Someone, somewhere, has surely commented that you can tell a lot about a person from what he or she happens to find funny. For this reason, I have always thought that the roars of approval which greeted P.J. O'Rourke's jokes about homeless people said it all about the 80s. But now let's turn to O'Rourke's heir, Jonah Goldberg, who managed to write a book that is (unintentionally!) funnier than any of O'Rourke's efforts.
Anyway, the story that caught Goldberg's eye today comes from the Illinois Times:
As many as 20,370 low-income households in Sangamon County could qualify for a free cell phone and 60 minutes of free monthly talk-time, according to a spokesperson with TracFone Wireless, Inc., a national prepaid cell phone provider. Jose Fuentes, TracFone’s director of government relations, announced earlier this month that the company would add Illinois to the list of 17 states that offer SafeLink Wireless — a new extension of Lifeline, a government program that has provided affordable landline telephone service to low-income families for 25 years.
Several nonprofit organizations in Springfield benefit from free cell phone programs, including Sojourn Shelter and Services, an agency that serves victims of domestic violence.Sojourn collects donated cell phones and provides them to clients in its 911 emergency cell phone program.
Goldberg, in a post entitled, "Holy Handouts Batman!", adds, "Someone somewhere is losing hope! Quick to the Obamaphone! I had no idea." He then posts a reader email which asks (more in sorrow than in anger, of course!), "Where does it end?"
What next, in other words? School lunch programs? Emergency room care? Oh well, at least Goldberg has kept his sense of humor.