Unbelievable. This is an example of liberals at work. By Hillary Chabot Thursday, May 7, 2009 Gov. Deval Patrickâs free wheels for welfare recipients program is revving up despite the stalled economy, as the keys to donated cars loaded with state-funded insurance, repairs and even AAA membership are handed out to get them to work. But the program - fueled by a funding boost despite the stateâs fiscal crash - allows those who end up back on welfare to keep the cars anyway. âItâs mind-boggling. Youâve got people out there saying, âI just lost my job. Hey, can I get a free car, too?â â said House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading). The Patrick administration decided last month to funnel an additional $30,000 to the nearly $400,000 annual car ownership program. The program, which is provided by the State Department of Transitional Assistance, gives out about 65 cars a year, said DTA Commissioner Julia Kehoe. The state pays for the carâs insurance, inspection, excise tax, title, registration, repairs and a AAA membership for one year at a total cost of roughly $6,000 per car. The program, which started in 2006, distributes cars donated by non-profit charities such as Good News Garage, a Lutheran charity, which also does the repair work on the car and bills the state. Kehoe defended the program, saying the state breaks even by cutting welfare payments to the family - about $6,000 a year. âIf you look at the overall picture, this helps make sure people arenât staying on cash assistance. Itâs a relatively short payment for a long-term benefit,â Kehoe said. But Kehoe admitted about 20 percent of those who received a car ended up back on welfare, and while they lose the insurance and other benefits, they donât have to return the car. âGiven the stateâs fiscal condition, paying for AAA and auto inspection costs is outrageous,â said Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei (R-Wakefield). âThere are so many families out there trying to deal with layoffs and pay cuts. You have to wonder what the stateâs priorities are at this point.â Applicants for cars must have a job or prove they could get one if they had the car in order to qualify. Once they have the wheels, they must send DTA their pay stubs to prove they are employed. To get the cars, they must be unable to reach work by public transportation and have a clean driving record. The program is only available to families on welfare with children. Kehoe said the bulk of cars go to places with less public transportation, such as Fitchburg, New Bedford and Lowell. âI canât believe there are no restrictions on how they use the car,â Jones said. âI just donât see this as a core function of government.â
The great Jack Kemp had a similar idea. His belief is that the lower class needed access to capital to become entrepreneurs. He proposed that the Government give ownership of public housing to the tenets. Let the tenants act like owners and it is said they will respect and care for the property better. This would give the poor capital to better themselves.
That would be hysterical. P.J. O'Rourke once proposed that very idea to some people living in public housing. I think it was mentioned in Parliment of Whores. The residents were all griping about how the government was messing everything up, and PJ said to them something like "How about if you could become owners of the building? You could fix it up and make it a nice place to live." And they looked at him like he was a moron from outer space and said "I ain't goin' for that."
I predict this program will expand and become federal. How else are they going to get rid of those ChryslerFiats? Maybe Obama will think big and expand it to give new immigrants new Chrysler/Fiats, kind of a welcome to america gift. They already get free health care, schooling, etc so why not a car. The ones that were smart enough to get a subprime mortgage got free housing as well. Is this a great country or what? ps. Send the bill to those rich republican white people.
Don't stop there..........giv'em a free Xbox too.......and wtf, throw in a 5.1 surround sound system. Everybody has the right.......don't they?
And of course all those empty foreclosed houses, a you know how will be owning them soon, complements of the Fed Govt. Send the bill to those rich republican white people.