Read this. It got me sick to my stomach. My POS governor gave 175 MILLION of federal money to welfare recipients for school supplies. yes, poor kids need a extra help up but this is ripe for waste and corruption.
Any person receiving welfare or food stamps gets $200. for every child they have of school age. If you have 5 then you get a cool grand.
Nope, if you ain't on the welfare or food stamp line you need not apply.
You know sure as shit that $$$$ will never go to the kids. Lots of happy crack dealers and liquor stores in the hood.
The checks went out at the announcement I'm told.
Back to school spree: Billionaire, feds give out $175M to aid neediest students around the state
A $200 back-to-school giveaway for needy kids sparked a mad rush for money on the streets of
New York on Tuesday.
"It's free money!" said
Alecia Rumph, 26, who waited in a
Morris Park,
Bronx, line 300 people deep for the cash to buy uniforms and book bags for her two kids.
"Thank God for
Obama. He's looking out for us."
Thousands of people lined up at banks and check-cashing shops to withdraw the cash that magically appeared on their electronic benefit cards.
Some rushed out because of rumors the money would vanish by the end of the day.
"Rumors, there's always rumors," said
Teresa Medina, who waited four hours at a Pay-O-Matic in
Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, to get $600 for her three teenagers - just in case they were true.
The no-strings-attached money went to families receiving food stamps or welfare.
Every child between 3 and 17 was eligible for $200, which worked out to 813,845 kids across the state - including 498,866 in the city.
"Times are really tough right now. The situation is bad with money. So it's easy to want to use the money for other things," said Ana Barcos, 31, of
Corona, Queens, where 200 people waited outside a check-cashing business.
"But if the money's supposed to be for my kids, then I will use it for my kids."
Billionaire philanthropist
George Soros gave $35 million toward the program, with $140 million in federal stimulus funds routed through state government making up the rest.
"It's a help," said
Tania Gomez of Chelsea, who withdrew $600 for her kids. "Every penny counts nowadays. It's really something that was unexpected."
Storekeepers were glad to hear about the program, too - and the notebooks, clothes and backpacks it would buy.
"It's good for everyone," said
Aziz Boughroum, 31, who works at Stevdan Pen & Stationers in the West Village.
Gov. Paterson and
Mayor Bloomberg joined Soros to announce the payments at Public School 208 in
Harlem, where the billionaire reminisced that as a penniless student in
London, he survived because of a handout he got from Quakers.
"This gift has a special personal meaning to me, because I was once also a recipient of charity," Soros said in a choking voice. "I'm very pleased that I'm able to repay what they gave me."
Paterson's Republican critics blasted the giveaway, saying he should spend the money to reduce property taxes.
"It is a plan that is ripe for fraud and abuse," said
Senate Republican leader
Dean Skelos. "This is a totally irresponsible use of federal stimulus money."
With
Arianna Davis,
Joe Jackson and
Michael Roberts
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/20...ediest_students_around_the_state_its_fre.html
