I've been hearing ads on the radio and seeing ads on TV for something called Safelink phone service. It is a government sponsored plan that gives FREE OF CHARGE a cell phone, along with what goes with a cell phone (voice mail, minutes, caller ID, etc.) to eligible people. I went to the website to learn more, and the program is run in conjunction with Tracfone Wireless. There's no other phone service company to choose from, the only choice is TracFone. But that's not my big problem with this program.
At what point did it become the government's responsibility to make sure everyone has a cell phone? Or any telephone for that matter? I don't remember free phone service being offered before, even before cell phones. If you didn't have the money, you didn't have a phone. TracFone believes that having a cell phone is a RIGHT and that no matter what your income level, you have a guaranteed right to have a cell phone.
"TracFone Wireless believes that cell phone ownership is a right and an important tool for individual success in today's world. Everyone should have a cell phone without the need for a contract or a high credit rating." https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/about_us.aspx
Why? Why are my tax dollars being wasted on this program? Why are my dollars being used for something I don't see as a constitutional right? Having a cell phone is not a RIGHT. It is a privilege and a luxury, not a RIGHT. You have the RIGHT to free speech, but you don't have the RIGHT to get a cell phone in order to have free speech. The government had it's fingers in phone service for years until deregulation came along, but they never gave away free phones. Having a phone, whether a "land line" or a cell phone is nothing more than pure privilege, not right.
And why should I have to pay for someone to have a cell phone? No one pays for my cell phone. There are a lot of things we need in life, but almost all of them are not RIGHTS. They are privileges. Luxuries. Things we WORK for. I might be on board with this cell phone giveaway if, and only if, the phone only called 9-1-1 for emergencies. And, if the person didn't have an emergency, they would be charged for the call and given a ticket for making false 9-1-1 calls. But this program doesn't restrict the use of the phone. So if Chatty Kathy wants to annoy every driver on the road telling her BFF about the latest gossip, she can. At tax payer expense. Oh, the website does mention that if a person runs out of minutes, they can purchase more TracFone cards to buy more minutes. What? If they can afford the extra minutes, why can't they afford the phone in the first place? TracFones are $10 bucks at Big Lots the last time I checked, and are around the same price at Walmart too.
In a government system run amok with spending, this is the straw for me. Having phone service is not a RIGHT and anyone who thinks so is wrong. Just flat-out plain wrong. It is not the governments business to make sure people can chat with their BFF's. And what good will that phone do when they have used up all the minutes doing so and then complain they don't have any phone service for the rest of the month? What then? At some point, some sue-happy People's Flower Power group is going to sue for unlimited minutes because, after all, you can't restrict free speech if you are going to give it out to begin with. At what point, do we just turn every single aspect of our lives over to the government and like the zombies we are destine to become, let them choose every aspect of our lives from cell phones to clothing?
Will we work just for "living credits" instead of a paycheck? Hey, you worked 5 hours this week! Yeah! Good for you! You can have a gallon of milk or a cell phone. But, don't forget, for every hour you work, you also have to support the ones who won't work, so you'll get a half gallon of milk instead. Sorry about the cell phone, maybe next week.
The sense of entitlement in the country is growing at an alarming rate. I do believe we need to take care of a slice of society that truly can not work or support themselves for various reasons. Disabilities, retirement, veterans, and to help people get back on their feet; a temporary help, not permanent. Food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. But not a cell phone. Or a computer, or TV, or car, or vacations, or anything else that seems so silly, and just as silly as free cell phones.
Where is this money coming from anyway? Don't we hear about all the short falls the government is experiencing, and yet something as frivolous as a cell phone gets money from said broke government? What truly needed program was cut off so that BFF's can waste the money chatting about the game? Or the soaps? Or the neighborhood gossip? How many of the people who get the free phones will actually use them for emergencies or something productive? I do not consider gossip productive.
This is a stupid program. Plain and simple. And yes, I know there is a lot of government waste and stupid uses of money, but do we really need to condone this behavior? And, at what point can I start saying I have a right to (fill in the blank) and therefore the government should supply it to me. It's my right after all.
