What is Digg?264 Comments
- SkittlesUSA, on 03/30/2008, -12/+91The federal government should not have given grants to begin with. Insurance, charity organizations, or state-level programs are supposed to help the victims.
It is not a function of the federal government to provide charity to anyone. They shouldn't have given the victims money in the first place. - mustafya, on 03/30/2008, -1/+44So let me get this straight... some people were paid up to 150,000 dollars more than they were eligible for. The people that got overpaid are going to be forced to pay the money back. This is no different than getting overpaid at work and having to pay it back.
- inactive, on 03/30/2008, -12/+48Nice try...but it was never the federal government's responsibility to provide flood insurance for private citizens below sea level in New Orleans. What other anti-Bush whines do you have?
- BassMastr, on 03/30/2008, -18/+46I sure as hell don't think they should pay anything back, but at what point is Katrina no longer a valid excuse for not supporting yourself?
- threemagic, on 03/30/2008, -5/+32SO.. you put a home down where hurricane's hit, you buy insurance (which mostly doesn't cover hurricane damage), you STILL stay there and a hurricane hits. You get money ANYWAY.. and you are suggesting if they got too much they shouldn't pay it back.
Sometimes I don't understand the way people think. - jdaniel284, on 03/30/2008, -1/+26What's your problem, have you been reading the U.S. Constitution or something?
- nomadofthehills, on 03/30/2008, -12/+36Hey, why don't you RTFA.
They are only going to be taking money back from people who got more than they were supposed to. - Persian5Life, on 03/30/2008, -3/+27amen to that brother. most people are confused about the role of the government.
- inactive, on 03/30/2008, -6/+28Exactly. Since when was the government responsible for every-single-thing in one's life? FDR and his ABC agencies will continue to ***** us for the foreseeable future.
- and303, on 03/30/2008, -0/+19Congratulations! You're the only person here who's read the article.
- RaggTopp, on 03/30/2008, -0/+18What about all the people that didn't have ***** to begin with, claimed they lost everything anyway, and scammed the government for money that wasn't even intended for them?
- BassMastr, on 03/30/2008, -5/+23Take the free money I got for years and get an apartment and then get a job...like the rest of the world. If you started at McD's after this happened and had half a brain cell you could be management by now. People have had plenty of time to get back on their feet...or at least get to the point where they don't need help anymore.
- and303, on 03/30/2008, -0/+16Has anyone even noticed that the article clearly states, in the ***** BOLD HEADLINE, that only the people who were overpaid or fraudulent in their claims will have to return the money?
- edstate, on 03/30/2008, -0/+15Sadly, that opinion is hard to come by these days. We've raised several generations that do expect the Government to "take care" of pretty much everything. And some would say we're at a point where it's "too late to change".
- jgtg32a, on 03/30/2008, -1/+15Charity should never be in the form of a check.
- solid12345, on 03/30/2008, -2/+16Funny how the same people who have so much hate for the politicians who did not come to the aid of Katrina worship hacks like Ray Nagin as heroes who never put money in to re-enforce the levees in the first place.
New Orleans, while a wonderful city and wonderful people, has had problems for decades with a welfare mentality among many parts of its community. They were living off the government before the hurricane and will continue to do it for years to come. - Screamsalvation, on 03/31/2008, -5/+18Anyone who does not have direct experience with the situation should not even bother to comment. If you just saw Katrina on tv then you should shut your mouth and go elsewhere. A lot of people died, yes, a lot of homes where destroyed, yes. But I personally know many people who now drive escalades, live in beautiful rent free apartments, have TONS of electronics (new computers, 50 inch projection tvs, stereos to drool over, etc) and GUESS WHAT? Your and my tax dollars paid for it all, because these people got this money handed to them and they still dont work! Their families have been on welfare for 2 generations and we are still supporting their lazy asses. I work 6 days a week to afford anything I have, but these people dont lift a finger. Make them pay that ***** back! Make all these families that have been on welfare for 20+ years pay that ***** back too! We as tax payers need to start something and get these monkeys off our backs.
- hersman, on 03/30/2008, -10/+22I still have always said that if people are dumb enough to live under sea level then you deserve what you get.
- EyeSurgery, on 03/30/2008, -7/+19"The biggest grant amount allowed by the Road Home program is $150,000, so ICF believes it paid some recipients the maximum when they should not have received a penny."
What? So they rushed it so bad they just threw money at everyone, even people who had no rightful claim and now they're going to spend more money on collections? Unbelievable. So either we have to believe they're grossly incompetent or they're wasting money by trying to bully people who are appealing their awards, as suggested on the second page of the article. Oh, how to choose... - DaDrake, on 03/30/2008, -6/+18So much money has been given to Katrina victims with little to show for it. Just shows you can't throw money at a problem. Most of the problems occur because of local corrupt/idiot politicians who.... instead of helping people..... use racial tensions to blackmail the fed for more money.
