The LePage administration vowed to clean up welfare abuse in Maine. The only problem with that wash job is they started at the wrong end of the totem pole.
They found some small cases, where recipients actually had to show proof of income and the ones on Medicaid who need the extra help.
Lo and behold, others are still out there receiving a bundle of money from program after program: people who spend all their hard-earned food stamps and walk out the door with two carts full of food.
If you happen to follow them out, you get to see the new vehicle they’re driving.
Yet a relative told me recently that his son, who has suffered from ADHD all his life and attends college, lost his food stamps because he goes back home three months out of the year.
These young people have to endure strenuous hurdles most of their lives; they certainly shouldn’t have to lose the little bit of help afforded to them from state programs that others so wrongly abuse.
This young man is learning a trade so he can become self-sufficient and earn his own way. T
he state, however, has cut him off a program that costs about $2,000 per year, while others are spending thousands a month, driving around in new vehicles, with big toys in their yard.
Brenda Lachance
Belgrade
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.