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Nov 02, 2009 11:19 PM GMT
Hard to believe (well at least for me), but our government is now giving people free cell phones (and free minutes).  https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx Of course to qualify, you need to already be receiving one of these benefits as well: Federal Public Housing Assistance / Section 8 Food Stamps Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) National School Lunch (free program only) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Medicaid Bureau of Indian Affairs Programs (Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start Subsidy, NSLP) |
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Nov 02, 2009 11:25 PM GMT
I wonder if a free ass-wipe is coming next. I am liberal, but I have to admit some of these "social programs" are going a bit far.
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Nov 02, 2009 11:44 PM GMT
It is part of a program that was launched in 1984. Let me see, who was president then  It is designed to give emergency phone service to people who do not have any. In my state, New York, you get a whopping 68 minutes a month! This program really isn't any different than the initial one except cell phones are used. So, what is the big deal? Letting a few people have access to 911 isn't exactly caviar and champaign. |
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Nov 02, 2009 11:52 PM GMT
Free cell phones? Yeah!
What did I get from the previous administration?
Let's see, record unemployment, a banking industry out of control, two wars without end, a piss poor response and prevention system to terrorism, a lousy stock market, and a world that hated us.
I'll take the cell phone, please....
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Nov 03, 2009 12:06 AM GMT
MunchingZombie saidIt is designed to give emergency phone service to people who do not have any. In my state, New York, you get a whopping 68 minutes a month! This program really isn't any different than the initial one except cell phones are used.
So, what is the big deal? Letting a few people have access to 911 isn't exactly caviar and champaign. But with a cell phone? I'm all for a regular phone that just connects to emergency services. Do you really believe those 68 minutes per month will be used just for calls to 911? |
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Nov 03, 2009 12:10 AM GMT
WOW!!!
I've also heard that this FREE cell phone plan was threatening to send our beloved country into immediate bankruptcy.
And I also read somewhere on the internets that the tax burden on hardworking Americans will be something like TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH.....PER YEAR.
WOW AGAIN!!! That's like more than we're spending to insure democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or for that matter, more than it cost to clothe Sarah Palin through an election season.
And we're spending these TRILLION$$$ just so some old lady can beg for an ambulance on 911.
It ain't right, is it SouthBeach150?
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Nov 03, 2009 12:11 AM GMT
Emergencies don't just strike in your home...
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Nov 03, 2009 12:17 AM GMT
southbeach,
Is this service going to be abused? Possibly. Maybe we can say very likely that it will. But why is your attention solely focused on the negative aspect of this initiative? Why can't you see that it will actually help out families and individuals who need it? Why can't you imagine emergency cases where a cell phone would come in handy for them?
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Nov 03, 2009 12:17 AM GMT
MorningFrank saidWOW!!!
I've also heard that this FREE cell phone plan was threatening to send our beloved country into immediate bankruptcy.
Really? I didn't hear that. MorningFrank saidWOW AGAIN!!! That's like more than we're spending to insure democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Or for that matter, more than it cost to clothe Sarah Palin through an election season.
Really? I didn't hear that. MorningFrank saidAnd I also read somewhere on the internets that the tax burden on hardworking Americans will be something like TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH.....PER YEAR. Really? Can you cite the source? MorningFrank saidAnd we're spending these TRILLION$$$ just so some old lady can beg for an ambulance on 911. Are we? |
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Nov 03, 2009 12:19 AM GMT
creature saidsouthbeach,
Is this service going to be abused? Possibly. Maybe we can say very likely that it will. But why is your attention solely focused on the negative aspect of this initiative? Why can't you see that it will actually help out families and individuals who need it? Why can't you imagine emergency cases where a cell phone would come in handy for them? OK, fine. Then restrict the phones to only outgoing calls to 911. |
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Nov 03, 2009 12:20 AM GMT
southbeach1500 saidBut with a cell phone? I'm all for a regular phone that just connects to emergency services.
Do you really believe those 68 minutes per month will be used just for calls to 911? I but you could easily spend 68 minutes on the phone per month arranging day care refilling a prescription Talking to my kid's teacher |
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Nov 03, 2009 12:22 AM GMT
MunchingZombie saidsouthbeach1500 saidBut with a cell phone? I'm all for a regular phone that just connects to emergency services.
Do you really believe those 68 minutes per month will be used just for calls to 911?
I but you could easily spend 68 minutes on the phone per month
arranging day care
refilling a prescription
Talking to my kid's teacher The intent (original) of the program was to provide emergency phone service to people who couldn't afford a phone. Not to make the things you cited above more convenient. |
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Nov 03, 2009 12:37 AM GMT
southbeach1500 saidThe intent (original) of the program was to provide emergency phone service to people who couldn't afford a phone.
