Special State of the Family Report:

Wisconsin Provides $38,000 per year in Tax-Free Benefits to Single Mothers
Choosing Not to Marry the Fathers of Their Children

By Glenn Grothman

America's Biggest Problem: The Breakdown of the Family We are all grateful when children are not aborted. Nevertheless, out-of-wedlock births have grown from 10.7 percent in 1970 to 41 percent last year.

Also, unlike 1970, almost none of those children are placed for adoption. This despite (or because of) the fact that for the past 40 years we have had increasingly aggressive sex ed programs in the schools and now the government spends millions of dollars giving out free birth control to 15 year old girls without the knowledge or permission of parents.

Clearly, still more pushing of contraceptives on high schoolers is not the answer.

The left and the social welfare establishment wants children born out of wedlock because they are far more likely to be dependent on the government. They are 20 times more likely to wind up in prison and nine times more likely to drop out of school.

Well-known author Charles Murray said children born out of wedlock are "the single most important social problem of our time – more important than crime, drugs, poverty, illiteracy, welfare, or homelessness because it drives everything else."

While we can talk about jobs, education, or crime, our economy and freedoms will inevitably decline as long as the number of children born out of wedlock keeps going up.

Was this caused by the government, and if so, what are the politicians going to do to turn things around?

Let's look at current programs that are given largely to single parents that they would almost certainly lose if two working parents were married. It should be pointed out that these programs are available for everyone, but since they are based on family income, it is the norm that a single parent with one or no income is eligible and a couple with two incomes are not. Some married couples are eligible for these programs and some single parents do make too much money.

The page to the right significantly understates the benefit of these tax-funded programs. I did not include WIC which in our scenario provides additional food for our mother's 3-year-old child.

Likewise I did not include free school lunch or school breakfast for our 7-yearold.

The BadgerCare benefit is significantly understated in that the government's low reimbursement rate causes the $3,300 figure to be artificially low. Many recipients cheat by working for cash income and by not reporting income from a live-in boyfriend, which is rarely caught. Our single mother does not have to worry about saving for her child's college education because that child will be much more likely to be eligible for $8,000 per year in federal Pell Grants and the State of Wisconsin Higher Education Grant Program.

Because they are income-based, many children of married couples will not qualify for these college scholarships. I have recently heard that some young girls do not get married because they themselves get free college.

The government's message to America: Don't get married.

Let's look at some government programs available to a single woman with children ages 3 and 7, making $15,000 per year.

Low-Income Housing Assistance

*One is eligible for low-income  housing if your income is less than 50% of  the median income for your area.  For a family of three, this HUD subsidy  is $31,800 for the Milwaukee area.  For a family of four, this would be $35,340.

The most you pay for rent is 30% of  your income after subtracting utility  payments.

**You can then deduct child care of  $480 for each dependent. Afamily of three  is entitled $7,560 to a $980 apartment  from which they pay $350 per month for  utilities and rent. This is a minimum  subsidy of $630 per month or $7,560 per  year. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $7,560

Wisconsin Shares-

Tax-Funded Day Care

Our mother is eligible for child care  valued at $9,200 per year. We are  assuming one of the two children is in  school and does not need daycare. If she is  married to the father, she loses this benefit. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $9,200

Earned Income Credit

Because our mother makes under  $34,458 per year, she is eligible for a  check of $4,820. If she gets married, she  loses the entire check.

The State of Wisconsin will give her an  additional credit of $700 for not being  married. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $5,520

Food Stamps

Family of three is eligible for up to $525  in food stamps. This amount may be  reduced as your income goes up or is  adjusted for other factors including your  rent, income, or utilities.

A family which gets rental assistance  would still get $444 per month or $5,328  per year. They would lose this entire  amount if mom got married.

To be eligible for some food stamps a  family of three must make under $34,000  a year. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $5,328

BadgerCare

BadgerCare is a program for which all  children are eligible, but our mother will  only be eligible if her income is less  than 185% of the federal poverty  level.

