Actually, in a little way, it is good to see the Government interested in how others spend the money they give out. Too bad they are only concerned about AIG.
But since they have shown such an interest, maybe now they can be pushed to look into how other Government money is spent. And with that, take a nice hard look at how other assistance money is used by recipients.
No, I am not talking about banks and Wall Street. I am talking about non-profits that are receiving Government funding as well as those who are receiving Unemployment, Welfare, Foodstamps, Disability, free Medical Care and other Government assistance. After all, if we are going to complain about how AIG manages their Government handouts, it is only fair to look at how others spend their handouts.
Take for instance ACORN:
- ACORN gets Government funding.
- ACORN uses Government funding to Lobby Congress.
- ACORN gets more Government funding.
And this is an organization with an ongoing problem of massive fraud. And still they get more. The President gave them $800,000 of his campaign funds and now they are going to assist with the next Government Census.
This however is nothing compared to how money is flowing through those on public assistance.
Take the poor:
- The Poor get Government assistance in the form of Unemployment, welfare, Food Stamps, etc.
- The Poor donate to politicians.
- The Politicians arrange to give more money to the poor.
I find the thought of people on public assistance donating money to politicians much worse of an abuse of Government funds than the very public berating that AIG is getting for it's use of Government money as in this case those responsible for overseeing the distribution of the money are benefiting directly from it. Where if the poor did not get Government handouts, the politicians would not get as many campaign donations. Really, this is as if the poor were giving bonuses to the politicians they were donating money to. And remember all those $5 donations now-President Obama was receiving during the campaign. How much of that money started out as taxpayer funds given out with the goal of helping people in need?
Of course, there is the general problem of people on Government assistance wasting their handouts on things like alcohol, tobacco, expensive clothes, vacations, etc... This of course goes to the core issue of why these people remain poor. So why don't the politicians apply their new AIG Standard to others? The answer to that is simple. They really don't want to help these people better themselves. Because if they do, these politicians might lose their votes!
IF Government money given to Corporations in trouble is going to have strict conditions on how it can be used, then so should Government money given to the poor. I am sure it does have some conditions, but I am also sure that there is no checking and enforcement of whether people are complying. And as for conditions on the money, one should be a ban on making political donations!
IF Government money given to Corporations in trouble is going to have strict conditions on how it can be used, then so should Government money given to the poor. I am sure it does have some conditions, but I am also sure that there is no checking and enforcement of whether people are complying. And as for conditions on the money, one should be a ban on making political donations!
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