When you see a homeless person or a person using food staps with a nice phone, don't judge!

[Lady Freedom Returns]

Last edited Wed Apr 24, 2013, 10:33 PM - Edit history (1)

I have seen some of the latest of what is known as "Obamaphones" (street slang) and they are not what those of the past have been.

They are Kin brand phones. They are a touchscreen, you can get on line with them in way of public Wi-Fi. They don't look cheep like one would think on phones on this program looked.

These phones are being passed out to those that need communication. This is giving people an advantage to cheek e-mail and contact possible jobs, family that can help in a tough situation, even call for help.

Now with this move going on, there is a push for people to donate there old smart phone. Check with your local shelters. Many are collecting old phone. They get sent in, the shelter gets money for collecting them to help the shelter, and then they get either get fixed up for the program or, if they are in really bad shape, recycled.


So please don't judge on by their phone and please don't just toss that old smartphone! That old thing may become another's life raft!

[Cha]

1. K&R Lady Freedom Returns.. thanks

[sheshe2]

2. Well said, Lady Freedom Returns!

[Glimmer of Hope]

3. This is a great idea. I wonder if there is program like this in DC?

None of the homeless behind my building have phones as far as I know.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

6. More than likely.

Companies that are doing this usually go to the food bank and walk-in centers to get the phones out. All one needs is an ID (the walk in shelters help homeless people get that and if they need help get birth certificates) and something like a food stamp card or a print out from a shelter to qualify.

[Glimmer of Hope]

8. Thanks for the info! I am going to ask around to make sure.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

9. If not, call the companies up.

You can Google them. They would like to know if they are missing people!

[FredisDead]

4. Snopes: Phone Home

http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/cellphone.asp

MIXTURE OF TRUE AND FALSE INFORMATION:

TRUE: A federal program subsidizes providers who supply telephone services to low-income consumers.

FALSE: The Obama administration created a program to provide free cell phones and service to welfare recipients.

The Lifeline program originated in 1984, during the administration of Ronald Reagan; it was expanded in 1996, during the administration of Bill Clinton; and its first cellular provider service (SafeLink Wireless) was launched by TracFone in 2008, during the administration of George W. Bush. All of these milestones were passed prior to the advent of the Obama administration.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

10. But street slang for them are Obanaphones.

And they are upgrading.

[Sunlei]

45. yeah but republicans nagged Obama about free phones in their years of usless attacks

So fine it's Obama phones because it wasn't untill this Presidents time homeless and people in poverty actual had the free phones.

[freshwest]

5. Good advice. I never do, I think it's selfish and petty to examine others too closely.

People who have not been without a home take it for granted that it is part of a person's life. Some homeless are holding onto what they have, as selling some things doesn't get them a home and they may not ever be able to afford to replace whatever it is. Some have a nice vehicle they sleep in like an SUV, a health club membership to take a shower and change clothes to look for a job, or a laptop or cellphone to get a job.

Those not in that condition may look at these things as sign of wealth, but they are not. If you sleep in your vehicle, bathe in a public place, etc., it's miles cheaper than rent, first month last month down, deposit, utility start up, etc. And that won't happen without an income.

For those who have to chase the social services route for a check, going in and getting proof every thirty days (there but for the grace of god go I) it takes up all their time and energy and they must be able to communicate.

Those few things you mention a person has, may ALL they have. to keep in touch and get out of their situation. It's not a luxury as it would be for a person who has a land line at home. People should think outside the box of how they live; many have some much they see things like this as toys and they are anything but.

So I'd ask people to not judge and use their imagination. It's also possible what they have may be a gift. Or that vehicle they arrive at the grocery store is not theirs.

Or the clothes, fast food or the other things they are buying are from gift cards, which the thrift shop and market does not take.

They might consider what it would be to have the clothes on your back, an uncomfortable place to sleep with the only security they have, their vehicle, and those electronics which do not have enough resale value to get them a place to live.

Too many people don't mind their own business and slander others of all walks of life. IMO.

[Live and Learn]

15. +1 nt

[CrispyQ]

7. Don't judge, period.

The reason judging is a sin is because you can't judge outside the context of your own life. It's the "you can't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes" lesson. I wonder, is it that very thing, that keeps people from having empathy for others until a similar experience happens to someone they know/love?

em·pa·thy (mp-th)
n.
1. Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives.

We are all human. Why is empathy so hard? How much is because our culture discourages it?

ps - I am a non-believer, but I think the non-judging part is key in every human interaction. I am not perfect at it, but I try.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

43. OK, I didn't think is was conditional

[Sekhmets Daughter]

11. Well said...

and it needed to be said! Thanks.

[marble falls]

12. More correctly these are Reaganphones, not Obamaphones.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

14. Street slang is Obamaphones.

[jmowreader]

13. The other reason not to judge people over their phone...

Nice phones are getting REAL cheap. Go to http://cartoys.com/default.cfm/w/Free_Phones and look...

[alp227]

16. Aren't poor people supposed to look like gutter punks? They shouldn't have access to refrigerators,

modern technology, PHONES...but don't they need to get JOBS????

Ha, I love the cognitive dissonance of right wingers when it comes to welfare recipients as I describe above. You can thank Robert Rector and the Heritage Foundation.

[Milliesmom]

17. Actually

President Reagan started the phone program. I have a phone through Safelink, it is not fancy and i use it for emergency only to call out if my car breaks down ( it's 12 years old ) or if I fall I have it in my pocket ( I'm 72 ) I receive 60 minutes per month (the lowest amount ) I opted for the low amount as I only call if I have to. There are people that need a phone and cannot afford them, you can only get one if you are on food stamps or getting assistance in some form

[Lady Freedom Returns]

18. "Obamaphone" is the street slang.

[gollygee]

21. It's slang started by Republicans though

and I think it's got a racist edge as well, trying to suggest that Obama is "redistributing wealth" by taking white people's money and giving it to black people in ways like giving them phones.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

22. Well their plan backfired.

People on the street called them that because they thank President Obama for a chance to be normal. Most never new of this program till those doing it hit the streets. And most never saw this till Obama became President.

And be very careful as to who you tell that they is should be called a Reganphone. Ragan is a dirty word to many as well as Bush on the street.

[dkf]

31. No, the woman on the YouTube viral video called them that.

[PeaceNikki]

41. exactly. I'm not buying that it's "street slang". it's a republican dig at the poor.

And Obama's massively "socialist" administration.

[dkf]

42. That wasn't a Republican speaking. She was an Obama supporter.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

19. K&R nt

[gollygee]

20. "Don't judge" is generally a pretty good rule

especially around things like poverty where people make so many huge assumptions.

People can buy phones for loved ones who are having financial trouble, women's shelters give phones to women for safety reasons, some homeless shelters make donated phones available, etc. There are plenty of reasons someone in poverty might have a nice phone. I've heard so many complaints about stuff like this. About brands of clothing people wear too, as if people should avoid the nicer brands if shopping at thrift stores. You can get brand name clothes at thrift shops, world! Oh, and women having nice fingernails, which seems to be directed at African American women and to me seems like a completely racist rant. I've seen so many directions to do fancy nails for yourself and your friends on Pinterest that I know you don't have to spend $60 on nails.

The assumption is that if you are poor, you'd damn well better look poor, or people will try to punish you if they can. But OTOH you're supposed to also be looking for work, and you will have a much harder time finding a job if you look poor, so really you're in a catch-22.

[TheKentuckian]

23. No worries, I'm not a simple and judgmental asshole.

[midnight]

24. K&R

[AtheistCrusader]

25. So THAT'S where the Microsoft Kin phones went.

[Ian David]

26. More info here on the "Obama Phones" from Snopes

Claim: The Obama administration created a program to provide free cell phones to welfare recipients.

MIXTURE OF TRUE AND FALSE INFORMATION:

TRUE: A federal program subsidizes providers who supply telephone services to low-income consumers.

FALSE: The Obama administration created a program to provide free cell phones and service to welfare recipients.

<snip>

The Lifeline program originated in 1984, during the administration of Ronald Reagan; it was expanded in 1996, during the administration of Bill Clinton; and its first cellular provider service (SafeLink Wireless) was launched by TracFone in 2008, during the administration of George W. Bush. All of these milestones were passed prior to the advent of the Obama administration.

The Lifeline program only covers monthly discounts on landline or wireless telephone service for eligible consumers. It does not pay cellular companies to provide free cell phones to consumers, although some cellular service providers choose to offer that benefit to their Lifeline customers.

Lifeline discounts are not available only to "welfare recipients" — these programs are implemented at both the state and federal levels, so qualification criteria can vary from state to state, but in general participants must have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines, or take part in at least one of the following federal assistance programs:

Medicaid;
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP);
Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8);
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP);
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program;
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance;
Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF);
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR);
Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met); or
State assistance programs (if applicable).


The Lifeline program is not directly subsidized by taxpayer monies. It is paid for out of the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) through a fee assessed against telecommunications service providers, who may or may not pass those costs along to their customers:

More:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/cellphone.asp

[Lady Freedom Returns]

27. It is Street slang!

And it is helping people!

[Ian David]

39. Yes, I know. n/t

[virgogal]

28. They sound better than the one I have,much better. I can make

calls and take still pics---that's it.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

29. It is the Microsoft Kin

I saw them out at the food bank today, but I already have a government phone. One of my neighbors got one. First cellphone they ever had. The have no phone due to it costing to much. So now she has a way to call for help, she is elderly, and reach her doctors.


