Schwarzenegger bans welfare cards at psychics

[The Northerner]

LOS ANGELES – Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneger says welfare recipients can no longer use state-issued debit cards at medical marijuana shops, psychics and other businesses whose services have been deemed "inconsistent with the intent" of the program.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Schwarzenegger sent a letter to county welfare directors on Monday announcing that ATMS and point-of-sale card readers in such businesses will be removed from the network that accepts California's Electronic Benefits Transfer cards.

Other businesses affected by the ban include bail bond establishments, bingo halls, cruise ships and tattoo parlors.

In June, Schwarzenegger barred welfare cards at casino ATMs following a Times report that CalWORKS cards were being used to withdraw cash in more than half the casinos in the state.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101102/ap_on_bi_ge/us_welfare_debit_cards


More anti-working poor propaganda from the M$M again.

How disgusting.

[donco6]

1. Medical marijuana = psychics. Great. n/t

[stopbush]

2. I'm sure that the psychics saw that coming.

:evilgrin:

[Jackpine Radical]

3. Damn.

I was all primed to post that I knew he was gonna do that.

[woo me with science]

6. Bwah!

Only the licensed ones. :rofl:

[slackmaster]

7. You're quick on the draw there, stopbush!

:rofl:

[madinmaryland]

4. Aren't the welfare cards supposed to be used for basic living expenses??

Food, rent, utilities, etc.

:shrug:

[Ilsa]

29. Exactly. I'd feel the same way about it. I wouldn't want my support of the less fortunate

to go towards the casinos or "psychics". It's a waste. A gift intended for basic expenses for food, housing, etc shouldn't be used to enable someone's vice. A line has to be drawn somewhere.

[LostInAnomie]

5. Good

[okieinpain]

8. wow, do they really have to tell people not to use their cards for

that kind of stuff.

[slackmaster]

9. Yes

It's sad but true.

[LostInAnomie]

13. You wouldn't believe the priorities of some people.

[Iggo]

22. People also use actual money for psychics.

It bottles the mind.

[Ilsa]

30. True, but people are a little less willing to let go of actual cash

versus using debit or credit cards. I'm glad they are stopping the enabling.

[JonLP24]

10. I'm for everything

except the medical cannabis shops.

[Owl]

11. Good.

[LoZoccolo]

12. I created a poll about this topic.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9442685

[uppityperson]

14. How is this "anti-working poor propaganda"? I agree except for med marijuana

though it seems that should be paid for by insurance.

Serious question, how is this "anti-working poor propaganda"?

[Bradical79]

28. I don't see the problem

At least in principle. I haven't read the full list to see how well it's implemented and enforced though.

[KamaAina]

15. Bail bond establishments?

So if you get welfare, you rot in jail?! Buh-bye, Ahh-nuld. Don't let the doorknob hit ya where the good Lord split ya!

[Renew Deal]

20. No, if you get arrested, you can't use welfare to bail you out.

So stay out of jail.

[KamaAina]

21. So Charlie Sheen can bail himself out (of course, by now, he's probably got a tab)

but an average Joe (or, more likely, Jo) who gets welfare goes to the slammer? Not exactly "justice for all".

[Renew Deal]

24. Yes

Sheen is using his own money. What collateral is the welfare recipient putting up?

Also, jusges set bail depending on how bad they want you in jail. It's usually proportional to the offender and the crime.

[KamaAina]

37. But isn't it CBS' money?

Why are welfare dollars somehow less green than those that come from private business (or a government salary, for that matter)?

[woo me with science]

16. After all that trouble they went to, to license the legitimate ones.

This is an outrage! :rofl:

[KamaAina]

17. "other businesses whose services have been deemed "inconsistent with the intent" of the program."

And who exactly decides that? Who's next? Lefty bookstores? Sex shops?

Note that Ahh-nuld tried to get rid of CalWORKS entirely, but was rebuffed by the Legislature in budget negotiations.

[Ilsa]

31. Should state funds be used for sex shops? Any bookstores? How about using

the money for food, rent, utilities, medical, transportation, etc?

