There’s a huge, often contentious debate going on in this country regarding government spending. Some say spending is out of control and has to be slashed. Others say we’re not spending enough. We’re not here to take sides.
Our goal is simple: To remind everyone in Congress – Republicans, Democrats and Independents – that Lifeline Assistance, the free government cell phone program, is not funded with tax dollars. As a result, cutting this valuable program will not save one cent in taxes.
Nevertheless, otherwise intelligent, well-informed people seem to think it is. Take the following three cases, for example:
Sean Duffy, a Congressman from Wisconsin, is quoted in BusinessWeek, one of the world’s most highly respected publications. The magazine said, “Aside from shrimp treadmills, Duffy also said that the U.S. spends $27 million on Moroccan pottery classes and $2.2 billion in free cell phones and pays the travel expenses of the watermelon queen of Alabama.”
Dr. Keith Ablow, a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team. His patients are in trouble if the good doctor knows as little about mental health as he knows about the free government cell phone program.
“The American drug of choice is wild partying with entitlement spending and bloated budgets in many government agencies and departments,” Ablow said in an opinion piece. “This drug has allowed our people to feel better than they should about their economic circumstances, their educational system, our ability to defend our nation and our own abilities to sustain our lifestyles—whether those lifestyles are propped up by free cell phones, or funny money Medicare insurance….”
Finally, Jude Federspiel proved he wasn’t thinking clearly when he said this in an article at AmericanThinker.com:
“According to the democratically controlled Senate, every single dollar the federal government spends is absolutely critical — even more, equally critical. A dollar spent on defense matches exactly the importance of a dollar spent on outreach programs, a reality TV show in India, studies on studies, foreign aid, rural broadband deployment, free cell phones, and all other federal dollars.”
Sorry, Congressman Duffy. Sorry, Dr. Ablow. Sorry Mr. Federspiel. Despite being unfortunately and inaccurately nicknamed the ObamaPhone and the free government cell phone program, Lifeline Assistance receives no federal tax dollars, no state tax dollars, and no local tax dollars.
It is 100% funded by a small fee added to the phone bills of every American every month.
So feel free to slash the salaries of Congressmen or reduce the number of lavish foreign junkets they take or eliminate all the other freebies with which they reward themselves.
But forget about cutting the free government cell phone program, because it helps millions of needy Americans who really need the help and it is NOT funded with tax dollars.
chuck robbins says
People in this country have been programmed to complain about others who need assistance getting the assistance they need. I agree that the govt. employees, politicians in particular, need to have their compensation packages cut to not so lavish proportions. Why is it that people who have, get so mad at those who have not? The system we live under produces this inequality by borrowing money from a foreign owned bank in the first place. The federal reserve is not federal anything. It is not even a government institution. It is a corporation owned by individuals, some of whom are not even U.S. citizens… and they are allowed to control our money supply? How wise is that practice? Trillions of dollars come up missing per year over the last 15 years. Let’s not deprive the poorer of our people of the basics when our system allows fat cats to do what they wish. That IS with our tax dollars. There is where attention should be focused. I am glad to hear that tax dollars are not involved, now, I can make that well known when people complain about their tax dollars paying for those phones. Knowledge is power.
Bill R says
Call it what you like but it is still a tax. Just like sales tax, if you buy the service you pay the tax(Fee). I have 3 phone lines that are costing me about $ 28.00 a month x 12 =336.00 a year. I could use that money to buy the food for lunches for my Son because I don’t nor wouldn’t qualify for free lunches. I ruptured a disc and herniated another working 26 years ago, but I rehabbed and though in pain worked. I remember getting a visit from people who said if I worked it right I wouldn’t have to work again. I just couldn’t imagine going thru life being a leach.To those claiming back pain, in most cases not all, the biggest problem is they stop moving. I have a farming business that gets no Govt help in any way never has most likely never will, The only thing my wife and I get are tax bills and fees from all the various levels of government. $12,000. + property taxes, $ 9000. + federal tax and another $6000.+ in county, local and additional taxes all on combined income of $56,000. a year. This has got to stop. The people doing the supporting are no better off than those being supported, its just their drive won’t let them give up and take that road.
educateyourselfbeforespeaking says
This is totally incorrect and idiotic. You clearly have zero knowledge of how Ronald Regans program works. A tax is legislated by a government body not by a board of directors of a telecommunication firm. This service is NOT mandatory it is a telecommunication service and you choose to have a cellphone or home phone or internet. These are for profit firms and they can do what they want with their money and charge any fee they would like. They also can have whoever they would like to manage the fee, as they do in ethis case allowing the federal government tomanage the fees, you have a choice to not pay the fee by NOT having a telecommunication service. Hell, you can send smoke signals or write letters. There are not fees on written letters. You have a choice to pay the fee or not pay the fee. You DONT have a choice to pay taxes. they are required to be paid annually. There is HUGE difference, hence the reason will never be pulled because the government funds nothing only manages the program. Educate yourself, before speaking on topics.
Adam Jones says
Nice try. You apparently don’t understand how the FCC regulates all communications via licensing and regulations and taxes. See FEDERAL USF fee for example. Congress has mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/phonebills/samplePhonebill.html#Carrier%20Universal%20Service%20Charge:
But I’ll humor you: So then who is paying the telecommunication “fee” on those “free” Obamaphones? The freeloaders “chose” to use the telecommunication service. Who is paying the “fee” for their chosen use of the telecommunication service?
Is the federal government then “managing” it so that only certain people who “choose” a telecommunication service do not pay the “fee”, while others cannot have the same choice?
Why would a “for-profit” company continue to use a “manager” that doesn’t collect their user fees?
Ric Carter says
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/free-government-cell-phone-program-isnt-funded-with-tax-dollars
This article is a lie. There is no choice on paying the telephone access fee. THIS IS A TAX! So we, through government extortion, DO pay a tax for this.
HerseyK says
I appreciate your site, but the program has been abused and you know it.
A mandatory fee is really a tax. Isn’t that how the ACA (ObamaCare) got through the courts?
I also don’t consider $30 a year to be a “small” fee. I used to have multiple phone lines. Not small fee.
chuck robbins says
Every program run by the government, and practically every other program, has been abused. Wall street got trillions of dollars, our dollars, when they mismanaged their money… (oops, i mean our money).
This, even though they are required to only maintain 10%, or less, of the money they loan out in the bank at any one time. How can anyone possibly lose out when they have so much cushion to play with? Easy, they give it away to their cronies, in loans they know will never be paid back… everybody gets a piece of the pie, except for the man in the street, then who gets to pick up the tab? Guess.
Funny, isn’t it, that people complain about something which helps people, yet, accept being ripped off for trillions, without so much as a whimper, by the wall street people?
Stop the complaining, people. Shouldn’t you be smiling because the small fee you pay does so much good for so many people? Or am I missing something here? Best regards…