They shouldn't need to pay anything back.... but the handouts should stop. - Parisjune, on 03/30/2008, -2/+12Wrong. They shouldn't have been given money to begin with -- that goes for other disasters too.
- inactive, on 03/30/2008, -1/+11After i saw that the red cross's 2000 dollar relief cvredit cards, which had been given to victims of katrina, had been used to purchase large television sets, tribal tattoos and other stupid, I stopped giving money/blood to the red cross. They need to quit wasting charity on idiots.
- inactive, on 03/30/2008, -3/+12Why? The rest of America will bail the freeloaders out. I was down there the second week after it hit. By that time there were warehouses full of food free for the taking. I saw more abuse during that week. It was a joke. Thats why I never give a penny when these things happen. The folks were laughing as they drove off. If you had LA. plates you could load up your truck. More food driving north out of Baton Rouge then going south. It was sick to watch.
- roosterjm2k2, on 03/30/2008, -7/+16"Imagine you live below sea level, protected only by 100-year old levies...now imagine that you don't have the foresight to purchase flood insurance. Now imagine that...." ... wait, no...that would never happen....
- inactive, on 03/30/2008, -4/+13I have a great idea, lets not pay for iraq OR katrina. What the ***** ever happened to personal accountability??
- BassMastr, on 03/30/2008, -2/+10I never said it was a great living, but you can make a living off it. These are averages so i'm guessing if you are any good you can make more or less if you suck.
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Industry=Fast_ ...
I have no problem with those who need legitimate help. If someone has issues like you mentioned above then get help as long as you neeed it. That's what it's there for. It's really not THAT hard to succeed. - camino262, on 03/30/2008, -0/+8My parents live in Mobile AL, and the area was hit mildly by Katrina. The residents qualified for FEMA handouts, and many people who didn't have any damage collected the cash. My parents refused the money because they didn't need it. I think those who collected and didn't really need it should have to pay money back. Good luck finding them though. It would cost more money to get the money back than they would recoup.
- Craftybadger, on 03/30/2008, -3/+11Wait till Kanye hears about this.
- logdesigner, on 03/30/2008, -0/+8George Bush hates white people...
- smurfsahoy, on 03/31/2008, -1/+9Several things are wrong with your comment:
1) It IS through fault of their own - they lived under sea level with an underfunded wall between them and destruction, and didn't bother to look into flood insurance, or into moving.
2) If money isn't important, then you shouldn't have any problem with anything I said - obviously YOU give a damn about money, along with everybody else.
3) It isn't a fraction of a cent of mine going to relief. First of all, Katrina alone costs me more in the dollars range - but the same exact thing happens all over the rest of the country too, and the OVERALL cost to me is a significant amount of cash from my taxes, that affects my quality of life in a very palpable way.
4) I said I was willing to pay tax dollars to keep people alive, sheltered, bare minimum things like that. From there, if they can't get themselves out of poverty, then they are either children (who are already helped by parents or by the state), elderly (they should be getting social security, etc. and living off retirement plans if they were productive citizens in their adult lives), are somehow disabled (also will receive state aid already), or they are simply LAZY. With food and shelter paid for you, you can easily get a job and pull yourself together in two years if you have any motivation to do so at all. I don't expect them to become investment bankers or something - but they could work construction or wait tables or anything, and would save PLENTY of money to make themselves self sufficient when they don't have to worry about rent or food in the meantime. Anybody who has not tried to do that does not deserve to have me (somebody who does work for a living) pay for them to have a high quality of life anyway. - nomadofthehills, on 03/30/2008, -5/+13RTFA. Only people who got more than they were supposed to have to pay back what was not supposed to be theirs anyway.
- beneathbrooklyn, on 03/30/2008, -1/+9I guess the people who lost their homes in Katrina should have gotten together and formed an investment bank rather than apply for this idiotic Fed Grant. They could call it "Katrina Financial". Then they pool together any spare change they can scrounge up, invest it in a credit swap derivatives hedge fund leveraged $40 dollars to every $1 they invest. Then when the fund melts down and their bank is totally underwater in debt. The Federal Reserve can just bail them out and cut them a check for a cool 30 billion. No biggie.
- FuzzyBunny, on 03/30/2008, -6/+13Get a job, live within your means, pay your bills? Works for millions of other people. Just because you lost your possessions in a natural disaster doesn't change that.
- gr3yn3t, on 03/30/2008, -10/+17what a bunch of ***** comments.
Damn you guys are mean. - ephrils1, on 03/30/2008, -6/+13Wow... having lived about 20 miles away from New Orleans during Katrina this is just sad.
