NationStates Jolt Archive

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060614/D8I7RQ7O1.html

Hey, I want a Hawaiian vacation! 70 days!

Who else wants a vacation?

Houston divorce lawyer Mark Lipkin says he can't recall anyone paying for his services with a FEMA debit card, but congressional investigators say one of his clients did just that.

The $1,000 payment was just one example cited in an audit that concluded that up to $1.4 billion - perhaps as much as 16 percent of the billions of dollars in assistance expended after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - was spent for bogus reasons.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also was hoodwinked to pay for season football tickets, a tropical vacation and a sex change operation, the audit found. Prison inmates, a supposed victim who used a New Orleans cemetery for a home address and a person who spent 70 days at a Hawaiian hotel all were able to get taxpayer help, according to evidence that gives a new black eye to the nation's disaster relief agency.

Lol, FEMA got phished.

Heckuva job.

Heckuva job.
It's what happens when a government decides to hand out money.

The words I fear, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you."

It's what happens when a government decides to hand out money.

The words I fear, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you."

As opposed to "I'm from the government, and I'm here to kill you."

As opposed to "I'm from the government, and I'm here to kill you."

Too often it's the same statement.

What about, "I'm from the government, and I'm here to play bocce ball"?

Too often it's the same statement.
By time they get to "I'm from" I've already deployed my brain ray deflector disguised as a tinfoil hat and fled to the escape pod(my bike).

It's what happens when a government decides to hand out money.

They could better regulate the "handing out". I mean, Id rather know the person Im handing a check to than just giving it to them.

They could better regulate the "handing out". I mean, Id rather know the person Im handing a check to than just giving it to them.
Oh, that takes time.

As I recall, FEMA was roundly criticized for not handing out money fast enough.

I'm shocked- Lowlife scumbag opportunists taking advantage of a tragedy?

Now we can pay for a myriad of investigations and the culprits will never be able to re-imburse what they stole.

Unless,of course, they can be on chain gangs, doing road work, etc...

What wrong.
If your life is wrecked and you should get economical help
some will see it as an compensation instead of "help".
Then they are right to party
but it would be a stupid way of seeing it.

Why doesn't they check if they are victims?

And why doesn't they deal directly with rent and food money
instead of huge summs?

No I would compensation
if I lost everything.

Wouldn't society suffer if a large group suddenly become poor?
You could have worked to have the rewards for an entire life of tax paying work and then just loose it all.

What about the poor just staying poor after the disaster?

What wrong.
If your life is wrecked and you should get economical help
some will see it as an compensation instead of "help".
Then they are right to party
but it would be a stupid way of seeing it.

Why doesn't they check if they are victims?

And why doesn't they deal directly with rent and food money
instead of huge summs?

No I would compensation
if I lost everything.

Wouldn't society suffer if a large group suddenly become poor?
You could have worked to have the rewards for an entire life of tax paying work and then just loose it all.

What about the poor just staying poor after the disaster?

Aside from your English usage, which seems odd, I would like you to explain how a 70 day vacation in Hawaii is "compensation" for a natural disaster.

perhaps as much as 16 percent of the billions of dollars in assistance

What about the 84% that spent the money genuinely? Why aren't they entitled to it?

Or, Kimchi, do you just not care about them and would rather the money in your own pocket, hmm? I think thats it.

Oh, that takes time.

As I recall, FEMA was roundly criticized for not handing out money fast enough.
There's the dilemma. Check for fraud, as FEMA started to do, and you get blasted for not 'caring' enough. Hand out money hand-over-fist and you get blasted for not checking enough.

Most fields of engineering have a triad that is so true, Good, Fast, Cheap -- pick two. Seems like that philosophy runs true in disaster managment, too. Maybe replace the word Cheap with Efficient.

What about the 84% that spent the money genuinely? Why aren't they entitled to it?

Or, Kimchi, do you just not care about them and would rather the money in your own pocket, hmm? I think thats it.

Where did I say that the other 84% was not ok?

Or are you just pulling things out of the air to say?

Where did I say that the other 84% was not ok?

