Join Welfare Rights at the Capitol THIS TUES: April 15 at 11am

[annm4peace]

Speak out against stealing from the poor! -

This legislative session, both Democrats and Governor Pawlenty teamed
up to steal tens of millions of dollars from the poor (see below).
There are two ways you can speak out against this heinous theft.

1. PROTEST - Tuesday, April 15, 11:00 a.m. Minnesota State Capitol.
We will start on the front steps then move inside to bring our
message to the governor and the House and Senate leadership.

2. CALL and express your disgust with using TANF money to balance the
budget. Call you own representative, as well as Rep. Kelliher
(651-296-0171) , Sen. Pogemiller (651-296-7809) and Gov. Pawlenty
(651-296-3391) . Tell them: "Stop balancing the budge on the backs of
the poor! Make the RICH pay for the budget deficits."

WE CANNOT BE SILENT ON THIS ISSUE! We will keep fighting to return
poor people's money.

Background:
The Democrat leadership and their budget proposals steal well over
$50 MILLION from the TANF fund. The TANF fund is a block grant from
the federal government that is supposed to be used for welfare for
poor families.
It is a crime to take poor children's money and dump it into the
state's general fund.

We are sick of the politicians balancing the budget on our backs!
Legislators should be taking the money from those who are well off,
not from the poorest of the poor.

The Finance bill is in conference committee now - but the House
version proposes a $57 million TANF theft and the Senate version
proposes a $51 million TANF theft.

Despite the bill being heard in the full House and the twice in the
full Senate, NO ONE SPOKE OUT AGAINST taking the TANF money. It is
like they are deliberately trying to keep the theft secret.

It is up to us to break this conspiracy of silence.

This is the theft that will "keep on thieving." By taking every dime
of the TANF surplus, it means the state will not have the funds when
the economy goes south and caseloads go up.

ALSO, our families are still suffering in extreme poverty because the
of the cuts made in 2003. Rather than spend the less than $3 million
a year in TANF needed to make up for some of these cuts, the
legislators took away $50+ million! Now the money to do undo any cuts
in the future is gone.