First the Stimulus PAckage being a loan on next year's tax refund, now they want money back for Katrina. Fire 'em all. Get 'em out of office. - Parisjune, on 03/30/2008, -2/+9People did help. Millions of dollars was given to the Red Cross. Food and clothing were sent. Orphaned animals were housed. Others flew in when they could to help personally. Wal-Mart showed up with water (turned away by govt.) People DID respond and that is how it should be. The government screwed it up from beginning to end. If you are really feeling "sick" of things, get rid of FEMA and most other government organizations.
- smurfsahoy, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7Great logic, except for the tiny detail that they were GRANTS, not loans... As in, you're not supposed to ever have to pay it back. So you spend it on a house in a buyer's housing market. Now they ask you to give it back - crap! You get 50 cents on the dollar for what you paid in order to get the money back in time before they repossess everything you own. Now you are back where you started, PLUS 75,000 dollars of debt to the government.
That's why. - Screamsalvation, on 03/30/2008, -1/+8Where do you live? Do you even live close to New Orleans? I do.. And you know what? The people should have to pay that ***** back, I know a woman who is now living in an apartment with beautiful wood flooring, a large projection tv, new furniture, drives an escalade. And guess what? Your tax dollars bought all of it for her!!!! MY tax dollars paid for it!!! I work my hands to the bone and cant afford that ***** but because she was in Katrina (she didn't have ***** before but got money just for being there) She now lives in a rent free apartment, with lots of nice things. So why don't you shut up till you move to the area!
- serif69, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7The New Deal ruined Americans' view of the government. It was one giant government bail-out that was supposed to be temporary to get a nation thrown into financial ruin back on its feet, but its effects on the role of government can still be felt. Social security, welfare, and the general idea that the government is responsible for the financial well-being of the citizens were created during that time, and still linger. Now we are left with a great majority of politicians who only want more and more power for the federal government, social programs that should be handled privately being expanded, and talk of social healthcare being added to the mix. Brace yourselves, for it looks as if the next two to four years will be spent with a Democrat in the White House and a Democrat majority in both houses of Congress, all of whom expect to maintain and expand these programs, and have made promises to do just that.
- beneathbrooklyn, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6Treating the symptoms (i.e. going house to house with your hand out asking for these people to pay back money they may or may not have received unfairly) won't accomplish anything and certainly won't relieve the burden from the shoulders of those who work "six days a week". If you want welfare reform the entire system needs to be overhauled if not completely dismantled. A pretty tall order, and one that most people don't have the balls to implement. Its a lot easier to just bitch and whine on the Internet. There is no political will in this country to make genuine changes for the better and so people who have milked the welfare system for generations will continue to do so and not you or anyone else is going to do anything about it.
- ExSlashdotter, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7I left New Orleans 8 months after the hurricane for Tampa, Fl.
If you don't have insurance, you're making a gamble. These people gambled and lost. That's life. Guess what? I had insurance. I didnt expect the friggin government to pick up the tab if something happened to me. - smurfsahoy, on 03/31/2008, -3/+9I don't think there's any saying that goes, "Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Give a man a fish, and then wait until he's eaten half of it and demand a whole fish back, and he eats for a lifetime."
- Parisjune, on 03/30/2008, -3/+9Private companies tried to "step-up" but your government kept them away. Also, you cannot "force" help -- that's an oxymoron. Yes, the USA needs an overhaul. It needs to be scrapped for the most part. It's become a big, socialist, octopus.
- localzuk, on 03/30/2008, -2/+7There is a difference between refusing to help themselves and providing the means to help themselves. This is a situation where the area was destroyed and therefore there wasn't anything available to help themselves with...
- endustry, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6DIGG should be an acronym just like ADHD.
- raybury, on 03/30/2008, -3/+8So you think spending money on war is a bad thing, and you're entitled to that opinion. But you think spending it on rewarding theft by con men taking advantage of provisions for families in need is a GOOD way to spend money? I know I used to be a liberal, but I was never that dumb.
- SuperMoses, on 03/30/2008, -0/+5Most of the money didn't go to the victims. This is nonsense.
- insomniac8400, on 03/30/2008, -1/+6Sounds just like the billions they gave out in iraq in cash. Of course they aren't asking any of those corrupt people who intended to defraud our country for that money back. But someone needing to rebuild there home in our own country, yup, they have to give it all back.
- inactive, on 03/30/2008, -1/+6Before we get to the gut check, maybe we need to initiate a brain check.
- thedogfatherx, on 03/31/2008, -2/+7Most of the people who received a bunch of money probably spent it on nice cars, alcohol, and a bunch of other worthless *****. They won't get most of the money back because it's probably all ready been spent!!! Great that my tax money is going to some lazy ass people on welfare. Stop the payments.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 257 discussions
Digg is coming to a city (and computer) near you! Check out all the details on our 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is