It looks like hell has no fury like Bronx Councilwoman and NYC Welfare Chair Annabel Palma when she believes NYC residents are left to go hungry or their civil liberties are compromised. For more on the battle over finger imaging for NYC food stamp recipients, please see her press release below about Mayor Bloomberg’s and his position on this topic.
Gregory
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Statement by Council Member Annabel Palma
In Response to Mayor's Unjustifiable Defense of Finger Imaging
“The Mayor's refusal to empathize with those working families who feel stigmatized by finger imaging shows just how out of touch he is with disadvantaged New Yorkers, who are struggling to survive in this difficult economic climate. Instead of spending his time defending barriers to assistance, the Mayor should instead focus on the approximately 24,000 people who are deterred from getting help and the $46 million in federally funded food stamp money that the City loses yearly because of finger imaging.
The Mayor claims we save $5 million a year in fraud costs with finger imaging, even though no one has been charged with any wrong doing. To put it simply, finger imaging discourages program participation among eligible families and individuals. As a City, we cannot afford to keep unnecessary barriers in place that prevent people from accessing the critical benefits that they need to survive."
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