My state representative, Jim Cox, mailed us a “newsletter” a couple of weeks ago.
Cox represents much of Berks County west of Reading. His mailing is meant to look informative but is more a GOP party propaganda tool.
It has the Republican line on the state budget and the “Property Tax Independence Act.” It includes a “survey” supposedly to garner constituent opinion. One asks about “welfare reform,” emphasizing the abuse that in GOP mythology is ruining budgets.
But cracking down on poor people is the last thing Cox should be worried about.
In 2014:
- More than 190,000 Pennsylvania residents were enrolled in Temporary Aid for Needy Families [TANF], about one out of every 67 residents.
- The inspector general’s office reviewed 977 fraud tips involving TANF, about one for every 195 recipients.
- The office filed welfare-fraud charges against 162 people in the TANF program, about one for every 1,175 recipients.
- The office convicted 62 individuals in the TANF program, or about one of every 3,070 recipients.
- The fraud totaled almost $400,000, or about four-hundredths of a percent of the more than $1 billion in TANF expenses.
[This from Department of Human Services and Office of Inspector General spokespeople.]
Cox’s newsletter says:
“WELFARE REFORM: Legislators routinely hear about welfare recipients who abuse the system. While offenders are often prosecuted when caught, far too many welfare recipients continue to misuse the money provided to help them.
“QUESTION 10: Do you support or oppose strengthening state laws to fight welfare abuse and bring to justice those individuals who misuse the social safety net?
“□ I support taking stronger actions to penalize people who abuse the welfare system.
“□ I oppose taking strong actions to penalize people who abuse the welfare system.”
True journalists on the job in Berks County might challenge our elected officials on some of their bullshit and hold them accountable to the real needs of residents: better education and career training, better infrastructure, more help for researchers, innovators and libraries. None of these issues is mentioned in the newsletter.
He's my rep too and unfortunately nothing more than a Republican hack. He's a product of the Sam Rohrer school of government. Mark Gillen is also a byproduct of this movement. Fortunately, neither of them appear smart enough to cause any serious damage, but as they become more entrenched (no one has run against Cox for most of his tenure) they could become more problematic. And yes, these mailers are propaganda and should be paid for by the candidate, not the taxpayer. A disgrace, but that's Harrisburg for you. Most expensive, under-performing legislature in the US.
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