[KamaAina]

34. The point is that he's arbitrarily deciding which business are or aren't approved

To get to what you're talking about, we'd have to run it more like the WIC program, where only certain basic purchases are approved. Otherwise, the nanny state is deciding what those loose-moraled welfare people :sarcasm: can and can't get.

[Ilsa]

38. I'm not calling anyone "loose-moraled welfare people". I have family out of work right now, too.

But in a state where potentially life-and-death benefits are being threatened, I'm glad someone has the ability to say, "This kind of spending is unnecessary right now. I'm drawing the line here."

Apparently some gray area of nanny-state-ism is necessary if people are spending support money on crap like psychics and tattoos.

[Renew Deal]

18. Sounds like a good idea to me

Why should welfare money be spent at casinos and psychics?

[Iggo]

23. forget it

:hi:

[Renew Deal]

25. Makes sense

Most people can't justify using welfare payments at casinos.

[Iggo]

26. I'll bet they can't. Nor would they want to.

[Renew Deal]

27. No pun intended?

:evilgrin:

[Iggo]

36. -

:rofl:
:fistbump:

[Maine-ah]

19. I honestly have no problem with this.

The money is supposed to be used for basic living expenses, not gambling, tattoos etc....

I would think that those receiving state benefits would most likely be using a state insurance program (up here it's Mainecare) which should cover the MM.

[Johnny2X2X]

32. How about Churches?

No different than going to a Psychic. Can they use their cards at churches?

[KamaAina]

33. Good point.

I'll bet $cientology churches have ATMs, too.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

35. Who benefits from this?

Not the taxpayer - it doesn't save them any money.
Not the recipient, at least in their view - it strictly reduces their options.

The only conceivable case for this that I can see is that it's a matter of saving the poor from their own bad judgement, which strikes me as a spectacularly paternalistic and patronising argument, and certainly makes a mockery of any GOP claim to be opposed to the state running people's lives.

[Renew Deal]

40. Do you support warning labels on cigarettes or

banning convicted violent criminals from buying guns or mandatory infant car seats or whatever other "paternalistic arguments" that are designed to "protect us from our own bad judgements?"

[Donald Ian Rankin]

42. Not one of the examples you cite is there to protect people from *their own* bad judgement.

Warnings on cigarette labels are there to enable people to make informed judgements; they don't coerce anyone into doing anything. So it's not analogous



Banning convicted criminals from buying guns is to protect other people from them; mandatory infant car seats are to protect children from their parents' bad judgements.

I think that protecting people from one another is a good thing far more often than protecting them from themselves is - there are situations where the former is wrong and situations where the latter is right, but in general the side to err on is letting me take what risks I choose, but not letting me put other people at risk.

[petronius]

44. I've always assumed that moves like this one were step one in a two-step process:

First, ban the use of welfare cards at 'inappropriate' locations.

Second, point to the ban as evidence of the 'elimination of waste and fraud' that is then used to justify reducing (or at least not increasing) benefits.

I've come around more to your way of thinking after reading the (infinitude of) threads on this topic over the years. Society is obligated to provide the safety net; how people choose to use it is more up to the individual...

[Irishonly]

39. Other taboo places for the cards

The letter said the cards, which allow access to cash meant to help families pay rent and clothe their children, also will no longer work at bail bond establishments, bingo halls, gun shops, bars, race tracks, smoking shops, tattoo parlors and on cruise ships.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ebt-cards-20101102,0,928832.story

[alp227]

41. MEDICAL MARIJUANA??? C'mon, why single that out? Prop 216 everyone!

I certainly understand psychics and casinos, but is the Governator saying that poor people can NOT get cannabis cards? What a great way to celebrate Election Day! When Jerry Brown comes in we'll see how he deals with this.

Meg Whitman, on the other hand...

[MzNov]

43. Get ready kids, Gov. Meathead will be on a roll

for the next 2 months doing all kinds of SHIT. Just like this!

[alp227]

45. Oh wait, the executives of bailed-out banks still get to party and bull$%^!

On TAXPAYER MONEY!

Notice the hypocrisy?