California Handing out Money for Booze and Cigs: One News Story that sums up the Entire Welfare State Disaster

California: A beautiful place destroyed by socialism

by the Left Coast Rebel

I hate to admit this but for the most part, I really don't follow California politics any more. Sure, my Once Golden State is a shining rusted-over and decaying example of what liberalism/progressive policy and the entitlement mentality does to a once-thriving society but the argument against further destruction is a useless enterprise. Their comes a day -- as with the parent of a spoiled child -- where one throws up his hands and says ''to hell with it, he has to learn by his own mistakes!"

It's simply disgusting and even more disgusting is that the fools that inhabit this place want more of it because they have yet to pay the price! Remember, there was only one area of the country that didn't say Hell No! to the Obamanation agenda last November.

And you know what? These people vote -- and outnumber productive earners twofold -- and they send fools to Sacramento that think "assistance" dollars should go to those who don't (and in many cases, choose not to) work and instead opt to live the Life of Riley while you and I and the dwindling percentage (a tad over 30% of the population, according to the 2010 Census) that work here haven't yet fled and pick up the tab with the highest taxes and lowest quality of life to show for it in the entire nation! (sighing as I catch my breath).

Good news, though: The Life of Riley now officially includes a taxpayer-supported buzz:

On a straight party-line vote California lawmakers gave the green light for welfare recipients to purchase alcohol and tobacco products using taxpayer money. The insanity in the Golden State continues despite the state’s $23 billion deficit and double-digit unemployment.
[…]
The Golden State doles out welfare benefits through the CalWORKS program. In the past welfare recipients were not allowed to buy beer and cigarettes, but compassionate state lawmakers decided it wasn’t fair to stop TAXPAYER money from being used to subsidize non-essential bad habits.

“You would think a simple common sense reform like trying to make sure taxpayer money is not used for the purchase of alcohol and tobacco would find bi-partisan support,” said GOP State Senator Bob Dutton.

No such luck in California, Dutton, SB417’s sponsor saw his legislation to save taxpayer money fail on a straight party-line vote.
[…]
“These funds are designed help the neediest in California meet their basic requirements of providing food, clothing and shelter,” Senator Dutton quipped. “I doubt there’s not a taxpayer in this state who believes purchasing alcohol or tobacco with welfare money constitutes a basic need and should be allowed.”

Senator Dutton also explained that more than half of welfare beneficiaries are parents who are no longer eligible for state aid, but still receive cash assistance on behalf of their anchor baby children.

What's next? Food stamps for medical marijuana?

Love him or hate him, Ron Paul has been warning Americans of incrementalism like this for decades: government programs (like welfare, assistance, food stamps, et al.) start out with "noble" intentions but end up becoming a beast that devours the individual soul, creates giant swaths of dependant classes, squeezes creative, productive earners and eventually creates the precise opposite of the purported intended consequence.

In other words: welfare checks paying for booze and cigs, rubber-stamped by statist fools in Sacramento.

California is the nation's canary in the coal mine and the White House is inhabited by moonbats that think the Once Golden State model is the model for the nation.

Hat-tip to Full Metal Patriot. Cross posted to Proof Positive, Libertarian Patriot and Rational Nation.