Michael Bloomberg Defended Fingerprinting Food-Stamp Recipients in 2018 Interview

[liskddksil]

Since formally launching his presidential campaign last year, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has moved steadily up the polls. Bloomberg, a former Republican, is running as a champion of gun-control and climate-change legislation, and may now pose a viable threat to the other moderates in the race. But with that increased viability comes commensurate scrutiny of his record as mayor and as a billionaire philanthropist. A 2018 talk the mayor delivered at the International Monetary Fund may only contribute to that scrutiny.

In the video, which appears on the IMF’s YouTube channel and shows Bloomberg in conversation with Christine Lagarde, then-head of the IMF, the former mayor criticizes minimum-wage laws and defends the practice of fingerprinting food-stamp recipients, which he enforced during his time in office.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/in-an-imf-talk-bloomberg-criticized-notion-of-minimum-wage.html

[Mike 03]

1. Shit. They fingerprint food stamp recipients?

Is this a widespread practice, or just something Bloomberg did?

That's pretty degrading. I've never heard of this.

[liskddksil]

2. Per the article

"As mayor, Bloomberg kept in place a policy of fingerprinting food-stamp applicants, ostensibly to cut down on fraud. By 2012, New York City was one of only two places to fingerprint food-stamp applicants. Governor Andrew Cuomo eventually ended the practice." Like Stop and Frisk it sounds like it was started in a prior administration.

[Mike 03]

3. God. They have enough to worry about without being treated like criminals. nt

[Squinch]

4. When I started a job for NYC, I was fingerprinted. Since that is something that happens to

everyone who works for the city, I guess I forgot to be outraged.

How is it treating them like criminals, again?

[Mike 03]

6. This isn't a hill worth dying on

It just surprised me. With respect to your comment, I don't view food stamp recipients as employees--they are being fingerprinted because the are not being trusted. The only time I've been fingerprinted was to receive a security clearance, and that didn't offend me because I was being entrusted with a responsibility, so I don't know how it works with city employees.

I didn't say it was disqualifying, I just said it was demeaning.

[Squinch]

13. I was being fingerprinted because I was not being trusted too. They needed to be sure I was

who I said I was, and I wasn't perpetrating any fraud.

There is a lot of fraud in benefits programs. A lot. So the food stamp recipients were being fingerprinted for the same reason.

When you were fingerprinted it was for the same reason: to make sure you were who you said you were and could be trusted with the security clearance and you weren't perpetrating any fraud.

[Blue_true]

21. It wasn't because they were not trusted. Fingerprints are used to confirm identity.

If someone stole a person's EBT card, the victim could get quick access to food via a procedure where his or her identity can be verified, and the thief would have the old card turned off on him or her.

[SWBTATTReg]

8. You make a very good point...there are quite a few businesses that fingerprint their employees...

I imagine security services, perhaps those businesses that need to do a background check too on new workers, e.g., baby sitters, bank employees, check cashing businesses, day care centers, casinos, and the list goes on. As a member in a volunteer group, we also fingerprinted kids and took their pictures, for their safety, to give to their parents (when a wave of concern washed over the neighborhood at that time, and there were concerns about children being kidnapped or lost, our volunteer group do this for parents...).

I think that being fingerprinted is not the doom and gloom it used to be, but kind of accepted as a job requirement these days (in some jobs, no all jobs). I know that I got fingerprinted one time, but that was as a kid visiting the local police department on a tour with my class. As a kid, I thought it was a neat experience. Now, I think it's some kind of insurance to protect me in the dire event that something bad happened to me (knock on wood). I am somewhat reassured.

[wisteria]

11. Why is it necessary?

The government has names and social security information already. Why do they need to fingerprint Food Stamp recipients?

[Squinch]

14. I can't speak to the food stamp program, but I work in the medical field and you wouldn't believe

the amount of medicaid fraud that goes on. Not by the patients but by providers, or providers working with sham patients fully equipped with names and social security numbers. That means people are stealing money that should by rights be going to the medicaid recipients. Because there is money in food stamps, I am sure there are ways to monetize that too, and that means someone can steal the money meant to go to food stamp recipients.

Everyone in city agencies needs to be fingerprinted to prove who they are. I don't get how this is any different from that.

[yaesu]

5. yep, he isn't my dream candidate but either are about half of the candidates but I'm willing to

listen to what they have to say though I could never use my primary vote on them.

[Mr.Bill]

7. I had to be fingerprinted to work for the Census.

I also had to be fingerprinted to get a Vehicle Sales License in the state of California.

In both circumstances, I did not feel like I was being treated like a criminal. Actually, It was to verify that I was not a criminal.

[wisteria]

9. This makes my blood boil.

[BlueIdaho]

10. If fraud is rampant (I say if...)

Then what is the better solution? Waste fraud and abuse also mean the support isn’t getting to the people who need it.

I’m not big on fingerprinting - just looking for solutions.

[Squinch]

17. The most important point!

[BusyBeingBest]

12. It seems that the biggest rap against Bloomberg is that he continued

and defended policies that are rightly viewed as objectionable by today's standards. But I have to recall that Obama was against gay marriage until well into his first term. Klobuchar and other senate Dems sounded like Republicans on immigration in the mid-2000's. Lots of Democrats espoused "law and order" policies and lines of thought that now look kinda racist or overly punitive. I don't think Bloomberg is irredeemably racist (yet). He was mostly a conventional progressive Republican (when those used to exist) in thought and deed.

[Squinch]

15. Your name is hilarious.

[BusyBeingBest]

16. Thanks!

[thesquanderer]

18. It doesn't help that he continued to defend S&F after it was deemed unconstitutional (n/t)

[BusyBeingBest]

19. For sure. I think he can't stand admitting he was wrong.

[KayF]

20. bankers commit way more fraud than food stamp recipients

maybe when Bernie's president Bloomberg will have to get fingerprinted.