However, when most individuals hear the term Bridge Card they think “food stamps.” Among college students, this is certainly the case. As it turns out, Bridge Cards also act as a way for individuals to use cash that is not tied to food benefits.

As the legislative analysis on the bill points out, “Since the assistance program is designed to teach individuals self-sufficiency and responsible money management, no restrictions are placed on the use of the cash.”

That is, the money can be used for anything. Naturally, it is given with the idea that it will be spent on necessities. So, when it comes out that Bridge Card users withdrew $87,300 between July 2009 and July 2010 from Detroit’s MotorCity Casino Hotel ATMs, all kinds of red flags go up.

The questions raised by Hardiman are valid, but perhaps taking a harder look at the idea that welfare is about “responsible money management” deserves a look. This isn’t about individuals taking money designated for food and gambling with it. Michigan Department of Human Services’ website answers the question, “Can I make cash withdrawals from my food benefit account or get cash back from a food benefit purchase,” with a simple “no.”

Dictating when and where welfare recipients can use their benefits is a measure of control that seems a lot like governmental paternalism. If the point is to learn responsibility, then it seems restricting what can be done misses the point. The state doesn’t give out money on a whim.

EBT clients must fill out an extensive and tedious form full of invasive questions for the joy of whipping out that loud, bright orange-colored card to get their benefits. In that sense, they have met the burden of receiving the benefits. What happens next is a matter of personal responsibility.

There are plenty of complex issues that personal responsibility brings up, but perhaps the most basic in this case is whether lower-income individuals deserve a chance to live life like higher-income individuals.

For example, if someone receives welfare, do they deserve the opportunity to gamble $20 or have a beer with dinner? If it fits into his or her budget, that is, if he or she practices financial responsibility, do they get to reap the rewards?

If the goal of the program is to promote responsibility, legislation should be aimed at improving the programs that teach people how to go about changing their lives. However, if the goal is to dictate to Bridge Card holders how they should live their lives, we might want to rethink the role the state plays in that process.