Man jailed for charging cell phone

Donjeta

Adji Desir, missing from Florida
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Good grief. Is this one of the places hard hit by Sandy?

A homeless man with a cellphone. That is rare isn't it? :waitasec:
 
Good grief. Is this one of the places hard hit by Sandy?

A homeless man with a cellphone. That is rare isn't it? :waitasec:

That was my first thought, homeless and with a phone.:waitasec:
 
I few years ago, a boy - maybe 10 or 12 - would walk past our house with his video game system and 13 inch TV in a stroller! He was on his way to the shelter house (with electricity) in our local park. I thought it was clever of him!
 
Ya'll aren't aware of the Obama phones? Where have you been! Oh wait...you have probably been too busy working and paying taxes.

You may qualify for Assurance Wireless if you participate in any of the following government programs:

Ohio

Medicaid
TANF/Work First (TANF/Ohio Works First)
Food Stamps/SNAP
Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
General Assistance
Home Energy Assist Programs (HEAP,LIHEAP&E-HEAP)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
National School Lunch's FREE Lunch Program (NSL)
Supplemental Security Inc-Blind & Disabled (SSDI)

OR You may qualify based on household income.

http://www.fcc.gov/...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/27/1137177/-How-To-Get-Your-FREE-Obama-Phone-Video

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio"]Original Obamaphone Lady: Obama Voter Says Vote for Obama because he gives a free Phone - YouTube[/ame]
 
Good grief. Is this one of the places hard hit by Sandy?

A homeless man with a cellphone. That is rare isn't it? :waitasec:

I work with people on public assistance. Homeless or not, they all have cellphones. Some of them get the free phones from the government, others buy phones from Walmart and just buy minutes whenever they can afford them.

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2
 
Q: Has the Obama administration started a program to use "taxpayer money" to give free cell phones to welfare recipients?

A: No. Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it.

(snip)

FULL ANSWER

Welfare recipients, and others, can receive a free cell phone, but the program is not funded by the government or taxpayer money, as the e-mail alleges. And it’s hardly new.

How It Works

SafeLink Wireless, the program mentioned in the e-mail, does indeed offer a cell phone, about one hour’s worth of calling time per month, and other wireless services like voice mail to eligible low-income households. Applicants have to apply and prove that they are either receiving certain types of government benefits, such as Medicaid, or have household incomes at or below 135 percent of the poverty line. Using 2009 poverty guidelines, that’s $14,620 for an individual and a little under $30,000 for a family of four, with slightly higher amounts for Alaska and Hawaii.

(snip)

http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/the-obama-phone/

Kudos to the telecom companies for funding this program. I'm not sure how people who are homeless could be contacted by a current or potential employer if they don't have a phone where they can be reached?
 
A: No. Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it.

Kudos to the telecom companies for funding this program.

Uhhh....NO. The Telecom companies ARE NOT "FUNDING" this because they chose too. A FEE is added to the phone bill (for those folks that actually pay their own phone bills) and that extra FEE is spent on these free phones.

Who mandated the that the Telecom Companies/Working Public MUST pay for the free phones? The Government!

Taxpayers do pay for coverage but not via federal income taxes. Instead, the Act “mandated the creation of the universal service fund (USF) into which all telecommunications providers are required to contribute a percentage of their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues.” So that little fee on your phone bill labeled USF? That’s what you’re paying for.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyph...crazy-for-obama-phones-but-are-they-for-real/
 
Uhhh....NO. The Telecom companies ARE NOT "FUNDING" this because they chose too. A FEE is added to the phone bill (for those folks that actually pay their own phone bills) and that extra FEE is spent on these free phones.

Who mandated the that the Telecom Companies/Working Public MUST pay for the free phones? The Government!

Thanks for the link that re-affirms what I previously posted, that this is NOT a program that was implemented by Obama.

The bottom line is that there is free phone assistance available to those who qualify but it is not an Obama administration program. Taxpayers do support the program but not through federal income taxes. And despite the screaming lady in the video, eligibility doesn’t hinge on Social Security, disability or food stamps; there’s no “buy one bag of chips, get an Obama phone free” promotion. Just because a woman holding a sign gets a microphone in her face doesn’t make her statements true.

(snip)

I'm not sure why anyone would continue to refer to these as "Obama phones" :confused:
 
Thanks for the link that re-affirms what I previously posted

I believe you said Telecom Companies were funding this and KUDOS to them doing this out of the kindness of their heart!
 
Thanks for the link that re-affirms what I previously posted, that this is NOT a program that was implemented by Obama.

