SNAP fraud
Studying the March 2 Herald editorial “SNAP fraud wants fixing, not blame recreation” I used to be, as I’m typically, reminded of one thing taught to me a few years in the past. All politics will be summed up in 5 phrases. Taking credit score or assessing blame.
That is the right instance. SNAP fraud has been occurring for a few years. It was exacerbated throughout COVID. And has continued unabated since. However let’s blame Trump for making an attempt to create a distraction. It was Biden-era coverage modifications that made fraud simpler. It was additionally a Biden-era letter urging “Healey to enhance and convey to ‘acceptable’ ranges the Division of Transitional Help’s cost error fee, case and procedural error fee, and its utility processing timeliness, including that each one three didn’t meet ‘fundamental federal necessities.’ ”
This isn’t a distraction thought up by the sitting president. It’s an issue that wants fixing. The issue didn’t begin beneath your watch governor, but it surely continues and has accelerated beneath your watch. To borrow a phrase simply “do your job.” Assessing blame accomplishes nothing. Acknowledge the issue, personal the answer, and take credit score when the job is achieved.
George F. Czyzewski
Palmer
Hanging Iran
1,406 People killed or horribly injured.
That’s the conservative tally of U.S. service members who’ve bled by the hands of Iran and its proxies. Studying the Massachusetts delegation’s reactions to latest U.S. strikes (“Mass. pols react to US army motion in Iran,” March 1), you’d assume America simply initiated an unprovoked battle.
Having served and consulted in protection and nationwide safety for 39 years, I discover this political theater exhausting. I perceive the stress between Article I congressional conflict powers and Article II presidential authority, however this politicization is absurd. The courts acknowledge a actuality our delegation ignores: the president has a constitutional obligation to forestall imminent threats from manifesting.
Rep. Seth Moulton’s try to equate these strikes with the 2003 Iraq Warfare is intellectually dishonest posturing designed to fire up a handwringing base. Earlier than condemning these actions, our representatives should revisit Iran’s documented aggression:
1983 (Beirut): Hezbollah bombed the Marine Barracks. 241 People killed.
1996 (Khobar Towers): Iran-directed terrorists bombed a U.S. advanced. 19 People killed.
2003–2011 (Iraq): Iran’s IRGC equipped Shia militias with armor-piercing explosives. Over 600 U.S. troops killed.
2024 (Jordan): Iran-backed drone assault on Tower 22. 3 People killed.
This doesn’t even rely the tens of 1000’s of Iranians murdered in home crackdowns.
Nationwide safety is simply too essential for performative bloviating. Dismantling the phobia infrastructure that has killed tons of of People isn’t constitutional overreach; it’s a long-overdue act of proportional response and knowledgeable self-defense.
Gary Durst
North Billerica
