Have we talked about the Brett Favre welfare scandal?

[Deleted]

This story breaks it down really well

This whole thing is so unbelievable and I know he's just one piece of it. But the levels of corruption and funds diverted away from those who need them is just gross. I also wonder in these huge programs how many are also misusing funds that just haven't been caught.

[msmerymac]

I've seen a lot about how this should be considered worse than Michael Vick's scandal, and then people complaining that this is just money, but Vick actually tortured and killed animals, which... welfare fraud isn't a victimless crime. And these were TANF funds, which go to the poorest of the poor IN THE POOREST STATE in the nation. So we are actually talking life and death for human beings here.

[Jalapeñomel]

He’s a terrible human being.

[pixy0stix]

WaPo had this article (gift link): wapo.st/3Rgc4uM

The people who are investigating are frustrated that Favre is getting the majority of the headlines when it is a system wide failure on all levels.

[Deleted]

Sept 27, 2022 12:16:49 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

WaPo had this article (gift link): wapo.st/3Rgc4uM

The people who are investigating are frustrated that Favre is getting the majority of the headlines when it is a system wide failure on all levels.

That totally makes sense because you are right - this was a top-down fraud. 

[minzy]

I have been irritated by that man since he said he wasn’t going to help Katrina victims because he was “just one person” and “couldn’t make a difference.” Meanwhile in the next clip the Manning brothers were out there unloading bottled water from trucks.

Screw that guy. (And the others.)

[wawa]

I am thankful* for the sheer RIDICULOUSNESS of the level of grift and bullshit exposed here, because it's such an easy line the next time somebody tries to tell me that we can't direct more money to various programs without excessive and onerous oversight and qualifications because "what if "they" abuse it."

"oh, I mean, that's a great point. we should for sure  have enough guidelines and oversight in place to make sure football players aren't buying themselves horse farms/pro wrestlers aren't paying for luxury rehab/brett farve isn't paying for a volleyball stadium with this money!"

FFS.

Also fucking EW to the entire TANF goal of promoting marriage. I don't think I ever realized that was explicitly one of the program goals. Fuck off with your heteronormative misogynistic bullshit. "Poor people would be better off if those dirty tramps just got and stayed married!!!" FUCK ALL THE WAY OFF SIRS. Obviously this has never been something I dug into very far because the idea that we should just give poor people money was always so obvious that I never dug into the details of why our current systems were fucked, I was perfectly happy to take it at face value that they're fucked. Knowing more about it, I'm even more disgusted by how we shoot ourselves in the foot in our haste to demonize and infantilize poor people.

*eta - hopefully it is clear that I don't mean I am ACTUALLY thankful for this.  right?  right.  good.

[MixedBerryJam]

I will admit a huge amount of ignorance here bc I’m not very well informed. And I’m not trying to sound like an apologist for Favre bc he sounds like a terrible human being. But did he know he was getting funds earmarked for poverty relief? I’ve been … not counting him as a victim at all, but if he “negotiated” funds for the volleyball court, is it his fault the governor signed off on that budget line item? I’ve never been in that position (lol) but if I called the gov and said “My daughter needs a volleyball court at her state school” and the gov replied “Consider or done” I’d assume he get the money from the … sportsy stuff budget, not the hungry babies budget. Was he actively involved or just a worthless beneficiary? (I typed witless but worthless had to stay, too.)

[pixy0stix]

Sept 27, 2022 16:02:54 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

I will admit a huge amount of ignorance here bc I’m not very well informed. And I’m not trying to sound like an apologist for Favre bc he sounds like a terrible human being. But did he know he was getting funds earmarked for poverty relief? I’ve been … not counting him as a victim at all, but if he “negotiated” funds for the volleyball court, is it his fault the governor signed off on that budget line item? I’ve never been in that position (lol) but if I called the gov and said “My daughter needs a volleyball court at her state school” and the gov replied “Consider or done” I’d assume he get the money from the … sportsy stuff budget, not the hungry babies budget. Was he actively involved or just a worthless beneficiary? (I typed witless but worthless had to stay, too.)

I think the bigger issue isn't the volleyball court (which frankly is a ludicrous thing to say yet here we are), it's that he absolutely knew he was getting kickbacks and "free" money and didn't worry where that money was coming from. He was paid over a million dollars for speaking engagements that he never showed up for.

[MixedBerryJam]

Sept 27, 2022 16:19:01 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Sept 27, 2022 16:02:54 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

I will …stay, too.)

I think the bigger i… a million dollars for speaking engagements that he never showed up for.

yeah. I’m reading that article now. That’s some effed up shit. And I’m only halfway through.

[nsl]

Sept 27, 2022 16:02:54 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

I will admit a huge amount of ignorance here bc I’m not very well informed. And I’m not trying to sound like an apologist for Favre bc he sounds like a terrible human being. But did he know he was getting funds earmarked for poverty relief? I’ve been … not counting him as a victim at all, but if he “negotiated” funds for the volleyball court, is it his fault the governor signed off on that budget line item? I’ve never been in that position (lol) but if I called the gov and said “My daughter needs a volleyball court at her state school” and the gov replied “Consider or done” I’d assume he get the money from the … sportsy stuff budget, not the hungry babies budget. Was he actively involved or just a worthless beneficiary? (I typed witless but worthless had to stay, too.)

The text message "if you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?" is pretty damning in my book. At a minimum, he knew that he would be in hot water if either the source of the funding or the amount of money he was getting were made public. 

