Kansas’ Republican Tea Party (GOTP) Governor Sam Brownback has provided Kansas welfare recipients “an opportunity for success” by signing into law one of the goofiest welfare reform laws ever in the history of Kansas or any other state.

Regarding items, or services, now prohibited under the new law, House Bill 2258 states, “No TANF cash assistance shall be used to purchase alcohol, cigarettes, tobacco products, lottery tickets, concert tickets, professional or collegiate sporting event tickets or tickets for other entertainment events intended for the general public or sexually oriented adult materials…in any retail liquor store, casino, gaming establishment, jewelry store, tattoo parlor, massage parlor, body piercing parlor, spa, nail salon, lingerie shop, tobacco paraphernalia store, vapor cigarette store, psychic or fortune telling business, bail bond company, video arcade, movie theater, swimming pool, cruise ship, theme park, dog or horse racing facility, parimutuel facility, or sexually oriented business or any retail establishment which provides adult-oriented entertainment in which performers disrobe or perform in an unclothed state for entertainment, or in any business or retail establishment where minors under age 18 are not permitted.”

In case Kansans are now confused about what welfare cash can be spent on, if it looks like a place the Governor or any other GOTP politician might frequent, then you probably cannot use TANF cash assistance there.

I wonder if there is any evidence any TANF cash assistance has ever been used for the above, or if a bunch of crabby old conservatives just listed whatever they could think of and wrote a pre-emptive strike bill in case someone might try it.

The rather twisted thinking behind this new law is that by prohibiting these activities it will drive welfare recipients off the public dole and into full employment, because being shiftless welfare queens driving around in their Cadillacs going to tattoo parlors, concerts and sailing on cruise ships they need to be pushed into pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and out of those swimming pools, movie theaters and theme parks. Funny thing is the state of Kansas did not limit recipient’s ability to buy guns and ammo with their assistance money. They can buy all the guns and bullets they want, they just cannot think of body piercing or getting their nails done.