I didn't know that?
I first heard them referred to as Obama Phones so that kinda stuck with me.
I know they are not because my daughter worked as a representative but the term stuck.
I was not intending to offend anyone.

I see that you're having problem putting 2 and 2 together,I cannot carry you along in this discussion Viper.

It takes an extraordinary amount of arrogance to tell people they are wrong while misinterpreting what was actually said

what exactly did I say Viper?

I believe in helping family, if need be and I can. Who would not help family if there is a ligitimate need!! Also have contributed to other needs.

These comments are mostly about those working the system.

If my children are in 'dire straights' I'll bring them some food or give them some money to help immediately but I will also help them adjust their lifestyle to the reduced income level.
My parent while the children were children was to teach and provide.
As adults my function is to impart wisdom to help them deal with life.

If the have $100, I don't teach them to live on $100.
I teach them to live on $80.
I teach them to recognise and embrace frugal spending.

Give a man a fish and all that jazz.

Most people do not even realize they are over-extended until it bites them.
Most people try to live beyond their means.
Its why credit companies are so lucrative.

Its the job of parents to teach their children to manage their lives themselves.
If I need to bail out my children, they know they are going to get a talk about their spending habits.
I am going to expect accountability.
Its my job and I love them.
I don't want to see them fail at life.

If I am going to hold my own children, whom I love, accountable for their spending I am certainly expecting the government to hold a stranger accountable for spending my tax money.

We scrutinize government spending all the time.
We EXPECT them to account for every dollar.
We balk at the $1500 toilet seat or the $5000 hammer.
But, We ignore the spending of welfare funds.
Just showing a dollar amount for a program is not enough.
Welfare recipents are spending our tax money with absolutely no accountability.
I keep my receipts, why can welfare recipients be required to submit their receipts?
Why can't the caseworker verify the validity of the receipts submitted?

Public Funds are Public Records

Maybe, that's what makes them family. I don't need a "legitimate need" to do something for my brother. If he calls me up, and asks me if I can wire him $100. I just do it. I don't question him about what he's going to use the money for, or why his paycheck wasn't large enough, or if he really needs it.

He's my little brother, he asked me for money, and that's enough for me.

My brother has money!!

I ask what others needs are ! Because, I don't. Have money to give away just for anything.

Good for you.

Not really, it's not "good for me". I'm not unique in my family, my brothers would do the same thing for me, my father would do the same thing for all of us. My first cousin is a very famous, world-class, jazz saxophonist. The first thing he did, when he made it big, was to buy his mother and his sister two five bedroom homes. Paid for free and clear, in cash.

He recently lent my middle brother $32,000 for an investment.

Family is supposed to take care of family, because at the end of the day, that's all you've got. If all you're counting on, is a stranger to put you in the ground when you're done with this planet, that's a pretty sad existence.

After some of the things that I've read, on various forum message boards, I have found myself wondering, if certain people will have anyone mourning at their funeral.

If one has money to help. Many people are. Not that fortunate.

SOURCE:http://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/policy-basics-where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go


SOURCE: http://federalsafetynet.com/welfare-budget.html
Note that the source is not a GOV website.

The four dimensions of promoting transparency & information are as follows:

(1) Disclosure of information: the act of disclosing information and the level of government transparency regarding public budgets, expenditures, programs, and so forth
(2) Demystification of information: raising awareness and understanding of citizens by simplifying information—for example, about laws, rights, budgets, and policies
(3) Dissemination of information: publicizing information related to, for example, governance issues, processes, finances, and laws
(4) Discussion of information and feedback: engaging in discussion of information and providing feedback to government
SOURCE: http://saeguide.worldbank.org/transparency-information-information-disclosure-dissemination-and-demystification

Government Benefits, Grants, and Loans
http://www.usa.gov/benefits-grants-loans

What gets me (I may not know where to look) is that I as a citizen, do not have access to the actual budget that accounts for Where the money is being spent and for What purpose.

This nation is supposed to be We The People.
Tax money is our money.
As citizens, we should have access to inspect where our money goes and for what purpose.
It doesn't matter if it is $100 or a trillion dollars, our money should be accountable and we have the right to know where it went.

