Posted on 08/23/2010 7:57:04 AM PDT by SmithL
SACRAMENTO -- Welfare advocates are criticizing Meg Whitman for ratcheting up her rhetoric against welfare recipients as she rails against waste, fraud and abuse in state government.
In a one-minute radio ad that Whitman recently began airing, she touts her plan to create a statewide grand jury to root out waste, fraud and abuse, promising to send to jail anyone "caught robbing the taxpayers."
She mentions a state Legislative Analyst's report that found that 150 staffers in the Department of Education are working on programs that it no longer administers, and $3.4 million spent by CalTrans on a single rest stop on Interstate 80.
And then she lays into the meat of her ad: alleged welfare fraud.
"Welfare recipients were caught using cash benefit ATM cards in gambling casinos," she says in the ad. "There are billions of dollars of fraud in MediCal, In-Home Supportive Services and welfare alone. Enough is enough."
A Los Angeles Times report found that welfare recipients made about $1.8 million in cash withdrawals at casinos since October, leading Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to issue an executive order banning the use of the welfare ATM cards at casinos.
But with the state facing a $19 billion budget deficit, finding outlandish anecdotes of alleged fraud such as the casino withdrawals won't come close to solving the budget crisis, welfare advocates said.
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
Welfare fraud and abuse is not fantasy.
There is much truth and fact to back up the claim.
Both are RINOs, realistically. If Meg wins, she will face a continual struggle with a Dem and union dominated state legislature. California is broke, and broken..the Dems made the mess, they own it..now let them "enjoy" the fruits of their labors..give Brown a term in Sacremento, with a Dem legislature, and you'll see a GOP sweep in 2014 in California..
How totally insensitive and inhumane! Everybody knows that casinos are the only place these poor people can get reasonably priced prepared meals. What does he expect them to do? Cook for themselves? < / sarcasm >
If California lasts that long under Brown.
Notice how the argument supporting fraud is always that it is just a small part of the budget (because the spending is so huge.) These statists never understand the government has no moral authority to raise taxes when this fraud is so widespread. To them the government already owns all property, except that proposed mosque in NYC maybe.
If they wanted to save real money they would make it more difficult for illegals to get these benefits.
More tales of The Rat and The Rino.
Whitman needs to throw these complaints right back at the left and ask “Why are Democrats so afraid of investigations into their own legislation, programs and handling of taxpayer funds?”, “Why is the left so reluctant to protect overburdened tax payers in California?” statements like that.
Anyone with half a brain knows why politicians fight tooth and nail against oversight, Whitman has to make the point so clear even those with 1/4 of a brain may be able to figure it out.
I am pretty sure if the govt hired a few private investigators and forensic accountants per state, they could recover millions in welfare and Medicaid/disability fraud. Their salaries would be more than covered. But gosh, that would be unpopular and cruel!
Meg is right.
Possibly correct, but it sounds a great deal like the argument made to justify "let Obama have a term and we can then get a new Reagan". The problem is that there may be nothing left by then and in any case there is no guarantee that another Reagan exist. A lot of damage can be done in 4 years.
It is a damn good start! And what do they mean 'alleged fraud' when the cards were used in casinos?!
Yes. The free lunch would no longer be free!
How about that!
Hooray for her I say! Three cheers!
Uncovering the billions of dollars in waste fraud and abuse in welfare, medicare and government contracts would more than pay for the salaries of the investigators hired to uncover these things. Set the FBI on these crooks, root them out and prosecute them all to the fullest extant of the law. Give the investigators incentives to uncover as many as they can find. They are just as dishonest and crooked as government blames Wall Street about. Return the money to the taxpayers then not the government.
Several weeks ago I was at Aldi’s, Tradder Joe's in some areas, it is a low cost off label food store.
I was buying a few items, the woman behind m, unable to speak English, was with a kid around 11 or 12. She was speaking the language of peace. I paid for my food with cash. She then paid with her food with the EBT card, food stamps in Ohio. Bad enough that a woman in a head scarf, unable to speak English, and obviously NOT a citizen buys food on my dime.
Worst part as I was packing my groceries she was putting hers into her brand new 2010 Lexus SUV.
She can't afford her own groceries, but she can buy a $65,000 automobile.
Welfare advocates = poverty pimps.
How many of these feed poff of the system to enrich themselves? THat might be worth a look as well.
Then start on Medicare/Medicade fraud!
“and you’ll see a GOP sweep in 2014 in California”
Given the make up of the Califoria electorate I would dare bet against it. I think the best we could hope for is to get a RINO in there to slowly begin to turn California around. Even at that I would guess that the State will need to go “to the bottom” to get their attention and give the Conservatives a chance. That is where I may agree with you in that Brown would probably allow that “bottom” to come sooner with no way to blame Conservatives like they do the current Governor. (couldn’t spell his name awright :-))
One thing to keep in mind -
the “compassionate” left doesn’t care how many people are defrauding the system,
“as long as everyone that needs help gets it”.
They’d feel differently if they had any ownership in the creation of the wealth that was being stolen.
She can afford whatever she wants. She is exploiting the American systems as spoils of war. She thinks it's her due.
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