Now that the state spent a half million dollars to get a group from Rhode Island to tell state officials how to manage the state’s welfare programs, what did they learn?

Educators tell the public that it is more challenging for poor kids to learn; maybe welfare benefits should be increased. Do we want our poor kids to learn? Probably not, they might grow up to question how politicians run the government.

The Alexander Group’s study will go in a bottom drawer somewhere, with all the other studies. My guess is that state officials, and the public, don’t want to know.

Jim Tierney, Auburn