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Right, and became synonymous with Barack Obama and government handouts. The program is rife with fraud. Point us to your indignation about entitlement program fraud. Is there any to be found in your posting history?
Are there problems with the program? Yes, Does it need to be reformed? Probably. However, lets attempt to actually have a serious discussion. Calling a program an "Obamaphone" that has nothing to do with Obama is not the way to have a serious discussion. This particular program has been around for over 30 years, was started during the Reagan administration and expanded by both Clinton and Bush, not Obama.
Exactly. These liberals have no other argument, so they resort back to the origins of the landline program. Totally pathetic. All of them.
There was an original landline program, the changes that were made including expanding it to cell phones did happen, that however, did not happen when Obama was in office. Those changes including the cell phone expansions were made in 2008, when Bush was in office.
Nothing liberal or conservative about it. No such thing as an Obamaphone.
Call it whatever you want. Name if after yourself for all I care. The bottom line is that the program is rife with fraud and i've yet to see a single one of you castigate the government for its malfeasance. Why is that?
Origins: Imagine for a moment what your life would be like without a phone, corded or wireless. How would you contact emergency services if there was a fire or a serious injury? How would you contact a potential new employer, or keep in touch with a current one? How would you contact your utility company about a power outage, or a doctor about your sick child? How would you keep in touch with your loved ones and your community? In this day and age, telecommunications services are a real necessity, and not being able to afford them is a real liability.
Those types of questions prompted the Federal Communication Commission to implement the Lifeline benefit program for income-eligible consumers in 1984. That program had two parts: Lifeline Assistance, which
provided discounts on basic monthly landline telephone service at the primary residence of qualified telephone subscribers, and Lifeline Link-Up, which provided discounts on the initial installation fee for landline telephone service at the primary residence of qualified telephone subscribers.
As cell phone usage has increased and cell phone service fees have dropped, the Lifeline program has been expanded to include wireless technology. Prepaid cell phone companies have spun off government-approved subsidiaries (such as Safelink Wireless, Assurance Wireless, and Reachout Wireless) to specialize in providing Lifelife-covered telephone services to qualifying participants.
From that basic framework, rumors like the ones encapsulated in the Examples cited above have circulated, claiming that “the Obama administration created a program to give free cell phones paid for by taxpayer money to welfare recipients.” All the elements of such statements are erroneous or exaggerated:
The Lifeline program originated in 1984, during the administration of Ronald Reagan; it was expanded in 1996, during the administration of Bill Clinton; and its first cellular provider service (SafeLink Wireless) was launched by TracFone in 2008, during the administration of George W. Bush. All of these milestones were passed prior to the advent of the Obama administration.
The Lifeline program only covers monthly discounts on landline or wireless telephone service for eligible consumers. It does not pay
cellular companies to provide free cell phones to consumers, although some cellular service providers choose to offer that benefit to their Lifeline customers.
It should be called a Reagan Phone not an Obama Phone. It was started by Reagan in 1984.
The upgrade to Cellular phone service was expanded in 2008, during the Bush Administration.
So the program was started by a Republican(Reagan), then upgraded to cell phone service by another Republican (Bush)
but yet, it's an "Obama Phone" and it's all Obama's fault???????
You don't like the program...so obviously...it would have to be Obama's fault!!!!
The Logic!!!
You couldn't make this stuff up!
(Also, as a side note..I also have to say as someone who still has both a landline phone and a cell phone, if you use a pay as you go cell phone service
your cell phone bill can be less than your home phone bill. Mine is....so I can understand why President Bush expanded it to
include Cell phone service vs Home service.)
Exactly right. Fundamental disingenuousness is all liberals have.
Isn't it a bit ironic that someone who is blaming liberals for being disengenous who has a thread labeled "Obamaphone" when the program was around for over 30 years and most recent changes and expansion to the program were made prior to Obama taking office?
It should be called a Reagan Phone not an Obama Phone. It was started by Reagan in 1984.
The upgrade to Cellular phone service was expanded in 2008, during the Bush Administration.
So the program was started by a Republican(Reagan), then upgraded to cell phone service by another Republican (Bush)
but yet, it's an "Obama Phone" and it's all Obama's fault???????
You don't like the program...so obviously...it would have to be Obama's fault!!!!
The Logic!!!
You couldn't make this stuff up!
Another one arguing a point that hasn't been challenged. How dumb can you folks be? The topic is fraud, not the origins of the program. Lost in the wilderness and not a single clue.
Isn't it a bit ironic that someone who is blaming liberals for being disengenous who has a thread labeled "Obamaphone" when the program was around for over 30 years and most recent changes and expansion to the program were made prior to Obama taking office?
Do you know what quotation marks are for? Time to grab a book and learn something. Embarrassing.
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No one should be getting robbed to pay for somebody elses phone.
