Governments Pay for Nothing

by Edith
(Los Angeles)

First, tax-payers foot the bill; government only takes the money from citizens and "spreads it around." "Welfare state" is not rhetoric--it's become fact.


Access to a cell phone is not a "human right." I'm broke--REALLY broke. I make do or do without. A frill such as a cell phone should not be a "right."

Get a friend or relative to split the cost of a Tracfone. The U.S. is broke. Keep breaking it and see what happens to your precious cell phone then.

Either way, someone's going to pay for them--rich, poor, or just getting buy. Why do you think phone companies assess all these extra charges?

Comments for Governments Pay for Nothing

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Feb 16, 2020
 Quit Your Whinning NEW
by: Anonymous

You think your the ONLY one that is broke? Really broke people are the ones living on the street, MOST elderly, MOST disabled, etc. So your not the only one.
I live in a pretty rural area where a car is a necessity. My car recent totally died, engine seized. So I HAD to finance a car just so I could get to my dialysis appointments. So with THAT added expense, I literally do not have much money left with paying that and other bills. What is left, is needed for gas and food. I get a whole $21 from food stamps a month. I don't buy anything extra that I don't need and STILL sometimes am barely making it to the end of the month, if I CAN make it to the end. Sometimes I have to ask for a little help just to get gas to get to treatment.
So before you whine, think about others as well.
Feb 23, 2013
 In Response To "Keep Things In Perspective" NEW
by: NowWhatNow

If I could stand up and applaud I would. You said a mouthful & you said it well! Your statement was both elegant and powerful. Not many people can pull that off. Thank you for speaking some sense to the close minded.
Jan 14, 2013
 Let's Keep Things In Perspective NEW
by:

To the comment from Purple Hearts. First, thank you for your service! However, please don't see veterans as somehow better than everyone else; that's not only unfair, but incorrect. Everyone in society contributes in their own way. Not everyone is capable or willing to serve in the military, and no doubt some people serve because they can't, or don't want to do anything else. Motivation, skills, aptitude, and raw desire vary from person to person.

If you feel that veterans should get free phones, TVs, cars, or whatever for serving, then that should be part of a military package, no? Just like any other job, the compensation and benefits should be in the contract. And please don't think that your job is the only one where people put their lives at risk; that's simply not true.

Calling non-military people cowards definitely doesn't make you look good, nor does it win you any goodwill for people who are actually in a position to help people (like you and others) to get subsidized or free services.

Many would argue that we fight in a lot of wars that we should stay out of, and that are actually putting our own economy and country at risk of collapse because we fail to properly take care of the needs of our country.

So please don't come ranting about how special you are. Everyone is special in their own way. Great, protect our country if you're so inclined (and thank you for that), but don't forget to be thankful for those business people who create companies that allow us to live the way we do, and have the economy we do to keep our families living in a healthy environment, get educated, have access to medical care, and enjoy life, technology, and all of the fun things beyond the bare essentials.

Remember, it's an entire ecosystem that creates millions of jobs, that in turn generates taxes, which can be used to support a military. So we all play our part sir. A little more humility would serve all of us well.
Jan 11, 2013
 Purple Hearts
by: Anonymous

I served my country proudly and earned 4 purple hearts in 6 deployments. I just filed my claim with The VA because I can't do anything because of the hits I sustained providing security and freedom to a lot of taxpayers who don't have the heart to be airborne rangers or grunts. Because of all what I did for my country and what my wife and I suffer within all the deployments, I think I earned the right to have alot of free stuff paid for by the taxpayers, not government TAXPAYERS, because they just vote for lawmakers who want to send us to war so you choose the pat so pay for it not with lip service by thanking veterans, but with action so the courageous can get something back from the coward.
Mar 05, 2012
 Free Cell Phone Service - Are you kidding me?!
by: Anonymous

I couldn’t agree more! It’s amazing how many people feel so self-entitled. Yes, we’ve all paid in and done our dues whether through taxes, serving our country, or whatever. But that doesn’t mean that we should feel entitled to withdraw from our inputs as we feel like doing so. Cell phones are soooo inexpensive these days that there’s really no excuse to say that any of us can’t afford one if we really feel we NEED one.


It usually comes down to personal priorities. How many of us who complain about being broke and need a free phone buy a cup of coffee every day? You know what, that cup of coffee each day adds up to a lot more than buying a cheap cell phone and keeping enough money on it for emergency use. I also bet a lot of people pay for cable TV, rent movies, buy Internet service, and who knows what else. If I bought even a few less bags of chips at the grocery store each week I could afford to buy my own cell phone!


The idea of sharing a phone with a friend or neighbor is also a good idea. The current cost simply can’t justify that it’s too expensive that people need to be getting it for free. And really, it’s not food, water, or shelter people; it’s a phone! Yes, it affords some amazing conveniences, and even opportunities (ex. finding a job), but it’s not so completely out of reach that it needs to be a free service.


How about using these government taxes to provide better education for the under-privileged so they can have a better opportunity to get a job and not need to rely on free services for unnecessary items like phones? Or helping the homeless, or the sick. I’m not sure that people truly understand that if this money wasn’t being used for free cell phone service, it would be used for something else!


It’s almost maddening the way people think these days, and I can’t help but think that this is a U.S. mentality, and not the way the rest of the world thinks. I have no doubt that this type of thinking contributes to the economic crashes we see!


Think about if people had free car insurance (and no deductible). People would go to the body shop for every little nick and scratch on their car, and feel entitled to it because it’s coming out of their tax contributions. Think about how much wasted money there would be. i.e. Because it’s not covered, people think twice about whether a little scratch is worth fixing (usually it’s not!).


It’s proven that when people have to invest their own money in something, they’re more thoughtful and wise about whether or not it’s a good value. I would say that free cell phone service isn’t a good value for our tax dollars!

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