Taxpayers are apparently buying welfare recipients booze and cigarettes for the road — at times a very exotic road.
A Watchdog.org analysis of a Colorado Department of Human Services welfare ATM withdrawals database shows that $3.8 million was withdrawn by Colorado welfare recipients outside the state in the past two years. There were withdrawals at out-of-state liquor stores and tobacco outlets, as well as vacation destinations like Hawaii, Las Vegas and even the Virgin Islands, data shows.
State Rep. Tim Dore, R-Elizabeth, who has urged limitations on where welfare recipients can use their electronic benefit transfer cards in Colorado, was shocked taxpayers are apparently funding some exotic travel.
“I wasn’t even aware of that,” said Dore, who promised to try to address the misuse of cards at liquor stores, casinos and marijuana shops in the next legislative session after Watchdog asked him about those items for previous stories. “That’s an additional issue we need to look into it.”
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4 comments:
Means-testing with limited case management would shut this abuse down - but would seen as racist harassment of the recipients.....
BS they won't look into anything. I bet Maryland is just as bad.
wake up fools Reagan was supposed to fix the welfare Queen problem...but its done nothing but grow..no reducutions no eliminating waste fraud and abuse the program is broken corrupt failure and useless.. it should be defunded by 50% at once
With all the technology we have, they should be able to program welfare cards to only work at certain stores & for certain items. Or for a certain amount for a food item (so you couldn't purchase expensive steak and seafood).
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