By John Lindstrom
Publisher
Posted: October 18, 2019 3:58 PM

If there was one thing former Governor John Engler was definitely, completely, totally in favor of it was thoroughly overhauling Michigan's social safety net, and not to make it bigger.

Yet, still, there was one thing he did that was reflected in Governor Gretchen Whitmer's announcement on Thursday of a less restrictive assets test for people eligible for basic services.

Make no mistake, farm-raised Mr. Engler was a champion of work. Practiced it, believed in it, preached it, believed completely in the essence of personal responsibility. Assistance was only for those who absolutely needed help, and ideally only for a short period of time. Otherwise one must work, and more for a person's own sense of wellbeing and personal worth than what it might save the state in tax dollars. Though saving the state tax dollars was always also equally high on Mr. Engler's list.

From the very beginning of his administration in 1991, he took steps to circumscribe the state's social welfare system. He first did so by ending General Assistance, which was welfare paid to single individuals. If a single person was able-bodied enough to work then he or she must, he and many others felt.

The Legislature fought him on it, but he won by transferring funds for General Assistance to other programs through the State Administrative Board – setting in motion then, Ms. Whitmer's own actions taken on the 2019-20 budget several weeks ago.

Mr. Engler pushed for work or education requirements for those on welfare. He pushed for lifetime limits on welfare benefits. He…well, you get the picture.

Advocates for the poor set up a poor person's camp on the Capitol lawn. Mr. Engler was protested at speeches. His public popularity sank like a stone in this first months. He didn't care.

And yet, he did take one step that both bolstered his attitude on self-reliance and provided help to at least some folks.

Mr. Engler sought a waiver from the federal government to change the asset rules regarding the poor to disregard ownership of a car. It couldn't be a luxury car, mind you, it would have to a banged-up beater that got you to work and back and not much more.

That was why Mr. Engler sought the waiver. He knew in places like Detroit public transit wasn't good (and the discussion about John Engler and public transit can be held another day) and if he was going to push and promote and require people to find work, they needed transportation to do so. That meant they needed a car to get to where jobs were.

And the state got the waiver.

In expanding the asset limit, Ms. Whitmer's administration made reference to the expansion the administration of Governor Rick Snyder made in 2011 covering a car, a second car actually. And a second car can be used to get to a job as well as help take care of a person's family. If both adults in a household are making little more than minimum wage, then they likely need both the second vehicle as well as assistance with food and other necessities.

Which goes back to Mr. Engler's thoughts and makes one wonder a little if he had any vision of his waiver request coming to this point?