With the libs’ propensity to blame Bush for every little problem in this country, I thought I’d start playing the blame game too.  Did you know, for instance, that the federal Universal Service Fund for which I pay about $6 per month in addition to my regular bill (not sure if it’s the same for everyone) is now being used to pay for the fastest growing welfare entitlement program in the country?

In 2008, the fund that foots the bill for this program contributed $819 million to subsidize low-income telephone services. The fund is projected to grow to over $1 billion this year. That’s $1 billion of over $800 billion the United States will spend on welfare in 2010.

This particular program is covered by
the federal Universal Service Fund. At first it received its money by
essentially taxing telephone companies that provided long-distance
service, with the money then being used to provide affordable rates for
those living in less densely populated areas where phone service was
more costly. However, in 1996, Congress voted to extend the use of this
fund to subsidize low-income households and subsequently expanded the
list of those required to pay into the fund to include: local telephone companies, wireless companies, paging services, and payphone providers. (Naturally, the cost for this fund is passed to the customer.) In 2008, the Federal Communications Commission began subsidizing cell phones for low-income households.

I figure since Clinton was President back in 1996, I’ll blame him.  After all, it was on his watch that we began paying for pagers and cell phones for the poor.  So yeah, I blame Clinton.

And by the way… since when is having a cell phone a RIGHT?  Why is it that “the poor” are somehow entitled to mobile phones at our expense?  Why is it that they deserve pagers paid for by people who actually work for a living?

h/t my friend Shelley on Facebook.

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