Posted on 09/07/2005 9:06:21 AM PDT by cgk
...developing.
Searched, no story yet.
And what about the victims of Katrina in FL and AL? Do they count?
Must be harder to blow $10.5 billion than one would think?
$2,000...how many cases of Jax Beer is that ?
Whooo Hoo! This will turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to some of these people. How close do you have to be to claim you were affected? Is 700 miles too far? I want in on this scam.
Question: Is this in addition to the welfare and unemployment checks.
In all seriousness, I realize they are in immediate need, but who's going to be watching for corruption?
The money is supposed to be used only for essentials, like food stamps, and we all know how well that works. /sarc
If the card use can be monitored to buy only certain types of items by people who are truly storm victims, great. But if someone can sell their $2,000 card for $1,000 cash and then spend the money on anything they want -- booze, drugs, nights out on the town in a limo, etc. -- there will be an instant underground market for these cards and fraud will be rampant.
Imagine buying one of these cards at underground prices and getting $2000 worth of groceries for $1000. Imagine also someone selling their card, then claiming it was lost or stolen. They get the cash from their co-fraudster, a replacement card, and when the co-fraudster attempts to use the card, they get caught and prosecuted.
You are on the money with that one. It goes against the grain of our way of thinking but it is actually much more efficient to give aid directly to the people and cut out all the middlemen and bureaucracy.
I read an article some time ago where it was fairly well documented that if the federal government completely eliminated all the welfare offices and just issued checks to all those who qualified, it would be much cheaper.
Not that I go for that type of thing (regarding welfare) but it might be a good idea to do in the case of emergency aid like this.
"They are going to start issuing debit cards, $2,000 per adult, today at the Astrodome,"
At the Astrodome? I bet those who stayed behind at the Superdome are going to be truckin' it over to Houston today.
Finally! A PLASMA TV!!
I'm going to assume that the debit card will be shown on the news or in newspapers, so merchants know what it looks like, and that it can ONLY be used to purchase the essentials they're saying it can be used for: food/gas/transportation/shelter?.
One thing we don't have thank God: a stupid President.
How many times are people allowed to get back in line?
I wonder what the tax status of receiving these cards will be --- will people have to account for these on their taxes, or will they be treated as tax-free?
THANKS, LEAD MODERATOR! :)
Big government conservatism marches on...
See Maria. I told ya!
Imagine 10000 poor people packed into the astrodome who all suddenly get 2K cash in thier pockets. The crime problems in the superdome may pale in comparison. I hope they've thought this whole thing through.
patent
Theres going to be a shortage of booze and cigarettes.
Hmmm...
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