[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3538-H3539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       WELFARE REFORM IN ARIZONA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Salmon] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SALMON. Mr. Speaker, for the last 4 years I have been serving in 
the Arizona State legislature prior to coming to this noble 
institution.
  One of the privileges that I have had is to co-chair the Joint Select 
Committee on Children and Family Services. What I have seen over the 
last several years has really frightened me.
  I think that government has become the great enabler. Those of us 
that have dealt with programs with alcoholics, people that we have 
tried to help to get off the problem, recognize that first of all, they 
have to have a desire deep inside that they want to change that 
terrible situation that has been plaguing them for probably many years. 
But if they do not decide that they want to change, it is not going to 
happen.
  I think government has become the great enabler with welfare programs 
in that we have basically robbed people of self-dignity. We have told 
them, we do not want you in mainstream society. We will pay you to stay 
at home because you really have no value to society. I think it is a 
very counterfeit type of compassion. Just as it would be with the 
alcoholic that is going through detox, when they are writhing in agony 
and going through the pain, to offer them a bottle of scotch to solve 
their problem, I believe that the government programs that have really 
trapped people in a snare of government dependency and replaced it with 
nothing, which has robbed people of their self-dignity. They have got 
to be replaced. We have to flee from those programs as fast as we can.
  I do not mean to belittle the efforts tonight of the minority party 
in trying to reform the system. But I will say, with all due respect, 
you have had 30 years to do it so I am not sure that the sincerity of 
the effort tonight is truly noted.
  I really feel that it is time for us to get off of our duff. It is 
time for us to help people to help themselves.
  It was a great President on his inauguration that said, ask not what 
your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. How 
quickly, it has only been three short decades since that prophetic 
declaration was made, and here we are today trying to be mother and 
father to people that really on their own are crying for dignity and 
they want the ability to be able to help themselves and get out of the 
trap that they are ensnared in, the destructive trap that they are 
ensnared in.
  In Arizona, we were able to pass some really key reforms within the 
last couple of years. In fact, I would like to talk a little bit about 
one of my favorite people in Arizona. It is Charles Barkley.
  Mr. Speaker, there are at least two huge differences between 
President Bill Clinton and Arizona's own Charles Barkley. Sir Charles, 
for one, backs up his big talk with big action. We have no such luck 
with Bill Clinton.
  In my home State, we have been waiting for the Clinton administration 
HHS to grant us a waiver so we can implement our State's innovative 
welfare reform proposals.
  Let me tell you about one of the pilot programs which would cash out 
the value of food stamps and give it to an employer to subsidize them 
to hire an employee, to hire a welfare recipient. It is a win/win. They 
get a job. They get dignity and self-respect and the employer gets a 
valued employee.
  Our bill was signed by the governor a year ago but the waiver 
paperwork was done last August. I personally wrote 
[[Page H3539]] the President in February, the first of the year. Still 
nothing. But there he was, just a few days later, talking big before 
the National Association of Counties, while the President's waiver 
application grows cobwebs on the President's desk, Bill Clinton 
declared, to applause in fact, here it is in the paper, in the 
Washington Times, ``Clinton wants States to have freedom to adjust 
welfare.''

                              {time}  2145

  He basically said, to applause, that we should abolish the waiver 
system altogether. Well, Mr. Clinton, we are waiting.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. SALMON. No, I will not yield.
  Approve the waiver now, President Clinton.
  Mr. Speaker, I also forgot to say that there is one other crucial 
difference between President Clinton and Charles Barkley. I still 
believe Charles Barkley somewhere in the country could win an election.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arkansas.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to tell the gentleman we 
will have a great deal for you tomorrow, because in the Deal substitute 
plan we give the flexibility to the States to not have to deal with 
those waivers. It is a wonderful proposal that will be presented 
tomorrow and it is an opportunity for you to take a look at things that 
we will be able to offer to the States, flexibility to deal with their 
own plan.
  Mr. SALMON. Mr. Speaker, I reclaim the balance of my time, and I 
would like to say I believe in private sector jobs and in more 
government-funded programs.
  Mrs. LINCOLN. That is exactly right; that is what we do.
  Mr. SALMON. I do believe people ought to have the dignity to be able 
to go out into the private sector to be able to get jobs, and really, 
if sincerely you do believe that this is a good idea, would you call 
President Clinton for me tomorrow and tell him to pass that waiver?


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