Not to make the things you cited above more convenient. So your issue here is that it makes it too convenient for the poorest families in America to contact teachers, pharmacies, and government services? Your issue is that 68 minutes and one phone per family is too much and that people could possible abuse this system for up to 68 minutes? Really? |
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Nov 03, 2009 12:39 AM GMT
SouthBeach,
Thanks for the correction.
Yeah, as it turns out 'The 68-minute a month cell plan' will actually COST MUCH LESS than we spent in overcharges from Halliburton......and other fraud by good old Republicans recently in power.
As it turns out, the cell plan may save us some money because emergency situations can be dealt with more quickly....before they become very costly or even deadly.
A mother can call for help for her child BEFORE he needs the expensive ICU. Think of The Savings!
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Nov 03, 2009 12:45 AM GMT
MunchingZombie saidsouthbeach1500 saidThe intent (original) of the program was to provide emergency phone service to people who couldn't afford a phone.
Not to make the things you cited above more convenient.
So your issue here is that it makes it too convenient for the poorest families in America to contact teachers, pharmacies, and government services? Your issue is that 68 minutes and one phone per family is too much and that people could possible abuse this system for up to 68 minutes? Really? Correct. As I previously stated. Just a thought... but do you think any of these households have a television? |
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Nov 03, 2009 1:05 AM GMT
I think you should actually research the types of families that will qualify for this service before you go on your ignorant tirade about welfare queens who do nothing but watch TV and talk to their unmarried boyfriends on free government cell phones. I have had too many conversations with you where you don't know the issues, refuse to read information, and engage rhetoric rather than facts.
good day.
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Nov 03, 2009 1:11 AM GMT
MunchingZombie saidI think you should actually research the types of families that will qualify for this service before you go on your ignorant tirade about welfare queens who do nothing but watch TV and talk to their unmarried boyfriends on free government cell phones. I have had too many conversations with you where you don't know the issues, refuse to read information, and engage rhetoric rather than facts.
good day. Oh and good day to you too! :-) You have a very active imagination. I'm not saying (or even hinting) that the people getting these free cell phones with 68 minutes per month are "welfare queens who do nothing but watch TV and talk to their unmarried boyfriends" - that is purely a concoction of your own mind. |
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Nov 03, 2009 1:19 AM GMT
Some people are calling him Santa Claus because he will give you anything you want.
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Nov 03, 2009 1:31 AM GMT
Higher taxes are coming because there is no free lunch and we are going to pay for those phones. I only own a Trac Phone myself and only use it when absolutely necessary because I can't afford a regular cell phone. Just like we all have to live within our budgets, so does the government. You can not keep spending more money than you take in. And since most companies have put a freeeze on salaries and wages, the government can not raise taxes because that hurt and lower our spendable income and send us all backwards some more. Many people can't go back too much further before they fall off the edge.
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Nov 03, 2009 1:34 AM GMT
southbeach,
Do you mean to tell me, with all the years of life experience behind you, that you cannot imagine a single emergency situation that did not involve the need for calling 911? Now imagine those situations, if you can, and compound them with a life of destitution, and see how much more difficult their lives are.
This free phone + 64 minutes is only attempting to assuage their lives by providing some relative ease. And you should realize the benefits this can also place for the workforce and the economy.
Imagine a manager needing a poor, but highly skilled employee of his to work overtime. She would love to, as she could use the extra money. Unfortunately, there is no way for her to get in contact with her husband to pick up their kid from the babysitter, so she can't work overtime.
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Nov 03, 2009 1:34 AM GMT
G_Force saidHigher taxes are coming because there is no free lunch and we are going to pay for those phones. I only own a Trac Phone myself and only use it when absolutely necessary because I can't afford a regular cell phone. Just like we all have to live within our budgets, so does the government. You can not keep spending more money than you take in. And since most companies have put a freeeze on salaries and wages, the government can not raise taxes because that hurt and lower our spendable income and send us all backwards some more. Many people can't go back too much further before they fall off the edge. Uh oh. You are way too smart to be posting on here. Get ready for the attacks, especially if you keep posting common sense posts like the one above. One slight correction to what you wrote above. Apparently, the federal government can keep increasing spending. They'll just keep deficit spending for as long as China wants to buy our debt. |
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Nov 03, 2009 1:37 AM GMT
creature saidsouthbeach,
Do you mean to tell me, with all the years of life experience behind you, that you cannot imagine a single emergency situation that did not involve the need for calling 911? The original intent of the program was to provide to people who could not afford telephone service the ability to have a telephone that they could use to call for medical, police or fire department assistance. What the program has apparently become is a program of improving creature (no put intended) comforts of the recipients. |
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Nov 03, 2009 1:45 AM GMT
G_Force saidHigher taxes are coming because there is no free lunch and we are going to pay for those phones. I only own a Trac Phone myself and only use it when absolutely necessary because I can't afford a regular cell phone. Just like we all have to live within our budgets, so does the government. You can not keep spending more money than you take in. And since most companies have put a freeeze on salaries and wages, the government can not raise taxes because that hurt and lower our spendable income and send us all backwards some more. Many people can't go back too much further before they fall off the edge. I also use a Trac Phone so I can live within my means/budget. |
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Nov 03, 2009 2:33 AM GMT
Southbeach -- your straining yourself entirely too much in efforts to find something wrong to blame on OBAMA. I well remember an 8 years span recently ended by OBAMA, where we didn't have to strain at all to find a multitude of things going wrong in our country and world. So I guess things are looking up under OBAMA, since whats wrong is now a strain to find.
