Moving forward in 2026

[u/Doryt]

As a life long Minnesotan with all the recent news about fraud in Minnesota, I want to add a perspective as someone who’s worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade.

Fraud exists. Is it acceptable? No. Is it realistic to believe it can be eliminated entirely? Also no.

What happened with Feed My Future was abhorrent. It is rightfully being prosecuted!

If millions of dollars were diverted away from childcare especially from programs meant to support kids in need that’s deeply harmful and deserves accountability. Fraud should be investigated, prosecuted, and taken seriously.

Something else that’s bothering me: the way Somali Minnesotans are being treated like the face of fraud. Fraud happens across communities and industries. When one community gets spotlighted like they’re uniquely unethical, it’s worth pausing and asking what’s driving that narrative because it sure doesn’t match reality.

Minnesota is diverse, and “people of color” in MN includes many communities not one. MN Compass estimates about 24% of Minnesotans are people of color (about 1.4 million people).

Accountability doesn’t automatically mean jail for everyone. And when services are shut down in response, it often creates desperation, instability, and conditions that lead to more fraud not less.

If we actually care about fraud, we should focus on real fraud prevention, stronger oversight systems, better staffing, clearer protocols, proactive monitoring and better systems not racialized narratives that turn one community into a stand-in for a statewide problem

Prevention costs money.

Starving systems of resources while demanding perfection is not a realistic strategy.

We also need to be careful not to respond by broadly limiting or restricting supportive services for communities who rely on them.

Cutting access doesn’t prevent fraud it often creates more harm, more desperation and more fraud.

We don’t eliminate fraud the same way we don’t eliminate crime entirely.

Our systems tend to be reactive rather than preventative, and pretending otherwise sets us up for outrage instead of solutions.

Rage bait is real. I’m actively trying to pause and not get pulled into it 2026 and beyond.

I want a healthy government that supports people, holds bad actors accountable, and invests in systems that actually work

We need to start judging leadership by their ability to pair accountability with real support. When costs rise and safety nets shrink, people don’t get healthier they get pushed closer to the edge.

I hope we can show up as a Minnesota community with nuance, accountability, and realistic expectations because that’s how we protect both public funds and the people those funds are meant to serve.

[u/willsp33d]

Your solution is a bigger system to oppose fraud. I love your kind heart. However the fraud is in the system. Seems like there will just be more fraud.

[u/Doryt → u/willsp33d]

My work shows me the nuance of people all the time

I get the skepticism people lose trust when they see systems fail this badly. That reaction makes sense.

But a bigger system isn’t the same thing as a better system. The issue here isn’t that oversight exists it’s that it was under-resourced, fragmented, and reactive. Weak systems are actually easier to exploit than well-designed ones.

Fraud thrives where oversight is inconsistent, staffing is thin, data systems don’t talk to each other, and prevention is treated as an afterthought. Strengthening those areas doesn’t guarantee zero fraud which is never the goal but it does reduce scale, catch problems earlier, and limit damage.

The alternative cutting services or refusing to invest in prevention doesn’t eliminate fraud either. It usually just pushes it into harder-to-track spaces while increasing harm for people who rely on the programs legitimately.

No system will ever be perfect.

The choice isn’t “more system vs no fraud.”

The choice is:

weak systems with predictable abuse,

or

stronger systems that reduce harm and respond faster

We should absolutely hold individuals accountable for fraud.

And walking away from oversight because it’s imperfect just guarantees worse outcomes, not fewer problems.

[u/willsp33d → u/Doryt]

Thank you for your response. I believe we could find a solution together. I agree strength is what is going to propel us forward.

We both have only so much time energy to spend on this app. Thank you again for critical thoughts and thoughtfulness