The right seemed pretty worked up yesterday after Drudge pushed a video of a woman claiming she's voting for President Obama because he gave her a phone (thanks to James Carter for the tip). It wasn't long before Rush Limbaugh and others like him were excitedly asking over-the-top questions: is Obama getting votes through bribes?
And though I don't doubt that your Fox News-watching uncle will be emailing all-caps messages about this any minute now, the truth is far from scandalous.
The Federal Communications Commission has a program called Lifeline that provides low-cost or free phone service. The agency's website says this is because it and Congress "recognize that telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services and surrounding communities." Who qualifies varies by state, but "in general," to qualify you must have an income that is no more than 135 percent of the federal poverty line, or be enrolled in assistance programs like Medicaid, public housing assistance, discounted school lunch, or yes, food stamps. [...]
Strictly speaking, it's not a government-funded program: the telephone companies make payments to a fund administered by a non-profit called the Universal Service Administrative Company, but anyone with a phone bill chips in through a surcharge on their service.
Though the origins of the universal service program date back at least to 1934, the Lifeline program in particular was instituted by a well-known redistributionist by the name of President Ronald Reagan in 1984. A related effort, expanding affordable access to cell phones for low-income Americans, was created by another radical liberal by the name of George W. Bush.
As for the larger context, Dave Weigel's point bears repeating: "Shockingly, despite the bipartisan origins of the service, the idea of an 'Obama Phone' for the undeserving has existed for a long time. You know what else has existed for a long time? The Drudge Report hyping up tabloid news that makes black people look like violent dopes who'll do anything for more goodies from Obama."
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Clearly, a non issue that nobody gives a crap about as far as the election goes. Having said that, I m all for people having access to cell phones if they re indigent, poor, old or disabled. WTF is wrong with Republicans anyway.? All they wanyt to do is crap on the poor and call everyone who wants to help them "communist".
Whatever happened to compassion and taking care of our brothers and sisters in need?
The Repugnicants seem to be for a race to the bottom for the middle and poor, while their family and friends sip champagne.
I cant wait till November 7th to call Sean Hannity's show and tell him to suck it
The phones are a good idea. A locally-based charity helps homeless folks find housing and jobs (and training if needed). Two of the first things they do is get the homeless person/family an address and a phone. Try applying for a job without an address or a phone number! These phones have very limited minutes and none of the bells and whistles normally associated with cell phones. These phones are to provide the basics of communication, to help them get jobs and for emergency services.
It's funny... if the "Obama Phone" was seen as a benefit to the current administration, he and Rachel would take full credit. As it becomes a millstone, it's Reagan's fault. Never mind that a stroke of a White House pen could end the program if it's indeed a spawn of the Evil Ronnie.
Job creation works the other way. Jobs that were lost at the outset of BHO's term are blamed on Bush, but jobs "created" anytime after 1/19/08 are giddily attributed to the incoming administration.
OK I'll bite.
What policies of Bush can be directly attributed for the current job growth seen under the Obama Administration?
What policies of Obama can be directly attributed for the job loss seen under the Bush Administration?
You apparently did not read the whole post, or are reading it strictly through a "liberals suck" filter only, as neither Steve nor most of the people commenting here feel this is a "millstone" program by any means. I didn't know this program existed until today, and I think it's awesome. These are people who need the means for inexpensive communication and they are finding it. If Reagan was responsible for it, I personally am happy to give him credit for it.
If the facts about the phone program involving Reagan and Bush are correct, then they could not be the uncaring sort that republicans are reputed to be. And this misguided woman is voting for the wrong party. Perhaps someone should tell her that.
Republicans are considered uncaring because Republicans are bitching that such policies are put into place despite the fact that they were put into place by other Republicans. This is a snake eating it's own tail problem. You're telling her to vote Republican, but you're not including here that she needs to be choosing between the tail Republicans or the mouth Republicans.
Out of curiosity who is running that is the tail Republican (Bush and Reagan) and who is running that is the mouth Republican (like Ryan and Romney)?
Wait, I think I just answered my own question.
Well, we know more people are either homeless or staying with others, friends, relatives. So when the land line is not available, when a call to come in for an interview, not having a phone would make it unlikely to get a job.
I get really sick of hearing that all the people have all the exact same opportunities. Some movies have already shown this truth. http://www.solarmovie.eu/watch-the-pursuit-of-happyness-2006.html Chris Gardener (Will Smith) with his son were homeless, sleeping and washing in public restrooms. Trying to get a job and get back to normalcy.
People love to generalize and these subsidies are helping the poorest people have contact. Imagine Granny living alone with no phone. Yes-Life-line for poorest people is something that keeps the phone companies from abandoning certain neighborhoods that are not "cost effective" to serve. Cell phones might also be subsidized in order to have signals in more places for everyone. Without Lifeline service and regulation the phone companies would stop serving the more difficult areas, leaving certain areas without services.
But the last sentence is the thing to read, nod the head and say oh that's very true.
Reagan was democrat before he was a republican.
So what maybe possible,... that because democrats are communist.
Duoh, So Reagan was communist because he was democrat.
I get a charge out of my died in the wool Conservative Republican military retirees friends They constantly besiege me with the Drudge/Rush "Small Government" rants. I constantly point out to them their relationship with a small government -- while they were on active duty their entire medical care (for them and their dependents) was totally paid by the government. They received a housing allowance. If enlisted they also received a clothing allowance. If separated from their family they received a family separation allowance. And if deployed in a combat area, they were exempt from income tax. They have complete cognitive dissonance between their political opinion and the reality of the military life they led.
My wife works in a school. When a child on "assistance" needs their parents, the school calls the number provided by parent for emergencies. Around 50% of the time, the number no longer works.
Several of the affected parents have told my wife "We sold the phone, reported it lost, and they gave us a new one with a different number." They didn't bother to share the new number with the school.
The program is broken.
What is racist about showing an ugly reality of the extent of the entitlement mentality. Just sweep it under the rug, while you keep on giving and giving to the poor and minorities, keeping them reliant on the government for every portion of their misguided existence. It is an absolute disgrace!
I have an Illinois-sponsored Safelink phone and have to say, when I need 911 I can call immediately. Keeps me in touch with family, and the local clinic -- all that good stuff. By the way, homeless people don't have landlines, and no one had a cell phone during Reagan's presidency. The only place I know of in Chicago that still has pay phones is the County Hospital.
Safelink is offered to one person per household, one year at a time and you have to prove income or lack thereof. They're recycled, simple phones. 250 minutes per month.