Governor of MA vetoes welfare reform bill

Oh you're jus' gonna love this: Massachusetts' electronic welfare benefits program has reportedly been riddled with fraud, so the state legislature--which has historically been extremely generous in giving taxpayer bucks to the poor--finally got serious about reform.

Seems taxpayers were discovering that welfare recipients were using the electronic benefits cards to buy guns and jewelry, get tattoos, manicures and so on. Finally, in a sea change no one believed would happen in this century, a majority of legislators passed a bill saying EBT cards could no longer be used for those things.

Sounds like a reform long overdue, right? So did it stop the fraud and waste?

We'll never know, cuz the governor of the state--Obozo buddy Deval Patrick--vetoed the bill, insisting that welfare reforms "were already on track without the Legislature’s meddling."

Cute, huh.

See, Massachusetts has passed the "tipping point"--the point at which half of voters pay no income taxes but instead receive taxpayer-funded "freebies." Understandably, these recipients will continue to vote for pols who promise to continue their gravy train at or above the current level of benefits. If a pol can capture 90 percent of this group, re-election is virtually assured.

Patrick is simply playing to long-time Democrat constituents.