Gov. Deval Patrick says he is worried about push in Congress to cut food stamps

The Republican ^

[matt04]

With new statistics showing a heavy reliance on food stamps in cities such as Holyoke and Springfield, Gov. Deval L. Patrick said he is concerned about a move in Congress to cut the assistance program for low-income families including tens of thousands of people in Massachusetts.

"I'm worried about the future of the program," Patrick told The Republican. "I am worried about the fact that so many people need the program. And that has to do with the bottom falling out of the global economy and our climbing out of that, slowly but surely."

Patrick, a two-term Democrat, said his family received food stamps when he was a child growing up in Chicago.

"It's a modest benefit," Patrick said. "It's not a way to live lavishly. It's just a way to sustain yourself until you can get up on your own feet. The reason the program utilization has expanded in the last several years is because more people have needed them and we're doing a better job of finding where those people are and who they are."

After some astronomical growth in the program over the past decade in Western Massachusetts and across the country, Congress is considering a new farm bill that would reduce spending for food stamps.

In Massachusetts, leaders of the state House of Representatives are pushing an anti-fraud bill that would require photos on state electronic benefit cards for welfare and food-stamp recipients.

[Liz]

Deval Patrick is an idiot----he refused to divulge info WRT massive public assistance to the Tsarnaev's (on Obomba's orders?).

But state welfare officials were forced to come clean b/c the info is available to lawmakers. State Rep David Linsky called on the Mass Dept of Transitional Assistance to provide the info..... issuing an ultimatum, giving them 24 hours to provide the info.

The Boston Herald published the state's response: 'My office is working to fully comply with your request,' DTA interim commissioner Stacey Monahan wrote, saying they were only providing a summary 'given the great interest in this matter.'

Chechen immigrants Tsarnaev parents were eligible as legal, non-citizen residents who claimed "asylum" status and met the eligibility criteria for DTA, DTA interim commissioner Stacey Monahan said in a letter to David Linsky, Chairman of the Mass House Post Audit and Oversight Committee.

On Thursday, multiple state agencies, at the prompting of Gov Patrick, refused to comment on the brothers' benefits.

<><> WRT Tamerlan receiving UI benefits, Labor dept spokesman Kevin Franck refused to comment....

<><> Univ of Mass-- Dartmouth spokesman Robert Connolly refused to comment on the financial aid app of 19 -year-old soph Dzhokhar. 'It is our position - and I believe the accepted position in higher education - that student records including academic records and financial records (including financial aid) cannot under federal law be released without a student’s consent.'

<><> The FCC would not discuss whether the suspected bombers had govt-paid cellphones.

<><> Cambridge housing officials would not comment on if the brothers had Section 8 rental subsidy offered by the HUD to low income households.

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UPDATE Benefits for entire family of bombing suspects likely exceeded $100k
WCRB ^ | 4/29/2013 | By Janet Wu / FR Posted by Alistair Stratford IV

BOSTON — State lawmakers have launched an investigation into whether the suspects in the Boston bombings improperly received public benefits. The House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight is reviewing hundreds of documents collected from state agencies that may have provided benefits to the suspects or their families since 2002.

Sources who have seen the 500 pages of documents sent to the House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight told News Center 5 that the entire Tsarnaev family, including (1) the two bombing suspects' parents, (2) the two suspects themselves, (3) their sisters, (4) the widow of the suspect killed, and, (5) their child -- received "every conceivable public benefit available out there."

(Excerpt) Read more at wcvb.com ...

SOURCE http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/hearing-set-to-look-at-tsarnaev-family-welfare-benefits/-/11971628/19933058/-/9yagjz/-/index.html#ixzz2RtfE87js

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$100K is the tip of the iceberg----the America-hating Tsarnaev's collected bigtime----rode the US gravy train using several identites. The bomber brothers' lavish style could not have been financed merely w/ welfare checks, food stamps, housing subsidies, etc etc etc.

A look at dead bomber Tamerlan's reading list on Amazon shows he researched several books WRT forging new identities (each identity pocketing US govt freebies).