Our mom pays no premium. If she  were to marry, she would lose the  benefit valued at $3,300 per year. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $3,300

Energy Assistance Energy assistance is a program for  people whose income is less than 60%  median income of the area.

In the Milwaukee area, this would mean  an income of approximately $38,000 per  year. The amount one receives each year  varies with dollars available, but last year  the average check was $688. Our mother  would lose this amount if she were  married. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $688

Milwaukee School Choice $6,440

If our mother lives in Milwaukee  County, she is eligible for free private  school tuition for her child, which has a  value of $6,442 per year.

Eligibility for school choice is based on  185% of federal poverty which is $33,866  for a family of three and $40,792 for a  family of four – the school choice program  has a strong anti-family component. 

Cash Value of Benefit Lost if Mother

Marries: $6,440

Some Possible Solutions to Restore

Wisconsin's Families

Politicians never address this problem.  In so far as it is addressed, it is to increase  the current benefits or be more aggressive  in handing out contraception to younger  children.

At the end of this Legislative Session, I  introduced Senate Bill 708 which attempts  to begin addressing this problem. Key  provisions in the bill: Senate Bill 708 -  http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2009/data/SB  -708.pdf 

Low Income Housing

A complaint I receive is that sometimes  apartments available with Section 8  vouchers are superior to apartments  people pay for themselves as well as  boyfriends illegally staying in these  apartments.

There is no asset limit for Section 8  housing. We should restrict the square  footage to 50 percent of the average square  footage for a rental unit in the area and an  asset limitation of $2,000 for non-seniors  living in Section 8 housing.

We can make it a criminal penalty if an  adult not considered in the income  calculation stays in the residence. 

Earned Income Credit

The Wisconsin Earned Income Credit  should be replaced with a general tax  exemption going to all Wisconsin  taxpayers with dependents. 

Food Stamps

A complaint I frequently hear from  clerks in food stores is the people on food  stamps eat more generously than people  not on food stamps.

We should restrict the type of food  which can be purchased with food stamps.  This food would be more nutritious than  most food now purchased with food  stamps.

Some may say this is harsh, but we  cannot continue to have the single mom  buy food that the married clerk at the food  store could not afford. Recent news  coverage has started detailing abuse in the  Food Share program. 

Drug Testing

Testing for drug use will be required for  eligibility for these government programs. 

Daycare

We have seen numerous reports  featured in the Milwaukee Journal  Sentinel about the many fraud cases  involving the Wisconsin Shares Program.  This is a $400-million tax-funded daycare  program.

To reform this bloated program, my bill  restricts the number of hours of free  daycare to 40 hours per week per child.  The bill also sets a minimum co-payment  of $2 per hour per child to discourage  cheating in the system. 

School Choice

Income limitations in the Milwaukee  School Choice program must end. Right  now as a practical matter, many married  couples are not eligible for the program  because they make too much money with  two incomes.

It is inexcusable that a single mother  making $15,000 gets her kid out of the  Milwaukee Public Schools but a married  couple earning $50,000 is stuck in the  public schools.

Ask elected officials what their plans  are for the eroding nuclear family in  America.

I realize the above is going to be  criticized as unnecessarily harsh.

Right now, the out-of-wedlock birth rate  in America is 41 percent. Unless we do  something now, in 20 years it will be 60  percent.

There are many single mothers who do  a good job raising their children, but  statistics also show that it is a very  difficult thing to do and many of these  children will have problems.

If we do not address this situation, our  country will not survive in the way we  have come to know it. SOMETHING  MUST BE DONE.

It is also somewhat outrageous that  some married couples feel they can only  afford one or two children in part because  they are paying excessive taxes to provide  programs for someone else to have four or  five children. 

For Further Information about my efforts to

restore Wisconsin's families, please contact

me at: Sen.Grothman@legis.wisconsin.gov

http://www.legis.wi.gov/senate/sen20/news