Watch welfare abuses

Several friends working at a local grocery store recently told me of observed abuses of the Welfare System food purchasing (Food Stamps equivalent, now called Electronic Bank Transfer) seen in their store, is evidently widespread.

Do not confuse the EBT welfare card system with WIC. (Women, Infants, Children program.) The WIC food program is well administered and has strict buying guidelines; it is an excellent program.

Keep an eye out yourself for these EBT welfare abuses:

Several times a month, some EBT recipients buy literally cases of soda pop at the checkout; we taxpayers pay the 5 cent deposit per can, $1.20 per case. Then the recipient brings the empty soda cans back ( sometimes almost overnight as if they merely emptied the cans) and receives the total deposit, several dollars in cash, which they then do not apply to their grocery purchase. They pocket that cash, and walk out of the store. (Why should soda pop be considered a food anyway?)

One area in Oregon uses glass bottles for milk with a $1 deposit per bottle. Guess what- the same thing occurs: the taxpayers pay the deposit for the EBT purchase, the bottles are emptied -sometimes right in the back of the store - and in comes the person returning the bottles for the $1 deposit per bottle! Cash again, and out they walk, several times a month.

In addition, other items are purchased which should not be allowed and are a ridiculous drain on the system: Bakery birthday cakes at $20 or more each, deli sandwiches at $5.50 each, or any manner of cold deli item. These are not sensible purchase food items; they are high-priced luxury items.

Multiply that by the true amount across the entire country, you get the idea of the huge magnitude of this problem. We taxpayers need to contact our congressmen about this abuse. It is our money; we are paying for these loopholes.

Gary Hartman, Lebanon

Nearly hit in the crosswalk

I am writing to remind people to slowdown near schools and crosswalks. My son crosses Waverly Drive daily on his way to South Albany High School, and frequently arrives home with stories of drivers who nearly hit him. (He is not the only student this happens to.)

My son looks for traffic and doesn't blindly start crossing the road. He'll get part way across, and someone will speed by without paying attention.

I witnessed such a situation this morning. I was driving my daughter to school while my son was waiting to cross Waverly. A truck stopped (thank you!) to let my son enter the crosswalk.

When my son reached the far lane, a small blue sedan came to a very abrupt halt right in front of my son, and didn't even wait for him to clear the crosswalk to speed off.

I am very afraid that a student is going to be hit. If a driver is in that much of a hurry in the morning or afternoon, they need to manage time better.

How would they like it if it was their child crossing the street? Please be careful when driving near schools and crosswalks.

Paula Snyder, Albany

President deserves capital B

"The tip of the iceberg" (Mailbag, Jan. 6) by Don Anderson shows that hatred does not mask ignorance, it magnifies it.

It is not the "bush" administration, Mr. Anderson, it is the President "Bush" Administration, just as it was the President "Clinton" Administration when he was in office regardless of what anyone thought of his policies and actions.

President Clinton was not impeached for his escapade in the Oval Office; he was impeached for lying under oath. I realize that for some liberals this is an acceptable act and for some it is an expected act. Robbers, murderers, dopers, etc., yes, but not a sitting president. President Nixon didn't lie under oath, yet he lied and the country punished him. Democrat versus Republican? Seems so.

I realize that Mr. Anderson has heard "lied" and "Bush" many times and therefore it becomes ingrained as truth in the minds of those who have learned to hate, but that does not make it a reality.

President Bush relied on intelligence from several governments, including intelligence from President Clinton's CIA. Whether this information was correct or not does not make it a "lie," it is simply garnered information that must be acted upon or ignored.

And yes, Mr. Anderson this country is safer today than it was before 9/11 regardless of what you read in the liberal press, and for that you should be thankful. You should also be thankful you are still able to call the President "bush." Try telling a terrorist that he is reading the "Koran."

Larry Crompton, Scio

City had better have records

This comment (that the city doesn't have records of revenue generated by traffic tickets - ed.) has to be a joke. ("Traffic officer boosts Albany ticket total," A1, Jan. 6).

The city keeps records, right? If this isn't being done, why not? The Democrat-Herald could do this community a service by going in search of detailed information.

Edith Harrison, Albany