The bottom line is that there is free phone assistance available to those who qualify but it is not an Obama administration program. Taxpayers do support the program but not through federal income taxes. And despite the screaming lady in the video, eligibility doesn’t hinge on Social Security, disability or food stamps; there’s no “buy one bag of chips, get an Obama phone free” promotion. Just because a woman holding a sign gets a microphone in her face doesn’t make her statements true.

(snip)

I'm not sure why anyone would continue to refer to these as "Obama phones" :confused:

Thank you, Daisy. I am SO incredibly sick of people referring to them as Obama phones. Anything to hate on Obama, even if it makes them look foolish and very much misinformed!! :rolleyes:
 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyph...crazy-for-obama-phones-but-are-they-for-real/

The federal program wasn’t started by President Obama. It dates back to 1996, as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Act did a number of things, including increasing internet access to doctors and patients in rural hospitals (for consults with specialists); subsidizing internet and phone coverage for schools and libraries and providing free or subsidized coverage for families who can’t afford it so that they have links to emergency and government services. The Act was not taxpayer funded… exactly. Taxpayers do pay for coverage but not via federal income taxes. Instead, the Act “mandated the creation of the universal service fund (USF) into which all telecommunications providers are required to contribute a percentage of their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues.” So that little fee on your phone bill labeled USF? That’s what you’re paying for.

bbm
 
The extent of what people receive (and who can receive it) is:

Link-Up assists consumers with the installation costs of phone service. The program pays up to $30 of the cost of installation and up to $200 in the form of a one year, interest-free loan for additional installation costs.

Lifeline provides discounts on basic monthly service at a primary residence for qualified telephone customers. These discounts can be up to $10.00 per month, or more for certain Native Americans. Generally, to qualify, your income must be at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines (these vary by location and size of family but for comparison, rings in at $22,350 for a family of four in the lower 48)

If the person receives the $9-10 credit on a land line, it can't also be used for a cell phone. The free phones are only available in a few states, and are basically a prepaid phone with 250 (I believe) minutes included. I don't live in one of those states, and wouldn't get the phone if I was. I do get the discount on my phone bill (about $9/mo), and so seldom go anywhere that I have no use for a cell phone. Personally, I'd rather have an income over the poverty limit and get no help.

ETA: https://www.safelinkwireless.com/Enrollment/Safelink/en/Public/NewHome.html
 
This post was about a man getting arrested for charging his phone. Which is stupid could they have not just told him not to do it.
 
Pretty good article here and links to others. Wonder how much it costs to charge a car compared to a phone?
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20121112/ARTICLE/121119888?p=2&tc=pg


"It is not difficult for homeless advocates to point out that people with money are treated differently by city officials: for those able to afford an electric car, Sarasota offers free electrical power at vehicle charging stations throughout the city, including one at City Hall."

"Gillespie Park is a quiet reserve in the 700 block of N. Osprey Avenue. It has a small pond, ducks, playground equipment, several picnic shelters and a police substation that is not always staffed."

"Maura “Cookie” Wood relies on the outlets to charge her electric wheelchair. She competes with others because the outlets are in use throughout most of the day."
 
Many homeless people are Veterans.

I guess some feel once they are not shiny and new anymore and are mentally and physically ruined they shouldn't even have a cell phone.
 
Many homeless people are Veterans.

I guess some feel once they are not shiny and new anymore and are mentally and physically ruined they shouldn't even have a cell phone.

They shouldn't be homeless either. I think all Veterans should get AT LEAST what those who don't work and have several kids get. Free housing. Free food. Free healthcare. Free phones. To me it's a no brainier. But unfortunately, our veterans are treated as second class (3rd class?) citizens when they should be treated as heroes.

JMO
 
They shouldn't be homeless either. I think all Veterans should get AT LEAST what those who don't work and have several kids get. Free housing. Free food. Free healthcare. Free phones. To me it's a no brainier. But unfortunately, our veterans are treated as second class (3rd class?) citizens when they should be treated as heroes.

JMO

I agree that veterans should have no worries when it comes to medical care, housing, pensions, etc.

A neighbor we on e had was a Korean War vet and he suffered from Krohn's disease. He could get free medical care at the VA but the level of care was so poor they often just took him to the ER when he had really bad episodes even though they had to pay out of pocket for it.

I always felt so bad for him and his wife. They were living so frugally off of their retirement and savings and it seems like they should have had more provided for them because of his service to our Country. :(
 
Was he charging his cellphone after hours? I don't get it.
 

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