| ...and once elected, they prove it.
Do poor people cheat? Of course - just look at Denny Hecker, Tom Petters, Frank Vennes - the last two, noted pals of Michele Bachmann (well, Norm "Smokescreen" Coleman, too). People on welfare? Not so much pals of Bachmann (nor Norm), but yes, some of them have been known to cheat. And the State has been diligent in finding ways to prevent cheating, such as going from actual paper "stamps" in the "food stamp" program to using plastic "debit cards" - EBT (Electronic Benefit Transfer) Cards. Diligent as the State is, cheaters are equally diligent in finding ways to beat the system - which is why, for instance, that years ago the State quit allowing cash deductions from EBT cards at casinos.
I bring this up, because I saw this tweet:
It has to do with this map, that the GOPers hauled out at the State House yesterday:
That map shows that of almost $500,000,000 in assistance, about $10,000,000 was spent outside of Minnesota - with about half of that in neighboring states.
That map allegedly "supports" a bill introduced yesterday by Kurt Daudt, GOP=GreedOverPrinciples that is, in essence a solution in search of a problem. In other words, a waste of time. GOPers want to pass a law that money in an EBT account can only be spent in Minnesota - even though Federal Law says, for instance, that Food Stamp money, even in an EBT account, can be spent anywhere.
"Tentherism" ring a bell, here?
The amount of money that could - and should - be tightened up out of that $10 million is only about $3 million, according to federal law. My point is that the time to take time and tighten that $3 million up, is AFTER the GOP has put their budget plan forward AND put their plan to put Minnesotans back to work.
It's about priorities - and so far this session, the GOP priorities have been anything but putting a budget plan forward and planning to put Minnesotans back to work.
We are staring at a budget deficit of about $6 Billion, and these GOPer Tenthers are wasting time with a $3 million stunt like they did yesterday. But hey, why work on the big problems, when you can trot out the ol' "welfare cadillac" canard?
Which is why I have to say, once again: Republicans run on the platform "Government doesn't work!" - and once elected, they prove it.
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