> This is the same as some of the utterances by Chertoff and others.
> They lead insular lives too far removed
> from the reality of at least half the people in the country. It would
> probably not occur to many of them that
> many of the DP's have no bank accounts. Even if that did occur to
> them they would most likely assume it
> was an insignificant percentage well below what it actually is.
> As the gap between the have's and have-not's increases so does the
> understanding of what life is like for the other.
>
I just can't believe they're treating the DPs like lowlife welfare recipients who can just fucking well wait for their pittance.
I mean, I know people who recieve that kind of treatment on a day-to-day basis, no real surprises for me here, except these folks are *not* of that ...profile. It's just bizzare.
The ones that *do* fall through the cracks should be politicized and easy to organize thru groups such as food-not-bombs and other "street level" organizations. Maybe a percentage of the abandoned middle class of the Gulf region will learn to live with a more cooperative societal model and give new life to the aborted attempt in the 60s to rebuild American society with a more humane, egalitarian world outlook.
Hey! Could happen!
After all, some of the most enduring communes and cooperatives in America's history were, and are, south of the Mason-Dixon line.
<...> But Mr. Passey said, "As we've looked at the logistics of expanding the debit card, we believe that our normal methods of delivery, checks and electronic funds transfer, will suffice."
Under questioning by reporters, he said he could not explain why traditional conduits of aid, which take from 10 days to two weeks to reach victims, provided they have addresses or working bank accounts, had been deemed more appropriate than the immediate relief offered by the debit cards.
He said "program specialists" had made the decision. <...> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/09/national/nationalspecial/09debit.html
Isn't that special!
Leigh www.leighm.net