Yes, I know. And we appreciate our blessings. But there are those that rail against the concept of helping family. They think they have some god given right to determine what constitutes "help". They think that you should let them go hungry while teaching them to fish, as if starvation is some kind of perverse motivator.

They're wrong.

Starvation IS A MOTIVATOR.
Many people don't have a silver spoon.

But, what good is a TV set if you have no electricity?
The fraud is buying a TV set and depending on government assistance to provide the electricity.

There are very few starving people in this country.
Obesity is rampant.

There are many families that help family member avoid or end their welfare needs.
There are also many families that actively enable getting on assistance.

I would have to agree with you on this Tom..and that is WE should know where OUR money goes..the only question that sits in the back of my mind then..is whether to BELIEVE them when they tell us..

Yeah, that's because we tend to elect shady people to represent us.
So in reality, we do it to ourselves.

the problem is when you have shady people to pick from you have to pick the least shadiest person.

Look at the field during your last election, the Democrats had a wicked witch of the west in Hillary Clinton, a closeted communist in Comrade Sanders, a dimwit in OMallay and the republicans had Trump, Cruz ( even though I dont know how he qualified when he was born in Canada) but he was the only true conservative.

Chris Christie, messed up New jersey, Jeb Bush ( didn't want another Bush) Carly Fiorini I think would have been good but her track record at HP wasn't good,but she wasn't shady , she didn't have the support, just like Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal.

Gary Johnson of the Libertarian party is an idiot, Jill Stein is a leftist activist

you really didn't have much hope , just like us up in Canada the idiotic ill-informed citizens elected Justin Trudeau the son of the late marxist prime minister who is responsible for the division in Canada between us anglophones and francophone from Quebec who has kept us hostage ever since.

I notice you are saying brother and not daughter. I guess that's because your brother doesn't need help and your daughter does. Can you day hypocrite?

Does it matter?
You'll be dead and won't know it anyway.



The lesser evil is still evil.

In this country, things are not decided by We The People like it was meant to. Things are decided by a small percentage of the power and money that rules.

Anyone nominated that is not shady, does represent the people and will do the right job is forced out early by the power elite if they are even allowed to be nominated.

Back on topic:

We created a system that can be exploited.
We The Sheeple want to fix it but the power elite has a different agenda so it doesn't get fixed.
Do you really think in this day and age that there are no solutions to the problem?

I don't "day" anything..

Uncle Sugar (US) just kicked her down a 250k check from her military insurance. ;P

She owes San Diego county a whopping $14,780! (Guess they'll balance their budget with that, AND clear their deficit!) ;D

She asked me if I wanted anything... My answer? "For her to feel safe"

So, both our worries are done for a while.

suck on that.

As regards my kid brother, that was over 7 years ago.. He's doing fine now too.

But thanks for asking!

and that was because of the seven idiots with black robes in 1976 ruling on Buckley v. Valeo and validated money is speech and every thing evolved or devolved from there.



on the federal level not so, on the state level and municipal yes.

Plus I didnt say all who were nominated were shady, I said the 2016 class of candidates were shady at least most of them were.




there are solutions to every problem but it requires a strong leader, with a strong congress that is looking out for the people and not their donors.

The problem is to fix the problems a group of people will have to suffer and politicians dont want to be known for that.

So the compromise is piss off all groups so on one will feel exploited.

In today's world somebody always feels exploited.

I'm not suggesting to do away with assistance.
I'm suggesting we maintain its intent.
It can be done but it would require workers that are doing the job for more than just a paycheck and politicians that are actually doing their jobs.

I already said in these forums that I don't like Trump but I do understand the need for extreme measures. Things are too far out of whack for a gentle nudge.

The kid gloves concerning welfare fraud need to come off.
Its tolerated because its easier.

Welfare is not a religious donation. Its not a charity.
Its public tax money and needs to be fully accounted for.

Its going to take a guy like Trump to convince law makers to do something about the welfare system but the reality is he probably doesn't have enough support.

and the deal maker that he is he will cave in and compromise because no president in your illustrious history has ever got every thing he desired done.

Obama found that out, W.Bush found that out, Clinton found that out but Clinton has the charisma to manipulate things ( his wicked wife doesn't have that charisma)

Reagan found it out and so on.

Trump is finding out that the presidency has it perks but also weakness
Congress has all the power, the president is just the caretaker and gets the credit or blame.