This is in response to Rachel Lowe’s guest column, March 4 about welfare fraud.

I am concerned about neighbor being pitted against neighbor. A friend of mine told me that Gov. Paul LePage was offering cash rewards to people if they turn in someone else defrauding the system.

I agree that there is fraud within the welfare system, but those few hurt the real people who need the programs in order to survive. We are the ones who suffer when there is mismanagement of welfare or when others abuse the system.

I am also concerned about LePage’s budget demands — to do it his way on health care (MaineCare) or he will cut funding for education.

The cuts single out the adults on MaineCare without children in an attempt to deal with the Department of Health and Human Services budget. Seems like a discrimination deal to me. Those cuts will affect the elderly and those who are poor.

I don’t get it. Some time ago, the DHHS had someone within the organization embezzle money, and foreigners come here to Maine and are eligible for benefits when some people here cannot get help.

Why do the ones who play by the rules and really need those programs have to suffer by past bad management and things beyond our control?

I agree with Lowe. People need to work together to strengthen the support for people in need.

Brandy Thomas, Topsham