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A series of state welfare reform bills — most notably one filed and being pushed by state Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr — seem so basic and logical that it's hard to fathom why they aren't already in place.
Then again, the fact that these crackdown measures are still on the table shows the low priority too many state lawmakers have too often given these issues in the past. So we can only wonder what or how long it will take to get Tarr's and other common-sense proposals into the books.
Tarr's proposal would essentially block the use of Electronic Benefit Transfer cards by welfare recipients to purchase tobacco, alcohol and Massachusetts Lottery products. And he has titled it for precisely what it is: "An Act Preventing the Misuse of Public Funds."
Look, there has long been a need for an EBT program — essentially, today's debit-card version of the traditional food stamps — to serve those who meet qualification guidelines. And, given today's economy and social services landscapes, those numbers, unfortunately, are growing every day.
But it's also important to keep in mind that these are taxpayer dollars. And while most taxpayers may not be adverse to helping people in need buy food and other essentials, they simply should not be asked to pick up the tabs for recipients' smoking and drinking habits — or gambling, even if it is on the state's own games of chance.
Indeed, if the Legislature of the state's Department of Public Health wants to seek out a new initiative toward getting people to stop smoking — or further discourage opportunities for drinking and driving — this would not be a bad place to start.
The bottom line for this and other reform bills is raising the level of accountability to state and local taxpayers.
In times when the state's — and many taxpayers' — own bottom lines are as tight as ever, such accountability simply must be part of the welfare equation.
