Fraudulent spending by Katrina victims?

[Crazy Dave]

You hear a lot of people bitching about a small minority of folks who used their $2000 debit cards for playstations and boob jobs but now we're learning about the big pre-Christmas shopping sprees of government employees from FEMA, DHS and the Secret Service agencies.

"Beer brewing, iPods among Katrina purchases"
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A beer-brewing kit and over 50 iPod music players are among hundreds of thousands of dollars' in wasteful purchases by Homeland Security Department employees following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, according to a report released on Wednesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060719/us_nm/hurricanes_katrina_spending_dc

[Midlodemocrat]

1. I don't care if they used it on hookers and booze.

I wasn't displaced by a storm. I have no idea how I would react and I'm not going to judge.


"A Gift not given freely becomes a debt".

[SeattleGirl]

3. You are so right, Midlodemocrat

There are some situations -- such as Katrina -- where, unless you've been directly impacted (which I was not), you should just keep your mouth shut and judgements to yourself (if you have judgemental thoughts about what people in those situations do). I have absolutely no idea what I would have done, how I would have reacted, had I been living in the Gulf region and been directly impacted by Katrina and/or Rita. It's so easy to judge people, isn't it, especially when those who judge have not been in the same situation as those they are judging.

[Crazy Dave]

5. It's the same as people saying...

..."You wasted your money buying this or that, yadda, yadda". The key words are, "your money" to do as you please with. It's just been a convenient excuse not to help and to show their true colors (racists). Of course the media was a willing participant in it all. You saw more of the bad than the sad. Like I said, a small few out of hundreds of thousands :hi:

[SeattleGirl]

6. The media does like to focus on the few as opposed to the many.

"More of the bad than the sad" is exactly right. Like the people "looting" after Katrina. Yes, some did take things that weren't exactly going to help them survive, but it seems to me that most of the people where were "looting" were taking food and water -- things needed to survive. And God knows that the Government didn't exactly rush in with relief.

In every group of people, regardless of the situation, there will be those who will do the wrong thing. But I hate it that so often, those things are the focus of the news, and not the "sad" ones. And again, given that I was not in that situation, I cannot really judge even those who might have taken non-essential items. I hope to God I am never in such a situation.

[Crazy Dave]

8. What really steams me...

...and as the article points out, there was plenty of fraud, stealing and looting on the government's behalf. I heard plenty of stories of donations and food supplies brought in by volunteers that were diverted to police departments and national guard troops for their benefit versus the victims. Cars and trucks taken from undamaged car lots by police and the hog wild spending as mentioned in the article. "110 laptops" gone, poof, nobody knows nothing? All I read too was that they were going to "tighten up" in the future. I saw nothing about pressing charges or employment terminating (gov. employees), but you will start hearing about young minority men and women (victims) going to jail for buying Nike tennis shoes and diamond watches if they don't pay back what they bought with the debit cards from what I've heard previously on NPR :mad: :nuke:

[MADem]

7. No one's griping about the VICTIMS in this case

...purchases by Homeland Security Department employees....

[Crazy Dave]

9. And no talk of jail or getting fired either

n/t

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Sorry. Missed that. I kneejerked when I read the thread title.

Thanks.

[Crazy Dave]

12. I didn't notice but...

...you mean you didn't even read the thread before posting?

[KingFlorez]

2. Not surprising

Look at what administration they are working under

[seemunkee]

4. my company has a purchase card reconciliation program

We have it installed at other agencies. I just sent that link to our salesman.

[Hubert Flottz]

10. Sounds about right...

Wexler Renews Call for FEMA Director's Removal

Cites FEMA's Failure to Account for Hiring of Ex-Cons as Inspectors and Erroneous Disbursements

http://wexler.house.gov/news.php?ID=54


Ignorant America

Flood Fraud

http://ignorantusa.tripod.com/id23.html


FEMA Blames S. Fla. Claim Inaccuracies on Computer Keystroke 'Glitch'

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2005/01/12/49593.htm


Brown's stench was detected long before Katrina, but it was ignored

http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/001812.php


FEMA says 'glitch' caused overpayments
But an agency official denies allegations that it paid millions in fraudulent disaster aid claims to residents in Miami-Dade County.

snip...

Dan Craig, director of FEMA's recovery division, said the problem occurred throughout the state but he downplayed the error, saying the agency processed 1.2-million applications statewide.

Craig also defended FEMA against allegations that the agency paid millions in fraudulent disaster aid claims in Miami-Dade County, which missed a direct hit by a hurricane by 100 miles. FEMA paid
about $30-million to more than 12,500 residents.


snip...

Craig said Miami-Dade County received 4 to 10 inches of rain during the week of Hurricane Frances and experienced winds between 55 and 80 mph.

However, the National Weather Service reports that the wind speed in the county peaked at 36 mph on Sept. 4, when Frances hit, while the National Hurricane Center reported the maximum sustained wind at Miami International Airport was about 43 mph during Frances. The hurricane center reported no official gauges in Miami-Dade recording 4 inches of rain or more during the hurricane.

FEMA officials could not provide documentation to support their claims about the weather.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/01/11/State/FEMA_says__glitch__ca.shtml