A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that the infamous “Obamaphone” program, meant to provide low-income Americans phone and internet service, is riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse.
A Republican FCC hopes to revamp the infamous “Obamaphone” program to provide low-income Americans phone and internet service.
Ajit Pai, one of the two Republicans on the five-member FCC, says a $51 million fraud investigation into the Lifeline cell-phone welfare program was kept hidden until after a key vote to expand the program was held.
Monday in an interview with CBS4’s Brian Maass, FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai said he was “outraged” by reports there are no fraud “safeguards” for free cell phones meant for the needy. Pai said, “The CBS4 story highlighted the fact that
Capitalizing on his huge expansion of the Obamaphone program that gave millions of low-income Americans a free cell phone, President Obama is now angling to give millions of Americans free Internet access.
Let me propose an idea for both sides in the poverty debate to consider: the true significance of work is not that it brings “dignity” to the poor, because they don’t consider themselves undignified now, and the welfare state goes to great lengths to reinforce that sense of entitlement instead of humbly accepting temporary charity. Work provides two concrete benefits more important than dignity: value and purpose.
“I think the effort to suggest that the poor are sponges and leeches are don’t want to work, are lazy or are undeserving got traction,” Obama said. He blamed the Fox News channel for feeding that narrative.
