Via Outside the Beltway, the Los Angeles Times reports that welfare cards in California can be used to retrieve money in many of the state’s casinos. In effect, that means welfare recipients can gamble using the financial assistance they receive from taxpayers.

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.

The LA Times says the state is now moving to stop this waste of money, which originated under the administration of Democrat Gray Davis. Where is the money coming from? You:

The cash portion of California’s welfare benefits comes from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Each year, California gets $3.7 billion from the federal government for the program, while state and local governments kick in an additional $2.9 billion.

So your tax dollars ensure people on welfare in California can withdraw the taxpayer money they supposedly require for food and shelter and immediately gamble it away at their local casino.

Question: Why did no one in power seriously consider the possibility of such a scenario prior to the report? Are we really so jaded as to automatically assume those on welfare wouldn’t dare waste taxpayer money?

Most probably won’t, but we don’t create laws and safeguards for “most”. Most won’t consider maliciously killing another person, either. Yet we keep murder illegal in order to dissuade or punish those who would.

The problem is that political leadership, whether it’s in Sacramento or Washington, isn’t terribly concerned with spending tax dollars wisely. Tax revenue has been wasted? Oh well, just increase tax rates.