[Deleted]

Sept 27, 2022 17:40:52 GMT -5 nsl said:

Sept 27, 2022 16:02:54 GMT -5 MixedBerryJam said:

I will admit a huge amount of ignorance here bc I’m not very well informed. And I’m not trying to sound like an apologist for Favre bc he sounds like a terrible human being. But did he know he was getting funds earmarked for poverty relief? I’ve been … not counting him as a victim at all, but if he “negotiated” funds for the volleyball court, is it his fault the governor signed off on that budget line item? I’ve never been in that position (lol) but if I called the gov and said “My daughter needs a volleyball court at her state school” and the gov replied “Consider or done” I’d assume he get the money from the … sportsy stuff budget, not the hungry babies budget. Was he actively involved or just a worthless beneficiary? (I typed witless but worthless had to stay, too.)

The text message "if you were to pay me is there any way the media can find out where it came from and how much?" is pretty damning in my book. At a minimum, he knew that he would be in hot water if either the source of the funding or the amount of money he was getting were made public. 

Yep - and even if he wasn't exactly sure where the money came from, he knew enough to know it wasn't anything that would be defensible. 

But this text thread doesn't exactly make it look like he didn't know:

Bryant responded via text message, according to the filing, telling Favre that “Nancy has some limited control over Federal Funds in the form of Grants for Children and adults in the Low Income Community” and “any improper use could result in violation of Federal Law.”

[AAM2012]

Absolutely disgusting!

He definitely knew he was doing something that he shouldn’t be doing.

He could have paid (from his own pocket) for several volleyball courts…what is wrong with people?!?

[sent]

I thought I read about this on here. So what happens now? Does anyone of importance care? If anyone manages to go to jail, is it a cushy prison much like the rehab facility described in the article? I unfortunately feel like the answer every time some scandal like this comes out is that nothing substantial will happen.

Also my theory is that reports like this are only going to add to the list of things leading to civil war in my lifetime. I’m sure my state isn’t absolved of misusing funds but I sure don’t want my federal taxes flowing to the states named in the article.

[maudefindlay]

I just went down a rabbit hole and Brett Favre should have been taken down long ago for other gross crimes. I agree others should be getting attention on this, but Favre needs to go down and be stripped of all NFL honors as that would maybe hurt him.

[basilosaurus]

Sept 28, 2022 7:21:48 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I just went down a rabbit hole and Brett Favre should have been taken down long ago for other gross crimes. I agree others should be getting attention on this, but Favre needs to go down and be stripped of all NFL honors as that would maybe hurt him.

Yep. He's long been on the shitlist.

[Deleted]

Sept 28, 2022 7:21:48 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I just went down a rabbit hole and Brett Favre should have been taken down long ago for other gross crimes. I agree others should be getting attention on this, but Favre needs to go down and be stripped of all NFL honors as that would maybe hurt him.

Links please! Or maybe not - my blood pressure is already through the roof today with family stuff. 

[Velar Fricative]

My sister in MS said the only people she knows talking about it are from out of state. Soooooo it seems like he can do no wrong in MS in the minds of people there.

[wildrice]

My blood is absolutely boiling over this. I am struggling to even form a response. What the fuck is wrong with people. Brett Favre in particular is ridiculously wealthy to begin with (IDK his net worth but if it's not a ton, it's because he spent it) and to think that he would accept money intended for people in poverty is just beyond disgusting. Though, it also sounds like those people who actually need it were never going to get it to begin with - what the actual fuck to only 208 families getting cash assistance.

We should have no poverty in this country. No homelessness. No people going hungry. The fact that the money to fix all of these things exists and those in charge actively choose not to use it for those purposes is absolutely shameful.

[ECB]

Sept 28, 2022 10:43:20 GMT -5 wildrice said:

We should have no poverty in this country. No homelessness. No people going hungry. The fact that the money to fix all of these things exists and those in charge actively choose not to use it for those purposes is absolutely shameful.

The level of selfishness that exists is just sad.  People who are ridiculously wealthy can still be either still ridiculously wealthy or really really wealthy while ALSO helping out all the people in this country who need help.

Jeff Bezos can still be a billionaire while also ensuring his employees work in a safe environment and make decent money for a job that doesn't hurt them.  

I don't fault rich people for living a really nice life.  But when they can still live a really nice life while also helping others - then I do fault them for being assholes when they won't help. 

[maudefindlay]

Sept 28, 2022 10:51:40 GMT -5 ECB said:

Sept 28, 2022 10:43:20 GMT -5 wildrice said:

We should have no poverty in this country. No homelessness. No people going hungry. The fact that the money to fix all of these things exists and those in charge actively choose not to use it for those purposes is absolutely shameful.

The level of selfishness that exists is just sad.  People who are ridiculously wealthy can still be either still ridiculously wealthy or really really wealthy while ALSO helping out all the people in this country who need help.

Jeff Bezos can still be a billionaire while also ensuring his employees work in a safe environment and make decent money for a job that doesn't hurt them.  

I don't fault rich people for living a really nice life.  But when they can still live a really nice life while also helping others - then I do fault them for being assholes when they won't help. 

How was MacKenzie Scott ever married to Jeff Bezos? She seems to be making good on her promise to give it all away. $12 billion so far.

[notsopicky]

But but but wildrice, ECB, BOOTSTRAAAAAAPS! /sarcasm

Brett Favre is scum and this situation is beyond gross. <--not sarcasm

[AAM2012]

Deleted

[AAM2012]

Deleted

And no way was I accusing anyone of being shady…. rikki

[rikki]

Sept 29, 2022 8:29:50 GMT -5 AAM2012 said:

Deleted

And no way was I accusing anyone of being shady…. rikki

I didn’t think you were.

[anodyne]

EDIT: I think it has been proven false

This quote is behind a paywall so I can't c/p