I recall a saying from my youth that went, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
This comes to mind reading reports of the mind-boggling welfare fraud megascandal that has been exposed in Minnesota.
For perspective on the scope of the scandal, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson estimates fraud losses in Minnesota since 2018 could top $9 billion.
We're talking about fraud in Medicaid, nutrition programs, government-funded housing programs, government programs to assist autistic children, etc.
Beyond tracking down and indicting criminals, there are critically important lessons to be learned here for our country, and we must learn them.
What do we learn about the connection between fraud and big government? What do we learn about fraud, big government and the Democratic Party? What lessons do we learn regarding our immigration policy?
Fraud and big government go hand in hand.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in July notes over $300 billion of fraudulent payments in 19 pandemic-relief programs.
Last May, CBS' 60 Minutes reported on vast fraud in federal spending programs. Per estimates of a woman who spent "a decade" at GAO, "I believe the government is losing between $550 billion and about $750 billion a year" in fraud.
What's the connection to the Democratic Party? Simple. Democrats are the party of big government. Every proposal coming out of the Democratic Party involves more government. More government programs, which means more fraud.
And, of course, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, at the helm of his state while all this was happening, was the Democratic nominee in 2024 to be our vice president. He was introduced by Kamala Harris as her running mate, saying he's "the kind of vice president that America needs."
The Cato Institute issues a biannual Fiscal Policy Report Card on America's Governors, grading all 50 governors on tax and spending policies. In the last report in 2024, number 50 out of 50 governors was Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, scoring 19 points out of a possible 100.
What is the lesson regarding immigration?
The Somali community in Minnesota disproportionately participated in this widespread fraud.
Interviewing Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, CBS' Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan noted that COVID-19 fraud exceeding a billion dollars, "of 87 charged all but eight are of Somali descent."
Omar herself is Somali and a member of the far-left "squad" in Congress.
Noting the disproportionate Somali presence in the scandal, President Donald Trump wrote on social media, "Send them back to where they came from. It's OVER."
Those calling Trump a racist miss the point.
Consider the Corruption Perception Index published annually by Transparency International, an organization working to eliminate corruption around the globe.
Out of 180 countries measured in the Transparency International Index, Somalia is the second most corrupt country in the world.
Worth noting is the strong inverse relation of corruption with economic freedom. The most economically free countries — smaller government, less intrusive regulation, strong consistent rule of law — are also the least corrupt.
In the annual Fraser Institute Economic Freedom of the World Report, out of 165 countries measured and ranked in economic freedom, Somalia ranks 101.
The point is that the Somalis so prominent in the massive fraud in Minnesota come from a country with values and reality that are the total antithesis of what our country is about. It is a country with little economic freedom and widespread corruption. If Somalis chose to come here to be free and responsible citizens, good for them and good for us. But it appears many have brought the destructive values of their home country with them. They should be screened.
Rep. Omar has been a perverse megaphone for anti-American sentiment since she arrived in Congress.
So, cut fraud by cutting back the scope of government, and shut our borders to those who do not aspire to our values of personal responsibility and freedom.
Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, "What Is the CURE for America?" is available now.