by B.J. on 2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM 0 comments Print this post

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Attack on Poor Mothers

Note: None of this is my writing, but it's been in my mailbox for a longass time just sitting there. It seems loaded with a lot of information. I feel like I might need it some time.

*BEGIN MESSAGE*

"This is an urgent message from http://www.StopFamilyViolence.org in collaboration with Jane Doe Inc. Please take action and forward as quickly and broadly as possible!

http://stopfamilyviolence.org/sfvo/TANF_marriage.html today!

**************************************************************

1.) The People's Voice for Family Peace

January 22, 2004

A $500 billion deficit; 8 million people unemployed; job market stagnant ; 12 million children uninsured; and one-third of single mothers living in poverty. What does the administration propose? The Cupid Project!

The government wants single mothers to get married. That's the message President Bush wants Congress to send to more than 2 million low-income mothers across this country. Not only that, in its new Welfare bill, Congress is ready to spend $300 million per year - a total of $1.5 billion over the next five years - of your taxpayer dollars to make it happen!

What’s wrong with this idea? Plenty!

First, it's an appalling example of government intrusion into one of the most personal and private decisions a person can make. Do we really want government to have a role in telling us when or who to marry? Unbelievable!

Second, it places lives at risk. The majority of mothers targeted for these marriage promotion programs - indeed, the majority of mothers receiving welfare assistance - are women who have been victims of domestic violence. For one third of these women, the abuse is ongoing. These marriage promotion programs will coerce women to stay in dangerous relationships by offering more welfare money for getting or staying married. Women who are being abused need support to escape and recover from the abuse, not incentives to stay in unsafe relationships.

Third, spending $1.5 billon on these programs is fiscally irresponsible, especially since these programs are unproven. Poverty is a complex problem , and simple-minded fixes like this simply will not work. What’s more, even if these programs did work, the best they’d do is make women economically dependant on the men they marry, not help them become self-supporting.

Instead, Congress should spend the money on education, training, child-care, domestic violence, mental health and substance abuse services - programs which are known to help lift women out of poverty and help them become self-sufficient.

The House of Representatives and the Senate Finance Committee have already approved Project Cupid.
In February, the full Senate is expected to vote on Project Cupid, along with the rest of the welfare reform package. This proposal must be stopped!

ACT NOW!!

2) Contact President Bush and your Senators today to tell them you oppose Project Cupid!

What to say:
Tell them you don't want government intruding into private family decisions. Let them know you want them to spend your tax-dollars to help women and children to stay safe and become self-sufficient.

Contact California Senators Boxer and Fienstein TODAY and forward this email to everyone you know. For outside of California, go to:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC

President George Bush
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
(Tell them you want to leave a message for Bush)

Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)
112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3553

Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)
331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3841


---------------------------------
3.) STOP FAMILY VIOLENCE WEDDING ALBUM
Please share your personal story of your experience with domestic violence, marriage and poverty, or domestic violence and marriage counseling. We'll compile your stories into a "wedding album" that we'll present to key legislators to show them just how disastrous their plans for marriage promotion will be. (you don't need to include your name - just your story) http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/sfvo/wed_survey.html

Thanks for your support.

Our strength is in our numbers!!!

Please forward this message to others. Together we can.. http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org

Irene Weiser
Stop Family Violence
331 W. 57th St #518
New York, NY 10019"

*END MESSAGE (ha almost sounds like end massage. Random lame assertion like Jessica Simpson would do, I know)*

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