re: #557 MrPaulRevere

More insanity: Thousands of low-income Coloradans reliant on public assistance could get a free cellphone under a plan before the state Public Utilities Commission. [Link: www.denverpost.com…]

re: #577 kynna

And who pays for the minutes? And when they go over is there any penalty? And the replacements when they lose them (because everybody loses at least one cell phone in their lifetime, even when they paid for it)? What if they sell them to others to buy drugs?

Hm. They never think these things through, do they?

Kynna & MrPaul: I don’t know enough about this particular program to judge if it’s a good idea or bad idea. As you say, the article raises a lot more questions than it answers.

Still, I don’t think it’s fair to automatically presume that a cell phone is a ridiculous luxury for people who are struggling. How do you apply for a job these days, if you don’t have a phone? Do you give them the number of the pay phone at your apartment building? Nope, pay phones are gone.

Give them the cell numbers of your drugged-out neighbors, who may or may not relay the message, even if they answer? What if you’re homeless? I hear tons of jokes about homeless people having cell phones, but who can put a cell phone to better immediate use than somebody who’s hungry and wanting to work?

If we’re expecting people in bad circumstances to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, a cheap cell phone is one of the most useful “bootstraps” I can think of, in the real world.

Is there potential for abusing the program? Sure. Every program known to mankind gets abused. But if one person in ten is able to use a cheap cell phone to get off the welfare rolls at some point, doesn’t that save taxpayer dollars in the long run?