Time to plug welfare leakage
by Howie Carr,
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Leakage thats what Gov. Deval Patrick is now calling rampant welfare fraud in his administration.
According to the inspector general, $25 million has been wasted, and we all know thats just the tip of the iceberg. Still, though $25 million seems more like a flood than a leak.
But dont worry, the governor assures us that the fraud rate is only about average. Thats certainly a relief. Wed all hate to think that the commonwealth is below average in the amount of fraud and abuse by the non-working classes.
But this is a governor who dismisses any and all cases of welfare fraud as mere anecdotes. And by the way, it appears we have a lot more anecdotes than were first reported closer to 50,000, rather than the original 19,000.
None of this welfare dirty laundry would have come out if only Granny Warrens daughter hadnt forced the state to order a voter-registration drive last summer among the layabout class. A half-million letters went out (complete with prepaid return envelopes) and almost 50,000 came back return to sender, address unknown. No such number, no such zone.
Here are a few anecdotes from the inspector generals report involving leakage:
A gimme girl was receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children while in jail, while simultaneously submitting time sheets stating she was participating in a work program at a career center.
In 2010, a gimme girl stated she did not know the whereabouts of the father of her child. Eighteen months later, she gave birth to a second child and named the same father on the birth certificate.
Another deadbeat claimed shed been unemployed for more than six years and that her husband was incarcerated. The inspector general discovered a bank account into which she had recently deposited $7,000, while withdrawing $8,500. There was of course no evidence of investigation by the Department of Transitional Assistance.
The inspector general discovered some problems with the relationship status between grantees and dependent children. Does this mean that children are being claimed by multiple women as their own in order to qualify for yet more handouts? Why not? Apparently nobody ever checks.
Dont worry though. Deval is on the case. The hacks are setting up an Integrated Eligibility System with anticipated implementation by 2015.
Only two more years of leakage among the anecdotes. Thats a load off the taxpayers minds.
All in all, its a tough report. Even Deval had to do something. So he regretfully fired his DTA commissioner, Dan Curley.
A good guy, Deval said.
Too bad Curleys not a lawyer. Deval could make him a judge, just like hes doing with Mary Beth Heffernan after her bang-up job as public safety secretary.
Are there any clerk magistrates jobs open? Give Curley the job, and I guarantee you in three months his nickname at the courthouse will be Personal Recognizance.
Or maybe Leakage.
Make of this what you will:
a) supposedly a big announcement 7:35 am today (Monday)
about the future of AM 830 WCRN Worcester
b) Cryptic message on Michael Graham page: It’s
coming 11 12 13 Truth
Theories include:
Graham to WCRN
or WCRN to Fox Sports
we’ll see