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Nov 03, 2009 2:34 AM GMT
realifedad said Southbeach -- your straining yourself entirely too much in efforts to find something wrong to blame on OBAMA. I well remember an 8 years span recently ended by OBAMA, where we didn't have to strain at all to find a multitude of things going wrong in our country and world. So I guess things are looking up under OBAMA, since whats wrong is now a strain to find. No strain... I just happened to come across this tidbit today and thought it would be an interesting discussion topic. |
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Nov 03, 2009 2:46 AM GMT
southbeach1500 saidrealifedad said Southbeach -- your straining yourself entirely too much in efforts to find something wrong to blame on OBAMA. I well remember an 8 years span recently ended by OBAMA, where we didn't have to strain at all to find a multitude of things going wrong in our country and world. So I guess things are looking up under OBAMA, since whats wrong is now a strain to find.
No strain... I just happened to come across this tidbit today and thought it would be an interesting discussion topic. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>your straining to make it a bad thing !! |
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Nov 03, 2009 3:32 AM GMT
"It's the latest offering from Lifeline, an FCC program that has tried since 1984 to help make phones affordable by discounting installation fees or subsidizing monthly charges. The cost was still too high for many people. SafeLink is the first totally free project. And yes, says Fuentes, his company hopes recipients use the cells to find employment and become regular customers after the free year is up. They'll be able to keep the handsets and buy TracFone's small-denomination calling cards." ..and without this... "The result is that low-income people often sacrifice other essentials: "It makes for difficult choices. Pay the phone bill and go hungry." http://www.abilities.ca/human_rights/2009/01/10/star_cellphone/ southbeach, we think you're not understanding how absolutely destitute many of the poor are in your country. As for the TV argument, heck you can buy one at a thrift store that works for as little as 15 dollars - one time charge. |
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Nov 03, 2009 4:39 AM GMT
meninlove saidsouthbeach, we think you're not understanding how absolutely destitute many of the poor are in your country. Oh, he understands all right. He just doesn't give a shit. |
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Nov 03, 2009 2:17 PM GMT
realifedad saidyour straining to make it a bad thing !! I'm looking at the big picture (in addition to the subject at hand). Little by little the federal government is becoming more and more involved in the affairs of the citizens by way of regulations, taxes, outright ownership of corporations and welfare hand outs. This free cell phone giveaway is just the latest ill conceived example of the latter. Do people really NEED a cell phone for the ability to summon police, fire or medical authorities from their home? Seems that people can manage just fine with a landline phone that only gives the ability to call 911. Would it be NICE to give people a free cell phone and free minutes so that they can call the day care center, or the doctor or whatever. Sure it would. It would also be NICE to give people a trip to the Bahamas. |
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Nov 03, 2009 2:19 PM GMT
jprichva saidOh, he understands all right.
He just doesn't give a shit. And this from the coward jprichva who is afraid to see my posts (really brave guy, using the Ignore Southbeach 1500's Post feature). |
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Nov 03, 2009 2:28 PM GMT
southbeach1500 saidjprichva saidOh, he understands all right.
He just doesn't give a shit.
