Miles Obrien on CNN said the Katrina victims have to sign a waiver to...

...recieve the $2000.00 debit cards that says they will not request any more assistance from the government if they accept it. I guess thats what the chaos was about yesterday at the Astrodome? A million dollars on average for each 9/11 victim and 2 grand per family for these victims. Something doesn't seem right here. I think some lawyers had better get their asses down there pronto.

Don

matters. Maybe his firm will step in....but then, they are lawyers and poor people can't afford lawyers.

sue either--remember the whole point of the 9/11 settlements were to avoid litigation. These people should sue the pants off of FEMA officials and * and his cabinet.

attempt to prevent scrutiny of the document. I'll be the unrest started occurring when someone read the fine print. I wish the press would talk to someone in that building who did read or sign one of those. Did they give them a copy for their records?

I wonder what else is in the fine print (that the government KNOWS the intended can't/won't read)

GEE--WHAT A SURPRISE!

:sarcasm:

OMFG, let's let employers pay the displaced pennies on the dollar AND let's make them sign a waiver declaring that they will take their "four acres and a mule" and fuck the hell off...

Isn't that what this is? "four acres (of swampland) and a mule"???!?!!?

...means not everyone is even getting the whole 2 grand.

Don

Approximately $300 per person is what I hear the amount to be.

We're spending $5 fucking BILLION a month in Iraq & our own citizens hit by the worst natural disaster in our history are getting $300 per person & have to sign a waiver tht they will not ask for more assistance?


I hate these fuckers! I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!

Arghhh!!!!! :banghead:

I read that here yesterday. I could have read that wrong, and I am 1/2 asleep, but I think I'm right.

I love the government and think it does wonderful things when it functions properly. I love having a decent sewage system and safe drinking water and a Post Office and a Highway system across country and all the wonderful things a compassionate government can do but I am not of the belief the government should give me money if my house were to burn down or be destroyed for what ever reason. I understand this situation is a bit different and disaster relief should be available but where do we draw the line? I was opposed to 9-11 victim's families getting millions of dollars unless the goivernment felt responsible for the attack. I would rather give these people thousands of dollars and stop all wars we are engaged in but I have very deep concerns here. If the government is guilty of neglecting it's duty of protecting the citizens then substantial payment should come forth. I don't mind giving a helping hand but I don't want Halliburton to abuse the situation and apparently that is what is happening. Why not pay a decent wage for people struggling? Why do they have to cut wages except to enrich the contractor on tax payers money. I want that money to go to the people and not Halliburton.

that he conveniently forgot to mention we had to pay back come tax day.

Not even enough money to get into an average apartment. (first/last/deposit) They ned clothes, food transportation and more.

Those people are in desperate need and are being given an ultimatum, eat now or later? OMG. That's disgusting. Would this waiver hold up in a court of law? Not that laws mean anything to repukes, mind you. :grr:

The recipients are signing under heavy duress. They are in dire need of the basic necessities of life and they have to sign a document in order to receive them. Also, husbands and wives and partners are split up in different locations. One could sign and one might not agree to it and not know the other did.



Ed; .... but then, the way Smirky is stacking the courts.....

...It'll be somebody elses' problem, not *'s.

Would be able to afford a lawyer to begin with?

He even waived the minimum wage law. So I think we can be pretty sure there is something about binding agreement laws too. After all these are Republicans doing this.

Don

that will get contracts to rebuild NO have to sign a similar waiver?

with any of the Dem congress people or senators. If so can you see if they can pursue this or obtain a copy of that waiver and get it published with appropriate analysis and critique? We need to move on this TODAY--EARLY today.

No indemnity = no aid

They aren't helping... they're just beating on the little guy.

This needs more attention! :kick:

anyone refers to those so-called "handouts."

How cheap is that!!!!

Can you imagine thinking the way they do....ewwwww I need a shower.

mail checks or direct deposit?

But by using the money offered them, the feds. can argue that the people have been compensated, and if they weren't satisfied with the amount given, they shouldn't have accepted the money.

That's how it works in court.

effort to ensure the most poor are getting this money under duress. I have this feeling that this plan was thought up to get the poor out of the way quickly so the real looters (big business) can quickly steal the real money.

omg! 2000? that's it... that's insane.

Not counting any deposit, of course. Considering the fact that many families will have to stay in Houston for several months until and if they can can return to their homes, that means they will have spent nearly 3/4 of that money for a deposit and one month's rent before they even buy food and clothes. Hooking up the utitlies/phone will gobble up the rest of that two grand. So they can eat and live on the streets or find an apt and starve.

From what I understand from the news reports last night, the govt wants all of the citizen-evacuees out of the Dome by next weekend so the Texans can play football. Yes, believe it! So these folks are going to be shuffled around once again, who knows where, with the clothes on their backs and just enough money to survive for a month.

My government DISGUSTS me.

...courtesy of the compassionate landlords.

I'm just thinking that having this in print somewhere will make efforts to get the word out about this outrage much easier.

Voted to recommend. Word about this REALLY needs to get out!

sw

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3344346

Most evacuees at Houston's largest shelters have already done the paperwork, and some have even received checks or aid directly deposited to their bank accounts, making them ineligible for the debit cards

Rick Perry was complicit in this arrangement to lure the evacuees in and than poison them. This probably explains why these people weren't being "released" as Ed Schultz was describing yesterday.

No each and every one of them must be "processed". They must sign away their rights to legal recourse from Rick Perry's jail.

$2000 aint enough. these people don't have a car or even a house. and how the hell are they distributing these debit cards? I thought they couldn't figure out a way to distribute them, so they decided to mail checks to people.

The crimes of this administration just keep getting worse. :puke:

anyone?

