May 15, 2006
Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty on Newsmakers: Welfare Reform
Presumptive Democratic Gubernatorial Nominee Charles Fogarty appeared on WPRI-TV’s Newsmakers public affairs program this past Sunday. Here are some of the highlights of Steve Aveson, Ian Donnis, and Arlene Violet's questions and Lieutenant Governor Fogarty's answers...
Arlene Violet asked Lieutenant Governor Charles Fogarty some direct questions about his position on reforming Rhode Island’s Welfare system. She began with some some statistics. The average amount of time a family in Massachusetts receives assistance is 10.4 months. In Connecticut, it’s 18.8 months. The average in Rhode Island is 38.5 months. Violet asked Fogarty if he would support a limit of 30 months of assistance?
Fogarty answers that he supports the best programs possible, but not artificial limits.
Violet asked if RI should end its policy of “restarting the clock”, i.e. not counting time spent on welfare in other states against eligibility in RI?
Fogarty answered that he is willing to look at it.
Violet asked if the state should be allowed to drop someone from the program after 12 months of not complying with an employment plan?
Fogarty answered he would consider stronger sanctions against people who don’t follow through with their commitments.
So, Charlie "doesn't support artificial limits", but "is willing to consider" and "would consider" other changes to RI's spectacularly expensive and inefficient social welfare programs. Gives you a lot of confidence he'd stand up to Marti Rosenberg, Kids Count, Kate Brewster and the rest of the poverty industry, doesn't it?
Poor Charlie. Caught between the demands by his public sector union and poverty supporters that he support higher spending and taxes, and the reality that doing this would guarantee his loss in November. The only really interesting quesiton at this point is whether the RI Senate will risk a shut down of the state's government in an election year to win their fight for all things liberal against their Democratic colleagues in the House.
Posted by: John at May 15, 2006 2:34 PMA career politician whose never held a real job his life and who's bought and paid for by the very special interests who create the culture of corruption in Rhode Island.
Electing Charlie Fogarty would move the state five steps backwards in trying to neutralize the special interest groups power over the state budget (Charlie has no backbone) but would be a great opportunity for any Republican wanting to run for governor in 2010.
Fogarty winning would be an equally bad thing for the young rising stars of the Democratic party would had their eye on an open seat for 2010.
Is Carcieri seemingly as disinterested in running for re-election as he appears?
Someone needs to wake him before it's too late.
Maybe it already is?
Dear Tim,
After you wake him up, you might want to pull some of those knives out of his back.
The behavior of the Moderate wing is even making me feel bad for the guy.
Posted by: Bobby Oliveira at May 17, 2006 11:27 AM