Or are you just pulling things out of the air to say?

It's a constant theme in your posts. #4, for example, would suggest that you'd rather not have the government hand out money.

Personally, I think you should be celebrating that statistically, only 16% of people are utter douchebags.

It's a constant theme in your posts. #4, for example, would suggest that you'd rather not have the government hand out money.

Personally, I think you should be celebrating that statistically, only 16% of people are utter douchebags.
I won't donate to charities that can only get 84% of the donations to the needy. Why should we hold the government to a lower standard?

It's a constant theme in your posts. #4, for example, would suggest that you'd rather not have the government hand out money.

Personally, I think you should be celebrating that statistically, only 16% of people are utter douchebags.

My constant theme on government is that it is generally stupid, inefficient, and prone to doing the opposite of what it intends.

Handing out money is one thing - being stupid about it is another.

I won't donate to charities that can only get 84% of the donations to the needy. Why should we hold the government to a lower standard?

But they got the money to the needy. A comparatively small minority spent the money wrongly. Can you suggest a better way that your government could have implemented it within the time constraint? I'd like to hear it.

But they got the money to the needy. A comparatively small minority spent the money wrongly. Can you suggest a better way that your government could have implemented it within the time constraint? I'd like to hear it.
If the US had a national identity card that was a smart card that held your medical records, identity information, and address history, and was matched by biological identity methods to individuals, then it would be easy to see who was actually from New Orleans and who was not.

And then it's a simple matter of programming the card not to allow certain categories of purchases, or to be operational outside of certain geographical areas.

If the US had a national identity card that was a smart card that held your medical records, identity information, and address history, and was matched by biological identity methods to individuals, then it would be easy to see who was actually from New Orleans and who was not.

And then it's a simple matter of programming the card not to allow certain categories of purchases, or to be operational outside of certain geographical areas.

Of course, that would be a breach of privacy, and there's where we get the evil Orwellian government coming into it.Nice try, though.

Although the latter point could perhaps have been tried on the debit cards. Perhaps requiring a certain PIN to activate known only by supervisors in eligible stores - ie. food, clothing, etc. It wouldn't be foolproof, but perhaps better.

Although the latter point could perhaps have been tried on the debit cards. Perhaps requiring a certain PIN to activate known only by supervisors in eligible stores - ie. food, clothing, etc. It wouldn't be foolproof, but perhaps better.
In Virginia and Maryland, that's how food assistance to the poor is done.

Cards that only work when buying certain items - the computers at most grocery stores already work with these cards, and prevent the purchase of things like beer or wine, or candy.

In Virginia and Maryland, that's how food assistance to the poor is done.

Cards that only work when buying certain items - the computers at most grocery stores already work with these cards, and prevent the purchase of things like beer or wine, or candy.

Yep. We have the same thing at my workplace. They won't work with alcohol or cigarettes...maybe a couple of other things, but i'm not sure.

Yep. We have the same thing at my workplace. They won't work with alcohol or cigarettes...maybe a couple of other things, but i'm not sure.
It boggles the imagination to know that it took years for that to be implemented.

If, for example, the idea of government is to hand out aid to the needy, then it should be concerned when a few billion dollars goes into the sewer directly without helping anyone.

But it doesn't seem too concerned.

It boggles the imagination to know that it took years for that to be implemented.

If, for example, the idea of government is to hand out aid to the needy, then it should be concerned when a few billion dollars goes into the sewer directly without helping anyone.

But it doesn't seem too concerned.

'mm. Not as dismal as it could have been though. A lot of people that needed the money got the help.

Maybe you should write in and suggest the limited card idea to the FEMA people though. They could print up a batch of them for immediate dispensal after national disasters - no wait time, and reliable.

But they got the money to the needy. A comparatively small minority spent the money wrongly. Can you suggest a better way that your government could have implemented it within the time constraint? I'd like to hear it.
That's the problem. There is no way within the existing conditions. FEMA can't do anything that won't bring them criticism.

I'd be content to house everyone in barracks until the validity of their claims could be investigated, but that's probably not acceptable to the liberals, either.