And this from the coward jprichva who is afraid to see my posts (really brave guy, using the Ignore Southbeach 1500's Post feature). Oh I had forgotten you could block people. What a good idea. |
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Nov 03, 2009 3:11 PM GMT
I can't cut and paste the snopes information on this program. However, if you go to : http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/cellphone.aspand read for a bit, there is plenty of fact and explanation of the telephone assistance program. Only one company actually provides cell phones (the remainder of the program is for very moderate land line subsidies to low income households) and the "free' cell phone program is one year duration, after which the user has to subscribe and pay for it. The rationale is clear and defined in the Federal Communication Commission's web page about Universal Service Support Mechanisms -- and yes, the program predates Mr Obama's election by quite some time. |
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Nov 03, 2009 3:21 PM GMT
Southbeach when you said this, "Little by little the federal government is becoming more and more involved in the affairs of the citizens by way of regulations, taxes, outright ownership of corporations and welfare hand outs."
we immediately thought of the Gettysberg address and something Abe Lincoln said, "....and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
The poor make up a vast number of 'people'.
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Nov 03, 2009 5:25 PM GMT
meninlove said
Southbeach when you said this, "Little by little the federal government is becoming more and more involved in the affairs of the citizens by way of regulations, taxes, outright ownership of corporations and welfare hand outs."
we immediately thought of the Gettysberg address and something Abe Lincoln said, "....and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
The poor make up a vast number of 'people'. And? Almost all of you on here fail to grasp the entire reason why we broke away from British rule. It was to set up a country with very limited government. Having the government mandating health care for all, taking ownership positions in corporations (just to cite two examples) is completely contrary to the spirit in which this nation was founded. "Of the people, by the people and for the people" is drawing a comparison to monarch style governments and dictatorships. It doesn't mean that all the citizens need to get together and pool their wealth so that all the people will have a nice, comfortable life. |
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Nov 03, 2009 5:29 PM GMT
makavelli saidEmergencies don't just strike in your home... Not sure if you really meant the statement or were emphasizing a point.... certainly emergencies occur all the time at home. |
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Nov 03, 2009 7:24 PM GMT
Lostboy saidsouthbeach1500 saidjprichva saidOh, he understands all right.
He just doesn't give a shit.
And this from the coward jprichva who is afraid to see my posts (really brave guy, using the Ignore Southbeach 1500's Post feature).
Oh I had forgotten you could block people. What a good idea.  |
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Nov 04, 2009 6:02 PM GMT
southbeach1500 saidcreature saidsouthbeach,
Is this service going to be abused? Possibly. Maybe we can say very likely that it will. But why is your attention solely focused on the negative aspect of this initiative? Why can't you see that it will actually help out families and individuals who need it? Why can't you imagine emergency cases where a cell phone would come in handy for them?
OK, fine. Then restrict the phones to only outgoing calls to 911. There is a local private carity organization here in Atlanta, but I think it's everywhere, where you can donate your old phones to be used in theis manner, and 911 calls are always free. So no need to spend tax-earners money on a program, if everyone would donate the old phones thatare in their dressers. But then there wouldn't be an increase in dependance on gubment, so never mind, it wont fly. |
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Nov 04, 2009 8:07 PM GMT
social welfare in ireland gives a phone allowance of around 20 euro a month to old age pensioners and a few others i think, but its important that america doesnt turn into a welfare state like ireland where 85% of government spending goes on public sector pay and social welfarre.
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Nov 10, 2009 5:38 PM GMT
I prefer the US government give cell phones to low income citizens rather than spending the money on war, corruption and cell phones for "moderate" warlords in Iraq and Afganhistan.
Having a cell phone is practicaly a must nowdays. A broken down car, being lost and other emergencies happen to low income people too, I don't think there are enough minutes in the monthly plan to allow the users to chat and text at will.
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Nov 10, 2009 6:40 PM GMT
KissingPro saidHaving a cell phone is practicaly a must nowdays. A broken down car, being lost and other emergencies happen to low income people too, I don't think there are enough minutes in the monthly plan to allow the users to chat and text at will. Huh? How did people survive in the 20th century without cell phones? Somehow they did. It's like the argument, "I need an SUV, I have a family of 4 and we need all that extra space." Really.... families managed to get by without SUV's in the past... what's so different now? |
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Nov 15, 2009 2:58 PM GMT
[quote][cite]southbeach1500 said
It's like the argument, "I need an SUV, I have a family of 4 and we need all that extra space." Really.... families managed to get by without SUV's in the past... what's so different now?[/quote]
The difference? Its the 21st century. If you didn't have a computer, email or a TV (with cable) etc, you would still "get by", but you would be at a disadvantage in your personal and professional life.
Hey...you can can wash your clothes by hand instead using a machine.....ride a horse or take a bus or walk instead of driving, and exercise at home lifting Clorox bottles instead of going to a gym........the list is endless. How far back into the 20th century do you want to go?
All these conveniences free up time and effort to focus on more productive things.....like getting or keeping a job, communicating with your loved ones and associates quickly etc. I think the cell phone program has a broader economic benefit, rather than being just a liberal bleeding heart givewaway program.
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