According to the EBT Commission report, 85% of EBT benefits, or $77 Million in a three month period between October and Dec. 2011, were translated into cash at ATMs, as opposed to being used at point of sale purchase for food, clothes, etc.
So what difference does a ban on EBT cards at liquor stores, strip clubs and nail salons make?
Is EBT refom anything more than lip service as long as the majority of benefits are being translated directly into cash?
Join in today’s Friday Throwdown over at the Herald at noon. Clearly there will be many who say dump the whole program, but what’s the best defense for leaving the cash option intact?
And if it needs to be adjusted, how?
Please share widely!
According the MA DOR, “The FY13 Tax Expenditure Budget (TEB) is more than $26 billion, roughly $4 billion larger than projected FY13 revenues of nearly $22 billion”.
That corresponds to a tax giveaway of SIX AND A HALF BILLION DOLLARS during the same period that those awful poor people used $77M in cash. For the mathematically-challenged, that is $6,500 vs $77 million — nearly ONE HUNDRED TIMES larger.
While the audience and participants of this distasteful exercise in poor-bashing amuse themselves, the rest of us might ask themselves how much of the BILLIONS OF DOLLARS of tax giveaway money goes to EBT recipients.
The bullying of the poor and powerless as entertainment — now there’s a sign of a healthy culture.
if you don’t feel like boosting the Herald’s circulation and you think the EBT card “fix” is largely a mean-spirited distraction, you can call your State Representative to express support for alternatives. More here.