Thursday, May 31, 2012

Undermining the Safety Net

From today's Star Tribune letters, this bit of thoughtfulness from Donna Pususta Neste of Minneapolis:

Food stamps
Fraud focus is really an attempt to demolish

Regarding the May 25 article Food stamp program targeted: This reminds me of the way the safety-net program of welfare was brought down. From President Ronald Reagan onward, we read and heard stories about "welfare queens," until President Bill Clinton pretty much destroyed the program. It's no accident now that there are stories in major newspapers about food stamp fraud. They will continue until the food stamp program is brought down.

When I read about the 1 percent fraud rate of the food stamp program, I wanted to say, "Really?" The military should receive such scrutiny. Sixty percent of the food stamps that are issued feed children, and 19 percent go to the elderly. The cost of this program is so small relative to the total federal budget that it would be like taking a child's allowance away in order to pay the mortgage.
Thank you, Donna.
________

A past related post:

Is Your Grandma a Welfare Queen?


No comments: