FEMA is under investigation for not having verified information before awarding emergency funds to claimants.  It bothers me deeply that the agency was so sloppy but it bothers me more that so many scumbags stole money from truly needy people during a time of absolute disaster.  It just shows the absolute absence of respect for others and the absence of self respect and pride.

My grandparents came from the great depression.  They believed in taking care of their own and would do anything they could to avoid taking charity.  They were prideful people.  People who didn't hate others for having more and weren't ashamed that they had little.  They were proud to make do with what they had.  What has happened to society's mentality since that generation?

These scumbags took advantage of the fact that this agency was trying to expedite money to people who had lost everything.  They used fake social security numbers to obtain thousands of dollars.  People were given cards worth $2000.  Isn't that enough?!  $2000 can get a lot of people through until things start improving.  But no.  These scumbags saw the opportunity to steal food out of devastated fellow Americans' mouths in the name of their own greed.

I think one of our most important issues with society today that has lead to this sort of abuse is the mentality that "the government" is an entity of its own.  I don't know how many times I have heard welfare recipients refer to what the government owes them.  Guess what, I'm the government, you're the government, everyone around that person is the government.  "The gov'ment" isn't some magical being that prints up cash.  That money comes out of the pockets of other Americans.  Why aren't we slapping people in the face with this fact?!

This just makes me sick.