. The effect, local domestic violence and homeless advocates say, is that the women they serve could have a harder time getting out of temporary shelter or away from abusive situations and on to independent living.
“These subsidies allow people to get out into the community,” said [Sue] Morrissey, the vice president of program services for Home of the Sparrow. “If these supports aren’t there … how this benefits anyone, we don’t get it.”[…]
Child care and financial stability are paramount to many women trying to leave an abusive relationship, she said, as they seek to escape domestic violence.
“Say she comes in and she needs to work so she can become independent and support her children, and finds she is ineligible for the subsidy,” Zamudio said. “She may even choose to return to her abuser because she can’t do it.”
The changes are projected to save the state $47 million annually on background checks and copays, and $5.3 million a month by freezing intakes. […]
At Home of the Sparrow, where about 30 percent of the clients do not have a domestic violence history, Morrissey said women are required to get a job within 10 weeks of coming into the shelter. While there, officials can provide them with assistance for day care, although the funds the organization has to support day care are disappearing quickly.
…Adding… From comments…
“I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy (AFSCME)” — Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012.
Don’t you see? These domestic violence victims — these women and children? They’re just wedges.
- Century Club - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 8:50 am:
Just stunning that this is where Rauner planted his flag re: budget cuts. I’m sure he’s trying to damage the SEIU Homecare union, but he’s put an incredibly sympathetic face on the effort to raise taxes. He’s also put the Republican legislators on votes against this program, which is undoubtedly popular even in Republican areas.
- Wordslinger - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 8:50 am:
Advocates should propose changing the name of the Child Care Assistance Program to ConAgra or Amazon.
Even without a budget, it rains for those guys.
- @MisterJayEm - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 8:53 am:
“I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy (AFSCME)” — Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012.
Don’t you see? These domestic violence victims — these women and children? They’re just wedges.
And Bruce Rauner doesn’t care about wedges.
– MrJM
- AnonymousOne - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 8:55 am:
Exactly. The wedges are creating that famous leverage. They are the crisis that creates the opportunity.
- Anon221 - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 8:58 am:
I hope, that some time soon in our human history, there will come a time when it is “worth” more to contribute $10,000 to a womens’ shelter or food pantry or child learning program or (you fill in the blank), than to a politician’s individual or Party’s campaign chest. Just think of the good those that have so much to “play” with could do. Just imagine how, in probably less than a decade, we could really change the social fabric of our country. It’s not charity, or a hand out. It’s being a neighbor. It can help stop the violence and despair that people who what to get out of the downward spiral face. And, their children and grandchildren will live better lives because of this Community, as they become members of that Community and not marginalized peoples. And this, in my opinion, is one of the simplest paths we can take as a Nation to become stronger both as a People and as a fiscally sound country.
- Anonymous - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:06 am:
Good thing we have had state programs for coloring books for so many years.
- Anonymous - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:13 am:
Anon221,
The Southtown has an article this morning about a community working together to improve itself and help their neighbors. The recipients of that generosity may not be able to grant government contracts to their benefactors, but you hit on an interesting point - there sure is a lot of money flowing through those political coffers in this “time of need”.
That includes record breaking spending on lobbyists, many of whom certainly read Capitol Fax and may comment here.
- Century Club - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:13 am:
Yeah, they’re wedges to him, but he’s botched it so badly, he’s driving a wedge between himself and the independents and moderate R’s. And by making the Republican legislators vote lockstep to support these cuts, he’s driving the wedge between them and their constituents.
- Keyrock - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:17 am:
All kidding — and HBO scripts aside — how does Diana Rauner sleep at night? How does she stay president of the Ounce?
Her commercial for Bruce may well have been the difference in the election. What kind of compartmentalization is required to go on living that dual life?
I’d like to see a long piece in the (pardon the expression) major media explaining that, more than another episode of the very funny HBO sitcom. The story should be on 60 Minutes.
- Bemused - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:31 am:
It has been shown over and over that Rauner comes from a place where the human cost of doing what you want is not something you worry a great deal about.
I have said before that I believe the decision was made early on to put the Democrats in a catch 22 situation of making them chose between two groups that Rauners crew feel are not GOP voters. They sure seem to feel that those in organized labor and the folks who access social services are not their concern.
I think a lot of the reason this storm was brewed up was to distract from the fact that Rauner was never going to be able to do what little he said he could do during his pre-election campaigning.
As an aside , in conversations with some Gop voters in my area, Rauners folks may have made a few misjudgments. Talking with an old Edgar supporter over the weekend I was flat told they felt Rauner disrespected the former governor.
- Langhorne - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:42 am:
You have to have a conscience, and a sense of morality and decency, to see that vulnerable people are not “wedges”. (Durkin? Radogno?) If horrible stories about child care and domestic abuse shelters dont move repubs, i guess it will have to be when the public universities shut down.
- Mama - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:54 am:
==Advocates should propose changing the name of the Child Care Assistance Program to ConAgra or Amazon. Even without a budget, it rains for those guys.==
Word, this is the best comment of the day!
- Mama - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 9:55 am:
“Don’t you see? These domestic violence victims — these women and children? They’re just wedges.”
As the old saying goes, “the rich get richer & the poor get poorer.”
- Cubs in '16 - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 10:12 am:
“The changes are projected to save the state $47 million annually on background checks and copays, and $5.3 million a month by freezing intakes. […]”
Oh, well, now I see why the CCAP is fair game. Just think how big of a fiscal hole we’d be in if not for these cuts! /s
- Norseman - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 10:26 am:
Maybe they’ll create a loan program for these folks too.
- Former Hoosier - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 11:25 am:
More pawns in Rauner’s game of winner take all.
- Sick & Tired - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 11:29 am:
==As the old saying goes, “the rich get richer & the poor get poorer.”==
And don’t forget: dehumanized! When entire lives are reduced to thoughts of their being pawns, we’ve already lost.
I’m not claiming, “think of the children!” I’m claiming, “think of the people who can’t make a living because they’re barely struggling to survive.”
- Xavier Woods - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 11:29 am:
“I don’t care about Mike Madigan and the wedges he controls”
- IL17Progressive - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 11:35 am:
Exactly, MrJM, Brucie views the non-1% as toys for him to play with! Brucie is no different than the Kings, Dukes, and other aristocrats of feudalism.
- Honeybear - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 12:23 pm:
human beings as wedges. I find this to be profoundly mentally/emotionally unhealthy, to say it in the nicest way possible. Months ago I got deleted a bunch for ascribing a psychological condition to Rauner. Although I just looked up the definitions to these again and Rauner is not what I called him, I have to believe that his use of human beings as wedges is wrong/unethical/immoral and frankly perverse. It seems that many on the right are seeing that as well. We need conservative ideas and practices to balance our democracy. But Rauners ideas and behaviors are not, in my opinion, humane.
- sal-says - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 12:43 pm:
== Quoting raunner from the Biggest Hostage post: “Credit rating is pretty irrelevant to me.” ==
He forgot to add: “Illinoians in need, Unions, middle class, businesses begging for payment, non profits going out of business is pretty irrelevant to me.
- btowntruth - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 1:02 pm:
- Wordslinger - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 8:50 am:
Advocates should propose changing the name of the Child Care Assistance Program to ConAgra or Amazon.
Even without a budget, it rains for those guys.
================================================
Stop.
Hammer Time.
NAILED IT.Compeltely.
- btowntruth - Monday, Oct 26, 15 @ 1:17 pm:
Completely.
Self spell check.