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Thursday, July 19, 2012

New Welfare Restrictions Target Booze, Tattoos

Taking aim at what they call an abuse of the taxpayers' money, a growing number of states are blocking welfare recipients from spending their benefits on booze, cigarettes, lottery tickets, casino gambling, tattoos and strippers.

"If you're not abusing the program, then you should really have no problem with these reforms," said state Rep. Shaunna O'Connell, a Republican pushing for restrictions in Massachusetts.

While the crackdown has strong populist appeal in Democratic and GOP states alike in this era of tight budgets and tea party demands for fiscal discipline, advocates for the poor argue that the restrictions are based on stereotypes about people on welfare, and they say the notion of any widespread abuse is a myth. Most people on public assistance, they contend, are single mothers struggling just to get by.

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Advocates say wide spread abuse is a myth? Okay then why are they even concerning themselves with this "myth?" Let the lawmakers pass this reform and if it turns out to be one big "myth" then the advocates can say I Told You So.

Anonymous said...

its kinda sad that they have to make these rules...

lmclain said...

If "struggling single mothers" are the biggest problem, then attack "single mothers". No woman should have the right to have as many children as they want if they have no means to support them (other than using MY means). Address THAT issue. Get pregnant while on welfare? Either get cut off or get implanted birth control. Or get a job.

Anonymous said...

yeah they all got the tattoos and the nails and the hair and everyone one of them is over 250 lbs! yup they are undernurished and starving!

Anonymous said...

Exactly lmclain! The second a person applies for any form of government assistance it should be required that they be spay/neuter. If they can not feed, house or clothe the dependants they now have it makes no sense to have more. Someone has to be in charge of these people who can not make sensible decisions for themselves because things have gotten way way out of control with all these welfare babies being mass produced by these useless sponges on society.

Anonymous said...

Everytime I go to the seafood store 90% of the people in line are paying with food stamps. To me that's not a struggling mother.

Anonymous said...

It is not a myth,and anyone who has ever been to a social service office knows this.Some of the girls there have elaborate neck tattoos and perfectly painted toes and nails.Not that I have anything against tattoos but most of the time the "lower" class women have them on their necks and chests and are proud to bare them.