You can’t ‘scrub’ up EBT mess with a dirty rag

http://bostonherald.com ^ | 01/07/2013 | Howie Carr

[massmike]

Anecdote — that’s Gov. Deval Patrick’s favorite word to describe any scandal involving EBT cards and his constituents. It doesn’t matter how solid the information is, how many law-enforcement agencies are involved in the takedown, he always shrugs off the latest rip-off of the taxpayers.

And now he’s looking at another 19,000 of them — that 4 percent of the welfare community that the Department of Transitional Assistance could not locate.

The Patrick administration has known about these appalling EBT numbers for months now. They were only released after this newspaper filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Which is the same way it was revealed that Lt. Gov. Tim Murray was doing 108 mph when he mysteriously crashed his state vehicle in November 2011.

So much for transparency at the State House.

When Rudy Giuliani was elected mayor of New York in 1993, he insisted that all welfare recipients show up in person to renew their applications. A quarter of the “recipients” never appeared. It’s hard to respond to a letter if you don’t really exist.

I know, that’s just an “anecdote.” So here’s one more. Years ago when the transit cops in New York and New Jersey started busting fare-jumpers, they made an astounding discovery. A quarter — there’s that number again — of those arrested were carrying welfare cards from both New York and New Jersey. In other words, they were collecting in two states.

By the way, I still haven’t heard back from Deval on my generous offer to provide him with one hour per month on my radio talk show to explain how wonderful he and his administration are.

Governor, the offer stands.

[Lancey Howard]

BUMP!

[sten]

so... $10m / month

want to bet a sizable chunk is ending up in devals pocket

[muawiyah]

The law since the days of Roosevelt is simple. If you are on welfare and relocate, you have to appear in person to renew your qualification.

At the most basic level that means if someone runs the welfare files for your state against a Move Update data base and discovers you have a forwarding order on file with the USPS, they are supposed to cut off your welfare instantly.

Back in 1996, when Move Update was being implemented, many states ran the system and eliminated half their welfare cases!

Massachusetts, with 4% missing (having relocated) ain't no thang compared to those halcyon days.

However, the disturbing part would be that MA didn't bother with followups to keep their mailing records in order ~ that'd be Deval Patrick and his tax cheating welfare stealing running dog lackeys.

They know!