The problem with giving free handouts to Katrina victims

Some victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita used federal assistance money to pay for "adult erotica," a pistol, strip club fees, and at least one $450 tattoo, according to a new government audit.

www.thesmokinggun.com...


This shows how irresponsible some people actually are. The take advantage of the system and waste tax payer money. Then they complain when they don't get anymore money.

I tend to believe that this is a reflection on our entire Welfare system. I think a majority of people on these welfare rolls are just taking advantage of us every day working joe and the kindness of hard working individuals.

This is just more prrof that the welfare system needs to be reformed.

There are ten items on that list.. do you know if thats just a sample of an entire audit? These people may be in the minority.. are you proposing that if a disaster like that happens again they should be left in the lurch because of a few bad apples?


[edit on 14-2-2006 by riley]

Tis sad, isn't it. However, if you take it away, then those who used it the right way would no longer have it.

Every person I have ever known to be on welfare were lazy and had no will to work for themselves, but there are a few that use it for what it is meant to and find work as soon as they can.

If you took it away, it would help MOST people to learn to work for themselves instead of waiting for handouts, but it would also make crime and homelessness rise through the roof.

I'd rather my hard earned taxes keep those who abuse it and don't want to work for themselves in their little projects and still be able to leave my kids bikes in the yard without fear of them being stolen and pawned.

Sure, many spend their freebies on things that aren't nessessary, but it is their choice. Don't make the few that actually NEED it suffer. You hear how Joe Person spent $100 on an exotic lap dance, but not how John Human bought $100 worth of beans and rice for himself and his family;

"Tonights top story, John Human has spend all of his FEMA dollars on food and diapers. It has been reported that also bought fire wood, lumber and blakets. Full details after these messages......what happened to our ratings?"

On welfare - I'd bet that if you shut down all television stations from 8am to 5pm, welfare recipients would drop 50%.

ferret, I understand what you are saying and I agree with you that the welfare system needs to be reformed so that there is more accountability.

I also feel the same way about foreign aid, no-bid contracts, agricultural subsidies and government spending in general.

Does the FEMA waste in regards to the purchase of trailers left to sink into the mud in Alabama without being sent to the homeless concern you?

If you truely care about waste, check out the Halliburton and Wackenhut contracts.

humm no hope, no futcher, no home left to go back to .
think im starting to see a trend here. i dont drink I dont gambel and I have a wife to satisfi the rest. and I have a home Im paying on and even I see No hope no futcher for my self or more immportantly my children .
If I know then what I know now I would have Never gotton marred or had kids.
sure theres still a few lucky ones who battel to a better life .(if you call the war zones our citys are,and a school system thats more a rehersal to prision a better life.)
everone talks about the 2000 soilders killed in the war . But more then that manny people are murderd in just wa#ion alone .over 35,000 people killed per year in the stats (apx).
Our world is comming apart at the seams and you wonder why people are lousing it.
read the bible and you will seee much the same treand towards the end of most countrys .the people getting more and more hopless turned to any thing that could take there minds off of it .
why do you think alians are poplar today?or immanged or even real consiperices ? Or pc games or pcs or anything else thats makes us not think about this for a minit or hour.
Most people go about there pointless little lives never worring about whats behond the edge of there side walk it takes something like sky scrapers falling to get there attation. and just mabby there the lucky ones .
The dinosors heard a loud rouring looked up saw fire in the sky and went back to eating grass right untill bang .they never had a clue nore could have . most people are like this . People heard a big bang looked up and saw fire in the building then went back to eating grass never even relizing the begining of the end .Nore could they.

Originally posted by riley
There are ten items on that list.. do you know if thats just a sample of an entire audit? These people may be in the minority.. are you proposing that if a disaster like that happens again they should be left in the lurch because of a few bad apples?


[edit on 14-2-2006 by riley]

Please show me the consitutional amendment that allows the federal government to take MY money at gunpoint and give it away...........

FEMA is unconsitutional................

The appropriate thing to do should be to build or bring in shelters that can either go on people's property if their houses were destroyed or on public property somewhere if they did not own property before Katrina. Once those are built, they can stay in them until they are able to either rebuild their house or find an alternate place to live. Then, they are paid enough money to survive while they are being helped to find a job as quickly as possible. After that they're on their own. For the ones living in shelters on public property, you give them six months to a year to find a place of their own to live as they work in their new job.

