CNN says Hurricane Katrina Victims Spent Disaster Relief Funds on Porn And Bling!

[mickill]

You kinda have to hate them for this (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/14/fema.audit.1908/index.html) headline.

Sure the people responsible for the fraud and the misuse of the donations are disgusting bastards, but this story is already being misconstrued everywhere as many of the hurricane victims having spent a large percentage of the relief effort funds on champagne, strip clubs and jewelry. Even though the federal audit showed that the invalid registrations submitted by many people were the principle cause of the estimated $1 billion in fraudulent payments.

[Yeti]

Porn and bling is OK but I was a little disturbed to hear about a man that used the funds to get a sex change operation. I think he lives in Hawaii.

[abcdefz]

I can't believe people didn't forsee this. It would've been pretty simple to take care of:

The cards should have had a red cross on them or something to identify them as disaster relief funds.

There should have been warnings of penalties for users of the card and merchants who accepted them for items which were obviously not relief-related. (You can sort out a lounge chair later, but a dildo or jewelry or a stack of DVDs? Uh, sorry.)

The first four didgits of the card could have been an emergency-designated series which couldn't be authorized unless used in person.

For a start.

[g-mile7]

they only got $1,000 from what I hear.


Yes it's true, trust this: I have had cousins who live in Baton Rouge receive them Fema Cards.....thats right Baton Rouge......maybe the people running the show should be a lil more careful with there dollars.

[hardnox71]

I can't believe people didn't forsee this. It would've been pretty simple to take care of:

The cards should have had a red cross on them or something to identify them as disaster relief funds.

There should have been warnings of penalties for users of the card and merchants who accepted them for items which were obviously not relief-related. (You can sort out a lounge chair later, but a dildo or jewelry or a stack of DVDs? Uh, sorry.)

The first four didgits of the card could have been an emergency-designated series which couldn't be authorized unless used in person.

For a start.
Bingo!

And it really is that simple, A-Z. You would think someone, like you said, would have forseen this shit.

[Yeti]

they only got $1,000 from what I hear.
Yes it's true, trust this: I have had cousins who live in Baton Rouge receive them Fema Cards.....thats right Baton Rouge.......

Well, when I lived in West Palm Beach Florida 2 years ago we were hit by 3 hurricanes in a matter of 1 month. Our immediate area was hit hard and basically shutdown for months. No stoplights---very little gasoline, etc......
A year later the local paper investigated FEMA spending and found that people in Miami had recieved large amounts of funding. Miami did not even get much rain much less hurricane force winds. One of the Miami recipients was a wealthy developer and used the money for his business.

If someone has their life turned upside down by a disaster and recieves the proper funding I guess it is their right to spend it on hookers. They are adults albeit stupid adults. I have a real problem with people that cheat the system for the money and believe me they will find many of those miscreants in due time.

[enree erzweglle]

I believe that the credit cards that the Red Cross issued did have a Red Cross on them. I don't think the FEMA cards did.

But, it could have a flashing FEMA logo on it and most vendors won't pay attention to it, so the cards should be configured the way Visa BUXX cards are such that they can only be used to purchase items in specific/designated categories.

Wherever there's money involved, there will always be fraud. So this isn't surprising, particularly given the widespread damage and relief efforts. What's a shame is that THIS gets the publicity because the hundreds and hundreds of victim-families that I met in Louisiana and Texas were obviously in need of funds for the most basic of necessities.

[abcdefz]

If someone has their life turned upside down by a disaster and recieves the proper funding I guess it is their right to spend it on hookers. They are adults albeit stupid adults.



That's what insurance money is for, not federal emergency relief.

[Nuzzolese]

If someone has their life turned upside down by a disaster and recieves the proper funding I guess it is their right to spend it on hookers. They are adults albeit stupid adults.

I hadn't thought about it that way but I think I agree. It's not so bad if a victim blows his last dime on a shoeshine, and that's what the headline made it out to be - like, isn't it so sad and amusing that you can lead a horse to water but he just buys hookers.

[enree erzweglle]

That's what insurance money is for, not federal emergency relief.
A lot of those people could not afford (or qualify for) insurance.

[hardnox71]

If someone has their life turned upside down by a disaster and recieves the proper funding I guess it is their right to spend it on hookers. They are adults albeit stupid adults. I have a real problem with people that cheat the system for the money and believe me they will find many of those miscreants in due time.
I have to disagree with you on this one Yeti. We're not talking about 20 year olds who take their college loan money and go to spring break or buy a car.

This money is specifically meant to help people put their lives back together. I know, I know. You're saying, "And the college money is specifically meant to help these kids get an education." And you are right. There is absolutely no difference but for some reason, there is.

I can't explain it.

[Yeti]

OK, let me say....a hurricane hits and your home is damaged. The insurance will only pay if the damage is 3% of your home. A $300,000 home would have to have $30,000 in damage. Most homes fall in between. FEMA will not help unless there is considerable damage usually around the same amount of 30 grand or higher. Our house was damaged twice and the cost both times fell between $5000 and $10,000. Guess who got screwed? Me and my wife.
The insurance companies rake it in with high rates and then twist the knife with stringent stipulations.

[Yeti]

I have to disagree with you on this one Yeti. We're not talking about 20 year olds who take their college loan money and go to spring break or buy a car.

This money is specifically meant to help people put their lives back together. I know, I know. You're saying, "And the college money is specifically meant to help these kids get an education." And you are right. There is absolutely no difference but for some reason, there is.

I can't explain it.

Where can I buy the rose colored glasses that you and A to the Z are wearing?
Regulating people's behavior is like asking Anne Coulter to take her mouth off George Bush's dick. It is a great suggestion but futile.

