HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Editorial: Tom Corbett really wants to put his mark on state government, one simple way he can do it is by changing the name of the Department of Public Welfare. An alternative title for the department could end a lot of stereotyping of those who receive state services and stop it from being a political punching bag…
Under its umbrella, the department handles the medical assistance program, mental health programs, adoption services, child development and juvenile justice. It oversees state hospitals and day care inspections. Only about 7 percent of the programs run by the department would be considered “welfare” programs.
All said and done, the department is a patchwork of social-service programs. That is why an idea by Rep. Thomas Murt, R-Montgomery County, makes so much sense. He wants to change the name to better reflect the idea that the department provides human services, not welfare… (more)
EDITOR: Good point. As a child, I shuddered when the bus take me past an institution named “Home for the incurable.”
I would call it the Dept. of State Careerists Who Do Little Work And Get Good Pay and Benefits.