:wtf:

This is beyond evil!!! I have no words!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr:

all recipients claiming coercion into signing a contract, during a known time of duress.

What do they do until then with no money, no place to live, no medial care, or anything to eat? They will be dead before their depositions are taken.

Don

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0509/09/ltm.01.html

<snip>M. O'BRIEN: Well, they're not even getting the cards. They're not even getting the cards. It's some people are getting them, some people aren't. I hear that they have to sign a waiver saying they won't ask for any additional aid. Who is going to want to do that? There are all kinds of...

JINDAL: Well...

I'm just sayin'... the Corporate Media report all kinds of bullshit hearsay as if it were straight news. I'm a Red Cross volunteer, we're working with FEMA on distributing the cards, and I didn't hear anything about a waiver during my training yesterday. But then, I'm not working with the survivors yet, and we all know that FEMA stands for Fucked Emergency Management Agency.

Similar to unconfirmed sources say ...

This is big news. It should have been clarified and expanded upon. It's very unprofessional to drop a bomb like that and leave it hanging without any clarification.

Either they should confirm that it's the fact and report it as such or not say anything at all.

and don't sign your name.... sign "this is bullshit"

I know someone who did this on a liability waiver once. No one bothers to look too closely. I am sure they don't have notaries checking and stamping these forms

especially if it is per person versus this which is per family - so the headline grabber for good will is a bait and switch

$2,000 per lot in New Orleans is pretty cheap if the goal is to reclaim the land for development and force out the poor people.

When they were discussing the debit cards a reporter asked if all of the survivors in other locations were also receiving the cards. The on the scene reporter said that Houston was a "test case"

I guess they just wanted to see if people would notice, if anyone was going object and speak out.

Katrina victims when they needed it most?

Obviously their priority was to plan all of this with the big bankers while they left thousands to die with Katrina (who just happened to be poor). How convenient - they can effectively drown those probably on gov't assistance while drowning "big government" (i.e., FEMA, which is incompetent now that they gutted it) in the bathtub.

They didn't come around with any help until they had an economic plan.

Barbara Bush sure thinks that "those people" are getting a great deal. Tell us about it, Mrs. Antoinette.

How much more evil can these rightwing criminals get?

Back in the 70's my grandmother's basement and first floor were flooded by a hurricane in Pennsylvania. The feds handed her $5000.00 on the spot with no strings attached. And this was during the Nixon administration.

If the Bush Crime Family thinks these storm victims who've lost everything are going to be satisfied by an "up to" $2000.00 debit card, they are seriously delusional.

eom

This is outrageous.

to apply for aid anyway, since it's a pretty easy case to say the agreement was signed under diress and therefore void.

It didn't pan out for them. I don't think I would be giving legal advice on this unless I was an attorney. Which I am not.

Don

The bastards!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4687262&mesg_id=4687262

Yes, sign here so you waive your legal right to SUE THE PANTS OFF THE GOVT THAT FAILED YOU!!!
:mad:

that.

This needs attention urgently. They are basically blackmailed into signing away their rights to aid because they will starve and have no clothes if they don't sign the waiver.

I agree that attorneys need to get themselves down there.

get real assistance later, those who need immediate cash now are required to waive their rights to real assistance later.

You really need water? Spend your last $6.00 a bottle here!!!
For those who have water set aside, we have new refrigerators waiting in the back.

Rep. Barton - who do you prosecute?

Geez. He's in the middle of the biggest pr fiasco EVER, and he's letting his people pull this kind of shit?

Welcome to Dumfuckistan, USA.

Written large FUCK THE POOR. Here take this chump change and go die somewhere, we don't want you here and you can't go back home. How many poor were evacuated from NO 100,000? more? Now they're going to be turned out into the streets of amerikkka just like the millions of other invisible homeless.

Ultimately every dime of money spent on Katrina will end up in the rich piggies accounts, it will all find it's way home like homing dollars.
This is so fucking sad, you know the rest of the world is watching this shit and shaking their heads asking what the fuck is wrong with the americans?

This really shouldnt surprise anyone. This is how the Bush crime family operates. They probably absolute hate even giving away that $2000. And in their sheer stupidity, they tried to lock up the Astrodome to cover this up. Like it wouldnt come out. How these bumbling thieves got his high in power is one of the great mysteries of the world.

:kick:

who didn't even rate hurricane force winds!!!!

This pisses me off so much. Especially since I qualified for FEMA aid but decided not to take it because we really could scrape by without it.

LA and MS = SOL

Labor Day 2004 = 8 weeks to election day

Labor Day 2005 = SOL

gotta have 'em or you're screwed by corporate America

Nothing against the victims of 9/11, but the disparity here is just way too glaring NOT to be mentioned.

We're not in a position to know what's really happening without getting the media or gov to get these people on the record & investigate. But for people who have lost everything, $2,000 is ridiculous. Barely enough even to get them back to N.O. after being flown to Utah against their wishes. (And meanwhile Trent Lott's house will be rebuilt.)

To contact various media outlets, you can go to
http://www.democraticunderground.com/cu/cu.php?az=blast...

To contact your governmental representatives including
the White House, go to www.congress.org

welfare for the rich. Why waste any more money on the poor who NOW have less than nothing. I am NO LONGER PROUD to be an American; our government is an ABSOLUTE DISGRACE!!!!!!

They are so blantantly fucked up.

I knew it.

See my post below:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4692470#4714715

"If rescue operations were privatized, everyone would be forced to sign a release form before they would be rescued. Don't want our Private relief companies getting sued!"

Of course, I guess most of us could've seen this coming...

these greedy bastards:mad:

these fuck wads NEVER STOP every fucking day its something un fucking believable

wtf