TAMERLAN'S READING LIST--PUT THIS IN YOUR BROWSER
http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html? ie=UTF8&type=wishlist&id=1PNVMAW2D4CT1

The smirking, self-satisfied, smug, arrogance on the
faces of the Tsarnaev brothers looks awfully familiar.

It's b/c we've seen the defiant, unflinching
gaze, and those phony smiles, many times. Pasted
on the faces of illegals blotting our landscape.

Boston was a prelude to the destruction the latter are hatching.

[Chode]

feh...

[Paladin2]

Duval should be working on getting his peeps out of slavery.

[RightGeek]

Oh noes! No eats for Chechen Jihadists!

[Joe Bfstplk]

The poor welfare queens must get off their asses on on their feet... Must not stress them out.

[DannyTN]

So every food stamp recipient is responsible for the IRS fraud?

[DannyTN]

Patrick is right. The problem is the economy. And the way to cut food stamps is to restore American jobs. The best and easiest way to do that is raise import tariffs and put Americans back to work.

For starters tariffs on incoming goods ought to at least be equal to the tax burden on domestic producers.

And secondly, the cost of American unemployment benefits, medicaid and food stamps for those willing to work should also be applied to foriegn goods. Because those foreign goods are costing us indirectly by raising American unemployment.

[DannyTN]

Republicans are going to end up shooting themselves in the foot again by talking about cutting aid to the poor instead of talking about how to fix the economy. That’s how democrats win elections.

[DannyTN]

Republicans are going to end up shooting themselves in the foot again by talking about cutting aid to the poor instead of talking about how to fix the economy. That’s how democrats win elections.

[steve86]

The EBT card has a food side (SNAP) and a cash side (TANF - welfare). One or both may have funds. There are no restrictions on the cash side other than gambling and a few things.

[kcvl]

“I am worried about the fact that so many people need the program”

That is a lie. If they can afford tattoos, manicures & pedicures, new cars & all the crap they put on them, they can afford to feed themselves.

[steve86]

If they can afford tattoos, manicures & pedicures

Hopefully, the tattoo is a one-time cost. The manicures and pedicures should properly be categorized as recurring costs. lol

A lot of people get about about food stamps (I'm not angry but do believe eligible food categories should be tightened up), but USDA do-not-grow subsidies put them to shame.

I knew a well-off couple sitting in their apartment who owned some land and got this:

Direct payment subsidies are provided without regard to the economic need of the recipients or the financial condition of the farm economy...Direct payments of subsidies are limited to $40,000 per person or $80,000 per couple.[14]

[kcvl]

“Can someone tell me why Auto parts stores now accept EBT cards?”

Because EBT cards are actually money cards that look like a credit card. Wouldn’t want to stigmatize those using them. Many of the cards work at just about anywhere including casinos.

I have seen tattoo parlors who advertise they accept them.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks matt04.

[caww]

The unemployed should me doing community service...let them work at least four days a week.

[kcvl]

Swipe your EBT for porn and tattoos as Massachusetts vetos food stamp reform

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat whose candidacy has often served as a template from which President Barack Obama has taken his cue, vetoed a bill to reform what you could buy with the Cards EBT State and food stamps. The bill Patrick vetoed would have banned EBT cards to be used for “tattoos, weapons, pornography, body piercings, jewelry, fines and bonds,” - Your Jewish News.com

http://www.examiner.com/article/swipe-your-ebt-for-porn-and-tattoos-as-massachusetts-vetos-food-stamp-reform

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/fd/f3/1342212143_5328_EBT.jpg?itok=c8ODzS29

[DannyTN]

"The unemployed should me doing community service...let them work at least four days a week."

So your going to create make work jobs for them? That will cost more than just cutting them a check for unemployment.

[dinodino]

You can also buy fancy cocktail mixes, as we’ve seen on another thread.

[dinodino]

Why the F*** can you buy frickin’ Coke and Pepsi with EBT!?

I get irate when I hear about this crap.

[caww]

No it won’t cost more to have them work...they’ll be off the rolls in a heartbeat rather than do garbage work or sweep nd mow lawns.....droves will find work they want ..