I’m mystified that I have to say this yet again, but here goes: I am 100 percent in favor of seeing my tax dollars — plus 5 percent of my household income, by the way — go to help the needy.
Every time I write about Bridge Cards — and I admit it’s been a frequent occurrence in recent months — I get calls, emails, letters, faxes that say, essentially:
“Why have you suddenly turned against poor people?”
This makes me weep for the future of reading comprehension.
Let us review:
- When DHS announced its crackdown on Bridge Cards for students earlier this year, the big new change was that the state would require students to DEMONSTRATE NEED. Who could be against that?
- Bridge Card use at casino ATMs? How does that make sense?
- A $2 million lottery winner continuing, with the blessing of DHS, to accept food assistance. Good policy?
- Finally, is it heartless to argue that public food assistance is meant for something other than lobster, steak and Mountain Dew?
Here’s a thought: If we could find a way to stop doling out precious public resources to those who don’t really need them, we could help the truly needy even more.
