OPINION:
Minnesota and Wisconsin may be neighbors, but they are miles apart on welfare abuse and reform. While more convictions in fraud cases are coming down in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, welfare reform has been a clear policy objective in the Badger State.
During the 1990s, Gov. Tommy G. Thompson came to fame for leading the country’s welfare reform. Wisconsin Works replaced the old welfare system with one that was based on, you guessed it, work, included limits on benefits, and invested in education and training to keep people off welfare. I was proud to vote for the measure as a young state lawmaker.
The Wisconsin plan became so successful that it was a model for the federal welfare reform legislation, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. That law led to reduced government caseloads and more people in the workforce.
Unfortunately, liberal Democrats eventually found ways to chip away at welfare reform at the federal and state levels.
Soon after taking office as governor of Wisconsin, I made clear that we would push for real welfare reform again. Public assistance should be more like a trampoline and less like a hammock. We will help people in need get back to work.
As part of our reforms, we funded work training programs and alcohol and drug treatment. People could extend their benefits for a limited time if they stayed enrolled in these programs. We also changed the laws to eliminate “benefit cliffs.” Historically, many parents wanted to work but worried about losing all their assistance at once if they earned too much. Our reforms allowed them to ease off assistance as they advanced in the workforce.
We enacted strict laws requiring able-bodied, working-age adults to enter the workforce. We enacted requirements for drug testing and employability training.
During our tenure, Wisconsin had hit the lowest unemployment rate in history. Employers told me they needed workers with basic skills, such as showing up on time for work. They also needed employees who could pass a drug test because many manufacturing jobs have basic safety requirements.
We knew that if we could help people be drug-free and ready to work, they could get and keep jobs. We understand that true freedom and prosperity do not come from the clumsy hand of the government; they come from empowering people to live their own lives and control their own destinies through the dignity of work.
Our reforms worked. The FoodShare (food assistance) caseload dropped by nearly 200,000 through 2017. This was driven by our welfare reforms and an improving state economy.
The data is great, but the stories from real people are even better. One of my favorites was relayed during a town hall meeting I hosted in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin. A woman told me she had been on public assistance and that the changes we made sent a clear message that we expected more from her and believed in her. She was proud to tell the crowd that she had a job and was back on her feet.
Without our reforms, she said, she would be stuck on welfare. We helped her set herself free.
Early on in our tenure, we had similar success with Medicaid reforms. The previous governor, a Democrat, had expanded Medicaid eligibility in Wisconsin beyond those living in poverty. At the same time, he did not fully fund it, so people living in poverty were on a waiting list for care.
We dramatically changed the system upon taking office. We set Medicaid eligibility for those living in poverty and encouraged others to enter the marketplace through their employers. (Again, think more trampoline, less hammock.)
For those who are able, we expect them to transition into the workplace. For those who are not, we will provide cost-effective assistance that works.
In contrast, what we see in Minnesota is about more than just fraud. By pushing to sign up more people for public assistance, the state is greater numbers into a lifetime of dependence on the government. This is wrong.
Although the poverty pimps benefit politically from more people needing help from the government, it is not good for those who are able to work. No one signs your high school yearbook with “Good luck becoming dependent on the government!”
In addition, many who are eager to increase government dependence seem uninterested in ensuring that taxpayer funds help people in need. Too often, this leads to cases of incompetence or corruption. In Minnesota, we saw both.
We need to limit the size and scope of government. What we have left should be effective, efficient and accountable to the people. As it was in the past, Wisconsin can once again be a model for the nation.
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com.
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