They need to be gotten to the place where they can stand on their own two feet, but after that it's their responsibility to not fall down. This is the same tactic that needs to be applied to those who are on welfare and are able to work, IMO, and even more forcefully than in this case.

Originally posted by thermopolis
Please show me the consitutional amendment that allows the federal government to take MY money at gunpoint

At gunpoint??

and give it away...........

FEMA is unconsitutional................

So you are in favour of letting thousands of people starve or freeze to death? What would be the alternative? What would you want to have happen if your area suffered a similar disaster?

[edit- had posters confused]

[edit on 14-2-2006 by riley]

If someone is in need of help, is it our place to judge whether they would use that help properly? Or is it our place to give those who ask, and then the results fall on them?

FEMA does have 11,000 fabricated houses located next to an airport, which FEMA is paying $25,000/mth, which are just sitting there. This is wrong and I don't know why these are not being sent to the people who need them.....I know the government moves slow but this is unreasonable.
Does anyone know why these houses have not been delivered?

Originally posted by godservant
Tis sad, isn't it. However, if you take it away, then those who used it the right way would no longer have it.

Correct. My experience with the Ontario wealthfare system is that they bend over backwards to help those people.

Every person I have ever known to be on welfare were lazy and had no will to work for themselves, but there are a few that use it for what it is meant to and find work as soon as they can.

Well in Ontario the system is setup to get people off of wealthfare as soon as possible if they don't have any dependants. The only exception is if they are going to School. Also they force those under the system to either look for a job(they will even do most of the legwork) or Volunteer 20 hours a week(basically workfare)

If you took it away, it would help MOST people to learn to work for themselves instead of waiting for handouts,

Why do we have to consider extremes? There is a middle ground like making it extremely hard to get on the roles and forcing them to do something other then sitting on their asses. I've known quite a few people on wealthfare and they weren't lazy by any means. It takes quite alot of energy to raise kids you know People will just say then, "Why don't they work"? Well if you want to raise a generation of Latchkey childred who by and large are dilinquents and criminals when they reach Teenage well. I always believed that there has to be at least one parent at home at all times even when they are at school. They get away with alot less crap that way In my experience.

but it would also make crime and homelessness rise through the roof.

Yup. Even the tough Welthfare reforms of the 90s in ontario made Homelessness and Crime skyrocket so there is no perfect answer.

I'd rather my hard earned taxes keep those who abuse it and don't want to work for themselves in their little projects and still be able to leave my kids bikes in the yard without fear of them being stolen and pawned.

Don't you mean pwned? You live in any large city and that will always be a problem.

Sure, many spend their freebies on things that aren't nessessary, but it is their choice. Don't make the few that actually NEED it suffer. You hear how Joe Person spent $100 on an exotic lap dance, but not how John Human bought $100 worth of beans and rice for himself and his family;

Well in Ontario the rate is 530 $ per person per month. Not much left over after rent and food for lapdances or crack or even Cloths.

On welfare - I'd bet that if you shut down all television stations from 8am to 5pm, welfare recipients would drop 50%.

Well most people on welly that I know can't even afford Basic Cable. Don't know how it is in the states but most of them save up for Pirated Cable or Internet so they can get their stuff that way.

Without such assistance programs I would have starved as a child and would not be the strong, educated working citizen I am today.
Those against assistance programs have not seen hardship in their lives and really have no place to comment, imho (well I guess comments because it is their tax dollars). Of course there are those who abuse such programs and shame on them...

Really off topic here, but what bugs me more are when middle/upper class shop at places which are storing items for the needy. Although I haven't stopped donating, I did share some words with a couple who pulled up in a bmw and stocked their vehicle with several items. I used his tech advanced cell phone as a conversation opener because I had the same model...found out both were employed and lived in a VERY nice house and "shop here for fun”. Throughout the conversation he thought I was shopping as well and continued to talk about the "DEALS" and "STEALS" ...it took every bit of my being to not stomp a hole through him. I scared him a bit though 

I guess I do have a bit of an on topic conclusion - don't knock the needy in such assistant programs. The scum is at both the bottom and the top with a lot of crème in between