Editing 78-15-A4 (section)

= Welfare =

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The Secretary of H.E.W. admitted with apparently no great discomfort
that last year seven billion dollars was lost in welfare fraud. A number of
big city mayors routinely ask Washington to take over welfare as do sane
governors and the administration--when it talks welfare at all--advocates
federalizing it.

Fran our experience in reforming welfare in California I am convinced
the welfare mess is a Washington mess. It can be straightened out if Washington
will close down its welfare shop and turn welfare over completely to the states
and local government. This of course must include turning the necessary tax
sources over to the states at the same time.

Right now welfare is administered at the local level but under thousands
of all-encompassing, ever-changing federal regulations. In spite of this
there is evidence that locals can eliminate a lot of the mess even with the
federal handicaps. Los Angeles County is a classic example-one which makes
you wonder what could be accomplished if Washington would get out of the way.
In comparing local management it is interesting that Washington, D.C.
has a 35 percent rate of fraud and errors. New York City won't even reveal
its fraud/error figures, but the overall New York State average is 12.1 percent.
The national average is 8.5; all of California is 3.6; and Los Angeles County
is only 2.67 percent.

These figures indicate the extent of California's accomplishment in the
welfare reforms which went into effect in 1971. Additional savings estimated
at $100 million could be made if Washington would make the welfare forms
readable for recipients. Simplifying the eligibility rules could lead to at
least $150 million in savings and it's anyone's guess what could be saved by
computerizing the welfare management system at the local level.

California's 1971 reforms reduced the caseload by 350,000 persons in
three-and-a-half years, reversing what had been a 40,000-a-month increase.
Key elements were: tougher enforcement of child support laws, enforcing work
requirements and cracking down on fraud and error. Now Los Angeles County is
an excellent case study of what computers and good management can do. Its
error/fraud rate was 12 percent. By 1976 it was down to 4.4 and now, as I
said, it's down to 2.67.

Keith Comrie, the Los Angeles County Department head has streamlined
operations to the point of reducing welfare employees from 13,000 to 11,000
in just the last two years. A computer cross check can reveal in three seconds
whether a recipient is getting welfare in any of the other 26 district offices.
The system automatically cross checks the state disability files, unemployment
offices and federal, state and local government employees. When that program
started it turned up 2,000 county and city employees on the welfare rolls.
I submit, Mr. Comrie makes the case for state and local management of
welfare without federal interference. 

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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=== Details ===
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>10/31/[[Radio1978|1978]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[[Radio_Commentary_Books#Reagan.27s_Path_to_Victory|RPtV-368]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
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===Added Notes===

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