The Investigation

Watching WHO TV HD last night, I saw an investigative report that sounded quite familiar to me.

IOWA MONEY: Channel 13 investigates the fraudulent use of federal food assistance cards

I had blogged about that 7 months ago (Putting The D in DHS), I mentioned that for candidates it would be another winning issue and reporters that it would be a news story for them, and the scientific community is united in that fact.

Reporter Dan "I Just Woke Up From My Long" Winters "Nap" found for the month of March the cards had been used tens-of-thousands of times in every other state in the country.

Winters had several quotes from Wendy Dishman, who oversees the welfare fraud investigators at the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals -- "This is, of course, the first time I've seen these numbers."

Dishman says it's a matter of manpower. "If I had my choice, I would certainly have my staff doubled. But that's not my decision and that decision is ultimately up to the legislature." But she can't even guess how many people it would take working full-time to track down the out of state transactions on this list each month.

Winters should be able to give you some idea on that, he's just one reporter.

Dishman also tried to play politics with the issue --

"It's our responsibilities to find fraud. It's our responsibilities to pay for it. And the governor and the republicans seem to think it's less important and are trying to put their resources elsewhere."

Last October when I checked with the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS), the Governorship and Legislature were controlled by Dummycrats.

I had checked with DHS then because of the investigation into California's abuses (Card Check) at casinos and strip clubs and they told me then, "There is nothing currently in Iowa law that restricts the places where FIP recipients can access their benefits".