Dead People Get Stimulus Checks

[mikesilvia]

Seems like you would want to verify a little? I thought the administration was tracking this "to the dollar" or something like that. This story doesn't give me confidence! Checks being mailed to people NOT even in the system????

Antoniette Santopadre of Valley Stream was expecting a $250 stimulus check. But when her son finally opened it, they saw that the check was made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, who died in Italy 34 years ago. He'd been a U.S. citizen when he left for Italy in 1933, but only returned to the United States for a seven-month visit in 1969.

The Santopadres are not alone. The Social Security Administration, which sent out 52 million checks, says that some of those checks mistakenly went to dead people because the agency had no record of their death. That amounts to between 8,000 and 10,000 checks for millions of dollars.

[RedGoneWILD]

must be that "change" we were promised

[angel0430]

This is were the administration needs to spend some money. They need to get some sort of system to track this type of things. Then if honest people like this one come forward they don't even bother to check them out.

[OnePimpTiger]

I thought you had to do something to get the stimulus check, like file your tax return...I didn't realize they were just sent out to everyone automatically?

This is the quality of work the government does...and we want to give them more power and authority over more areas?

[angel0430]

Some people don't have to file a tax return anymore. I think that If you are disabled and stuff, you dont have to or something like that. I think people that don't work but get some sort of gove aid don't have to file a tax return. So those people are on the system, so they are going to get a nice check on their mail.

[jessejordan419]

Seems like you would want to verify a little? I thought the administration was tracking this "to the dollar" or something like that.

Do a little research and see how many foreign banks received money from the bank bailouts. It makes me want to vomit. The GM/Chrysler bailout deal is going to handover sovernty to the horrible car company FIAT(Fix It Again Tony). These are acts of our government funneling our money to foreign banks and business.

You'd think they would want to track the bailout money as well. Unless this was their plan all along.

Oh, also, see how well the FEMA $3,000 debit cards were verified during Katrina. Some people went back to get 2 and 3 cards. They would just pick a different address and hope that person hadn't come to claim their card yet.

Our government is absolutely horrible at handling money, much less private businesses. Why do we keep trusting them with our hard-earned tax dollars?? They buy hammers that cost $500, toilet seats that cost $5,000, and toilets that cost $30,000?? Are they even looking at the papers that come accross their desk? Or do they have a rubber stamping machine so no-one gets carpal tunnel.

[jessejordan419]

I thought you had to do something to get the stimulus check, like file your tax return...I didn't realize they were just sent out to everyone automatically?

This is the quality of work the government does...and we want to give them more power and authority over more areas?

The bush tax rebate checks actually went to people who filed an income tax return. The stimulus checks go to everyone, even welfare bums who continue to get working people's money. It's just another form of welfare, but more of a hybrid welfare.

[OnePimpTiger]

I really don't understand how or why you would just send a check out to everyone. For the reason the thread is about for one, but what if some people don't need the stimulus and decide they'd rather not take it? I know, who's going to turn down free money...but there are a few people who still have certain convictions to do just that (I think). No matter if only some people qualify or everyone qualifies, you should still have some process where the person has to claim it before it's sent out. That just seems like the simplest of common sense to me...and I'll say it again: We want the government to handle more things?

[jessejordan419]

I really don't understand how or why you would just send a check out to everyone. For the reason the thread is about for one, but what if some people don't need the stimulus and decide they'd rather not take it? I know, who's going to turn down free money...but there are a few people who still have certain convictions to do just that (I think). No matter if only some people qualify or everyone qualifies, you should still have some process where the person has to claim it before it's sent out. That just seems like the simplest of common sense to me...and I'll say it again: We want the government to handle more things?

yeah, but even when some certain states say they will refuse government money, the feds find ways to pressure them to take it.

some of the banks wanted to refuse federal money, but the feds forced 'em to take it.

seems like "we the people" should be able to decide if we want or even need the money. and like you said, if we could claim the money beforehand, that would prevent checks going to dead people.

but it seems the left hand doesn't ever know what the right hand is doing up there in washington.

[streicher187]

it's not obama, I know bush was perfect but dead people have been receiving SS for years and years, it's not a recent thing..