California welfare recipients are able to use state-issued debit cards to withdraw cash on gaming floors in more than half of the casinos in the state, a Los Angeles Times review of records found.The cards, provided by the Department of Social Services to help recipients feed and clothe their families, work in automated teller machines at 32 of 58 tribal casinos and 47 of 90 state-licensed poker rooms, the review found.State officials said Wednesday they were working to determine how much money had been withdrawn from casino ATMs by people using the welfare debit cards.
It's that pesky "free will" thing! How do you restrict the choices of those who are probably in dire straits because of their inability to make good choices? I agree that the cards should not be allowed to access cash in a casino, but that would only slow some individuals down, or add an extra step in the process.I remember there was a project in Sacramento, where homeless people could find public shelter in a dormitory setting. This was given to them in lieu of a larger cash stipend, since they would not need to purchase housing. "Civil rights" groups protested that people should not be forced to live somewhere they didn't want, and forced the government to give them more cash instead. Those homeless with alcohol and drug problems were, at least in part, facilitated in their addictions by the influx of cash.
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It's that pesky "free will" thing! How do you restrict the choices of those who are probably in dire straits because of their inability to make good choices? I agree that the cards should not be allowed to access cash in a casino, but that would only slow some individuals down, or add an extra step in the process.
ReplyDeleteI remember there was a project in Sacramento, where homeless people could find public shelter in a dormitory setting. This was given to them in lieu of a larger cash stipend, since they would not need to purchase housing.
"Civil rights" groups protested that people should not be forced to live somewhere they didn't want, and forced the government to give them more cash instead. Those homeless with alcohol and drug problems were, at least in part, facilitated in their addictions by the influx of cash.