[Nuzzolese]

Nobody has any responsibility to take care of themselves. The money is a gift, right? If we're talking about true victims, they can do with it what they want. But we're not talking about true victims who were given a gift and then sqaundered it, we're talking about scammers and frauds who took something that wasn't due to them under the conditions of the gift relief money.

[mickill]

I hadn't thought about it that way but I think I agree. It's not so bad if a victim blows his last dime on a shoeshine, and that's what the headline made it out to be - like, isn't it so sad and amusing that you can lead a horse to water but he just buys hookers.
Haha.

I was going to say that a-z's points have all been very good ones, but it's sorta hard to circumvent what enree and Yeti are saying here.

I just didn't like the headline. I find it very misleading.

[hardnox71]

Regulating people's behavior is like asking Anne Coulter to take her mouth off George Bush's dick. It is a great suggestion but futile.
You are probably right.

[abcdefz]

#1 There's say, signing a promisary note for a loan or, say, paying insurance premiums for however long. That's one thing, and if you collect either of those, it's really up to you what you want to do with it.

#2 It's a whole other thing to take money given out of good will during a national disaster and then burn through that, potentially leaving yourself in the position where you just have to go on the dole again, asking for still MORE funding; that's abuse.

#3 Then there's FAKING victimhood to rake in some cash during a national disaster to squander it on whatever; that's heinous.

This country is in deep, deep debt. People act like The Man has endless pockets or whatever, and it just places increased burden on everyone.

Yeah; I don't see how you can condone #2 or #3 in any way but the most touchy-feely, socially irresponsible shortsighted manner.

[Yeti]

You are probably right.

Probably not but it was a good metaphor. Right?

............and who needs a new roof when you can have There's Something Inside Mary, Clockwork Orgy, Willie Wanker And The Fudge Packing Factory or even the world renowned When Harry Ate Sally. I mean this is years of entertainment pleasure.

[Nuzzolese]

That's what life's all about, really, pleasure, right? I mean the sheer joy of being alive. If these people looked death and the rage of the earth's power of destruction in the FACE, and this is what they turn to in the aftermath, I think these people may really know what it's all about. Pleasure and laughter and delight and indulgences in fancy dress and sparkly gems, not houses, food, or diapers. You can't take it with you.

[befsquire]

for me personally, this was my favorite part:

The GAO also found that FEMA provided housing assistance to people who were not displaced, including at least 1,000 prison inmates

[mickill]

Couple comments from another message board:

But look the reason why they were giving out 2 g’s cause most of the niggas who aint have cars or couldn’t get out, wasnt even worth 2 g’s.

These niggas aint never seen 2 g’s in they life unless they was dealing. Niggas didnt know how to act when they got the money. Mad mad niggas got way more than they should have gotten. All new orleans is, is the projects. Section 8 shit. them niggas got like 1500 plus from red cross. 2000 from katrina. Some of them 3 and 4 times. and 2300 from rita. Then after that red cross was issuing debit cards. All these project cats got broke off mad bank. They didnt even have real addresses.

and

hey son black people was doing some crazy shit too when the hurricane hit. I mean I made up a fake address and even got my own fema trailor. I know that I probably will get caught and maybe have to do some time, but fuck it, I was on some fake desperation shit.

Niggas was going to the strip clubs with they debit card, When fema started handing out that 2000, you seen mad niggas with mad gear. They was fresh to death. Chains, air ones, rocawear etc.

Niggas hit up redcross like it was nothing. Redcross was just handing out money. All you had to do was make up a social security address and make up how many kids you got and you got a quick 2500.

Niggas and whites was living in 200 dollar a night hotels. I know one girl that had fema paying her rent, she had a hotel, and trailor. So niggas was scheming dog. I was right in the heart of that shit, and I aint even from the N.O. I had been living in the BR for a year so when they came from the storm, all chaos broke loose.

But white people was doing their dirt too. But mad project niggas was getting broke off major bread. But when january come mad niggas will be broke.

[ms.peachy]

I don't see why it's so hard to comprehend that a) where there's money to be had, there's fraud, and b) when you give someone who maybe hasn't been real good about making prudent life choices a wad of moeny, they're not going to suddenly wise up and start making wise fiscal decisions. So, out of the thousands of people affected, let's give the majority the benefit of the doubt and assume that they have tried to act reasonably responsibly. The fact that a percentage have continued to make foolish decisions, or that still others have used the misfortune of others for their personal gain, should not come as any great surprise.

[enree erzweglle]

I don't see why it's so hard to comprehend that a) where there's money to be had, there's fraud, and b) when you give someone who maybe hasn't been real good about making prudent life choices a wad of moeny, they're not going to suddenly wise up and start making wise fiscal decisions.Exactly. Man, there are people right on these boards who earn a fairly solid living and they get some loose cash in hand and can't wait to burn through it. They get a regular paycheck, they have everything they need, but cash in hand and they're off and giddy. So those people need to imagine, hard, what poverty-level families are feeling--many of them rarely, if ever, have loose cash. Imagine how they feel.

In a perfect world, it's a matter of making The Right Decision and spending that FEMA/Red Cross money as appropriated, but their world is not perfect. I'm not condoning what some of them did, but I understand it and have a whole lot of sympathy and compassion for their situation. Regardless of how they got into those situations. Damn.

When I was in Louisiana last fall and we were working in the nastiest poverty I think I've ever seen first-hand, I worked with this one sort of socialite woman who was tsk-tsking the poverty that we were seeing. She said something like, "Why can't they just put $50 aside each month and start a savings account?" ...and I choked when she said that. So I asked her to think about what $50 means to people who are on every kind of assistance possible and who have boatloads of problems otherwise. And she countered back with, "Well, they can afford to buy cigarettes." :rolleyes: (I hate that argument. It's naive.)