Michigan senator finds $2M in out-of-state Bridge card use
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110504/METRO/105040356/Michigan-senator-finds-$2M-in-out-of-state-Bridge-card-use#ixzz1LO0sKgs3
Really…. I find it hard to read articles like this, because I find it hard to understand how people abuse the system like that. But I should not be shocked, when you create a nanny state, a co-dependency between people and the state (or Federal government) this is what happens. People become accustomed to it and they began to abuse it.
The welfare state create a class of people who start to believe that the state owes them a living, and this is the end result. Sure, some of the people may have been on true job seeking trips, but I would venture to guess that the number is relatively small.
How much money is wasted per year on people who do not truly need the help or on people who abuse the system? And what can be done about it. What can we, as a state, do to stop the abuse?
- Drug testing for all who seek state aid
- Tighter regulations
- Better monitoring
- Restrict items that can be purchased
- Restrict what shops can accept state money
- Restrict time you are allowed to use state assistance
- Require that the recipients give back in time and skill to the state
- Make education mandatory for all under and uneducated
- Require citizenship (of the United States and of Michigan)
I am sure I am missing a few good ideas and I am sure some of my ideas a bad, but it’s a starting point for a discussion, and that’s what we need. We need to talk about the white elephant in the room, the one no one wants to talk about for fear of being labeled heartless.
Well label me all you like, we can not and should not continue on this path of nanny state. The State of Michigan is not your caretaker, nor should it be used as such. Yes the state has responsibilities to its citizens, an yes, we the people of this great state should care for our fellow citizens. But under no circumstances should the state be seem as the caretaker. So how should it work, what should it look like? How about this:
- Local civic groups
- Local Churches
- Neighbors
- Family
- Friends
The community should care for the community, not the government. The roll of the government should be minimal at best. Let the state give block grants to the local community organizations to help and deal with the needy. Let the state deal with unemployment and bare minimum food assistance. Let the community do the rest. The days of a free ride need to end.
Now, before I start to get tons of liberals responding that I am heartless, hear me out.
I know that there are truly needy in the state, the ones who cannot, for a variety of reasons, provide for themselves. And I understand that in the current economic situation that the state is over whelmed. But I also know that the current system is broken and needs to be overhauled. We have to start to make the hard choices, and sometimes the hard choices may seem extreme at first. But we need to start today, and we can not afford to wait, the State of Michigan has no money.
I am willing to listen to any and all ideas, we need to start to think outside of the box. If you think you have a better solution, please post it, if you think I am just nuts, well post that as well. And if you think I am on to something here, please post that as well. I just want to start the conversation, who knows, maybe someone in power at the state level will read all our brilliant ideas and we can start to fix the state.
God Bless
Paul
An American Point of View 