We even used my computer to set up her first e-mail account and she got her first e-mail from family back east.

[virgogal]

32. Good luck to her. I'm also elderly and reaching doctors is imortant. You are

very nice for helping her with the E-Mail account.

Getting old is a bitch---we need help whether we want it or not. (We are often quite stubborn)

[Lady Freedom Returns]

35. That was nothing. She helped us when we first moved in.

We had nothing. literally.

She lend us some blankets and some pots to cook in. She even gave use a cup of laundry detergent for us to do the cloths in our packs.

She even showed us where the closest branch of the food bank was so we did not have to travel clear across town with the boxes.

As I said, helping her with the e-mail and working the phone was nothing!

[Aristus]

30. You're damn straight.

Want to know the realities of life in the homeless community? Ask me. I'm their medical provider.

[Lady Freedom Returns]

36. Sadly many don't./ can't understand the realities.

I have seen some misinformation as of late on many of the boards as of late.

I can understand the problem on the Republican boards, but there are some on Democratic sites that are also using the same misinformation on many different things about it.


I am happy that many don't. I don't wish for anyone to learn about the way many do. But I do wish, with some of what I have read, that they ask if that's really the way of it or not.

[blaze]

46. TY

For being there for those in need.

[DeSwiss]

33. K&R

[MADem]

34. In my state, you have to be crawling up someone's behind to even KNOW if they are using

"food stamps." MA does not have coupon books, we have a credit card looking thing. The person swipes the card, puts in a pin, and has to pay cash for any non-qualifying item.

For all the world, from five paces away, it looks like someone is using a supermarket or debit gift card and bought more than was loaded on the card and is paying the balance in cash.

The days of booklets of monopoly-looking money are long gone.

[Warpy]

37. I never do

not even when the groceries they got for food stamps go into the boot of a Lexus. I never know how long they've been poor or how great a fall it has been, but if they're driving a Lexus, it must have been a real whopper.

A homeless person with a cell phone is likely a working homeless person who needs to keep in touch with his boss.

[napoleon_in_rags]

38. Lifeline for some mentally ill people without other support. And cheap!

The program is a no brainer, and a total winner. It will save lives if it hasn't already. I'll bet Obama just chuckles when he hears about "Obama phones". That's one program he should want his name on.

[awoke_in_2003]

40. Having been on food stamps in the past...

I never judge those that need them.

[Tree-Hugger]

44. No joke

We live in poverty and we do get food stamps. My food choices are judged when I shop at the store. My clothes are judged. My phone, my nails, my sunglasses are judged. My car isn't under scrutiny because it's a small little hatchback with dents. lol I guess that makes it poor enough. I've been judged because we have the internetz at home.

I do have a smartphone. First, the phone cost $0.00 with our plan. Second, my dad pays for it. He has some family plan and he gets all sorts of froo froo discounts for various reasons. He is happy to help us out by paying for the plan. The phone itself is almost two years old and it's nothing too fancy (Droid X2 - Motorolla).

I have nice enough clothes. I wear mostly jeans and shirts. In the summer, I am almost always in dresses and skirts. Most of my clothing is over 4 years old. Some of my skirts (I wear a lot of boho and hippie style stuff) are almost 10 years old. My kids have nice looking clothes. I barely buy anything new anywhere. When I do buy something it's either thrift or super duper clearance. When Kohl's has their 70-90% clearance sales I can manage to get myself a few tops for dirt cheap - usually about $1.00 to $3.00. Same with kids clothes - I usually get shirts for $1 or $2 dollars. I just got tights for my daughter for $0.70 a pair. Plus, Kohl's almost always has 15% or 20% coupons available. Babies 'r' Us can be good for super clearance deals. I cloth diaper my daughter and more than half of her diapers are from when my 6 year old was a baby. My nails are always done. I have bottles of nail polish older than my kids (probably toxic as all hell, but oh well) and I do a damn fine job on my nails. I'm butt ugly and it's one thing that makes me feel a little more put together. But poor people don't deserve that.

My internet is dirt cheap and we use to to submit applications for jobs. I do goofy little surveys for a few bucks online now and then. I also use it to print coupons and rebates.

I'm sure I don't look poor enough to most people and I have definitely felt judging eyes on me on a constant basis. You feel like you can't do or say anything because people automatically measure everything up to your poverty and whether your "working hard enough" or "taking advantage of the system." They act like it's so fun being poor. Yeah, I love not knowing whether we'll have a place to live from month to month. Good times.

[Nye Bevan]

47. Some of your clothes are almost 10 years old?

I still wear a leather jacket that my wife (then girlfriend) gave me in 1992.

[Tree-Hugger]

48. Well

I was just a kid in 1992. If I could fit into my clothes from back then....