Gimme, I'm Entitled!

You knew it was gonna' happen, didn't you? Your donation/tax dollars at play.

"Profiteering ghouls have been using debit cards distributed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina - intended to buy essentials for evacuated families - in luxury-goods stores as far away as Atlanta.

"We've seen three of the cards," said a senior employee of the Louis Vuitton store at the Lenox Square Mall in affluent Buckhead, who asked not to be named. "Two I'm certain have purchased; one actually asked if she could use it in the store. This has been since Saturday."

"The distinctive white cards were distributed by the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and carry a value of up to $2,000.

"It doesn't say anything on the card other than alcohol, tobacco and firearms cannot be purchased with it," the store employee told me. "There's nothing legally that prevents us from taking it, unfortunately. Other than morally, it's wrong."

Morals, hell. Gimme' those free Liver Snaps, FEMA!

And then, of course, there's this first hand report.

"In addition, my mother and I were urged strongly by the wife of another cousin of mine (who works for the Tangiphoa Parish government by the way) to apply for Disaster Food Stamps. My mom went back to her job at Wal-Mart Tuesday and while I'm out of a job right now, I've still got plenty of money in savings and checking accounts. These food stamps are meant for those who do not have a job, have no income at all, and are displaced. We only meet one of three. My cousin's wife told me that she did it and she's recieving food stamps. The problem in their case is that both my cousin and her are back at work and never left their homes. I expect more cases of fraud to pop up in the coming months and years."

posted by Harrison at 7:59 AM