Yep, a company that receives your tax dollars give cell phones to the poor via
a federal program to provide phone services to the "underserved". The money comes from a tax on phone services and is targeted to welfare recipients (so they can "look for jobs" and receive "emergency phone calls").
What's worse is that this program is not meant to replace land lines, so people on welfare could be receiving both free land line service and free cell phones. Feel like a sucker for paying for yours?
One company,
SafeLink Wireless, promotes cell phone use as a "right" in order to reinforce that entitlement mindset that drives ever-expanding welfare services. I sent them an email stating that it was my right to recommend that all the profits they derive from this program should be taxed 100%. Hey, I can demand someone subsidize my lifestyle, too!
Another $1 billion wasted. Phone services for the poor can be provided by existing job service programs (and were before this boondoggle was created). There is of course no oversight to prevent the cell phones from being used by drug dealers or that the free services are terminated once the recipients go off welfare. (Just like with the proposed health care scam in Congress!)
The only question is why do you continue to pay $100 a month or more for your phone services? Shouldn't yours be "free", too?
It's like the saying goes: "Work hard, millions on welfare depend on you!"
ETA: This program costs $1 billion annually. That's enough to purchase 100,000 family health insurance plans that run $10,000 annually. Someone should introduce liberals to the concept of priorities!