FEMA asks for return of disaster aid

This is going a bit to far and many of the people may still not be prepared pay them back in a short amount of time, especially, since it's a mistake and funds were not required to be paid back when they filed. New people applying for help should be weary, if this is going to continue.

FEMA admits to it being their fault and not want to be punished for their mistake.

Dead broke and living in a FEMA trailer following the 2008 flood, Van Fleet repeatedly submitted paperwork and made countless phone calls arguing his case. After seven months, the agency finally gave him more than $20,000, which he said gave him his life back and allowed him to move into a house.

Then in March, a letter arrived from the government with a shocking message: He should never have gotten the money. And he had just 30 days to pay it all back.

Thirty days...wow...

The agency is asking Van Fleet and thousands of other Americans who were victims of natural disasters to return more than $22 million in government aid, acknowledging it mistakenly made payments to many people who were ineligible.

"They give you money. They say, 'Hey, take it. Happy days. You deserve it. You're a taxpayer. It's your tax dollars and you live in a flooded zone.' And then all of a sudden the guidelines change," he said. "I hate the injustice of the whole thing."

Source

reply to post by dreamingawake


Wow what a burden for those who spent it already. This is criminal, but china wants their money back.

The sudden change of guidelines!? So, much for emergency fund. It's going to be more difficult for people in areas still ravaged and that are continued to be hit by natural disaster to even help themselves, find a job...have good income, etc.
FEMA's already under bad rap(Katrina), doing this won't make them look better, but make them look worse. Why not discuss issues with the Fed instead.

Government always does this.

They can sit on money/property they owe you for years.

The moment they decide you owe them something it's got a deadline of a few weeks followed by garnished wages, property leans and the threat of imprisonment.

Anybody who has ever been late on a registration, license or tax bill knows this. Hell, you dont even have to really be late. They just have to conclude that you are. I've had that happen several times.

See, when we make a mistake it's a pound of our flesh immediately. When they make a mistake it's still a pound of our flesh immediately and if youre lucky they'll find their mistake before they completely destroy your life.

A government big enough to give you everything you want/need is a government big enough to take away everything you have.

If you stick out your hand asking for its help, don't be surprised when it eventually comes back and bites the hand you stuck out....and rest assured that it eventually will.

there's no way in H**L I would pay that back. This is our money that makes their wheels turn. And the fact that FEMA screwed up with giving money out in the first place. well, they need to shut the "F" up and take their loss. Better luck next time for them, maybe they should get a better hold on how the application process is done. Then on top of it all, you're trying to tell me a man who lost everything, including his house is told by FEMA that he has to pay back all his benefits that he was ineligible for in the first place, because of their screw up? It's his tax money in the first place that goes to this bunk outfit? What an outrage this country has become. And they are the first ones on the ground after the disaster to tell everyone "Don't worry, we are here to help". Why don't they scrap a couple of those empty concentration camps to pay for their losses? I'll tell ya one thing, if my area is ever stricken with disaster, Gov. goons better stay well away from my area. I don't care if its to come offer me help, or to take my guns away and relocate me. It's gonna be 2 in the chest, and 1 in the head, no questions asked. I hope to god or what ever supreme power is out there that I still be around to see the head cut off of this snake we call the United States Gov.

end of rant................

Originally posted by thisguyrighthere
Government always does this.
The moment they decide you owe them something it's got a deadline of a few weeks followed by garnished wages, property leans and the threat of imprisonment.

Anybody who has ever been late on a registration, license or tax bill knows this. Hell, you dont even have to really be late. They just have to conclude that you are. I've had that happen several times.

See, when we make a mistake it's a pound of our flesh immediately. When they make a mistake it's still a pound of our flesh immediately and if youre lucky they'll find their mistake before they completely destroy your life.

Exactly.

Miss one of their payments and you are charged interest/fees/penalties.

They are allowed to lie with impunity but should you make a mistake (not actually lie) you can bet you'll be treated as if you had lied with criminal intent.

The government only understands the use of the truncheon. As such we should familiarize ourselves with use of the same item and be prepared to use it in our defense as required. Make no mistake that acquiring freedom can come with a VERY heavy cost to you. However, if you're willing to pay said cost, maybe your children and theirs will have the freedom you thought you had.

If you're not willing to die, spend time in a government gulag or lose what possessions you think you own, you aren't ready for the cost of true freedom.......which if you're reading this you have NEVER known!!!!

Many of these people whose homes were flooded should sue the Army Corps of Engineers.
They are the ones who thought they could control the Mississippi and commonly divert water into poorer areas to save more "valuable"land.
The FEMA insurance program was originally started to help the rich who couldn't get hurricane or flood insurance on their vacation homes at the beach. It was fortunate for those less well-off as they could get their homes repaired as well. Now it has turned into a program where if your chicken coop gets blown over they will pay you for it IF that area is declared a federal disaster area. If you're not in the approved area it's tough luck.
Our home was damaged by flooding from hurricane Gaston back in '04. We could have filed but since damages were all fixable by myself for less and a grand I figured I would save the government some money.
Our next door neighbors got about $12,000 to fix the same things that were damaged at our place.
I sometimes think I'm too honest for my own good.

No way these people should have to repay, they lost everything.

reply to post by Asktheanimals


So what if they lost everything?

They have no right, nor does government have the Constitutional authorization to use taxpayer money in this manner.

Lets see here: Move to an area that routinely receives hurricane damage, go through hurricane, get damaged, then demand money?

Seriously? It's called personal responsibility.

Having lived in a disaster area that FEMA stepped in to help the people that lost everything back in 2002, I know that there are "professional" disaster chasers that go from one disaster area to the next, posing as victims.
Where I lived was a very small town of under 2000 people. We all knew each other, a real tight mountain community.
Suddenly there were many, many people claiming to be residents that none of us knew.
These people were applying for cash benefits and lost wages, and any other "assistance" they could get.
They took assistance from not only FEMA, but the Salvation Army and the Red Cross as well.
The abuse of the system was shocking.
Part of the problem is that after a disaster, there are some who dont have ID, or any papers to prove residence, employment, wages, etc., so its easy to see how the system can be easily abused.
Just my 2 cents

yea this situation sounds about right

natural disaster here

screw ya

natural disaster somewhere else, we'll help, we'll have telethons and hear about it 24 7 on the news

no disaster you say? thats ok we'll drop bombs and make the disaster then give you money to clean it up

soon as we take it back from the people in our country who are in disaster zones themselves

im just wondering when people wont take this anymore


theh day will come, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but the day will come





but dont worry about anything i said, the pro govt people will be here soon to state that these people are rich they dont deserve or need the money the other people do blah blah blah blah blah

keep american money in america!

Where in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights does it say the government will pay you for your losses?

Most of these people were at the bottom of the economic scale. Meaning they paid no taxes anyway. So it was NOT their tax money they were receiving.

I would bet that most of the people had no insurance on their house let alone Federal Flood insurance. Sometimes you need to skip the big screen tv and oversized rims in favor of insurance. Especially if you live on the coast and your house is below sea level. Duh!