There are reports that some people who have received FEMA or Red Cross debit cards are not making the wisest buying decisions.
Some Evacuees Spend Relief Money At Strip Clubs
I don't think that beer and strippers are what was meant by "relief".
Retailers take a swipe at Katrina card use
There are reports of people using the cards to buy $800 handbags, a PlayStation, jewelry, a TV, and a DVD player.
It is probably only a few people out of the thousands who received debit cards that are using them to buy non-essential items. (Unless lots of others had the sense to use the debit cards to get cash and then use the cash to make purchases that can't be tracked.) Some may also be people who were not victims of the hurricane and flooding but scammed the Red Cross. Even if the majority of people who got the debit cards use them wisely, news stories like this will only add to the opinion that many Katrina evacuees are less victims of the hurricane than they are victims of their own bad choices and squandered opportunities.
Posted by marybeth at September 19, 2005 12:24 AM Newswell, yes, it IS a test - but I hope we all pass it, realize that these are the provebial bad apples, and continue to offer help and generosity to these people.
Posted by Peter Porcupine at September 19, 2005 11:56 AMI was having problems with my comments and "test" was just that, a check to see if it was working again. You have amazing timing...I had the MT control panel open at the same time so I could delete it seconds after I posted it.
Good point nevertheless.
Posted by marybeth at September 19, 2005 03:08 PM