But it’s the right that are going to end up looking like the ignorant fools. What Limbaugh, Malzberg -- and likely the majority of the million people who viewed the video -- didn’t know was that these “Obama Phones” are actually a creation of their beloved Ronald Reagan, who began the program in 1984.
Actually called the “Lifeline program,” the legislation permits some households to receive a free landline under Congress’s rationale that "telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services and surrounding communities."
That idea dates back to 1934, under the Communications Act, but Reagan was the first to actually implement the legislation. The program grew under President Clinton, who recognized the advent of the newfangled new technology of cordless phones and expanded it to include cell phones.
To qualify for the program you must live in a household with an income near the poverty line or be already qualified for other assistance programs like public housing or food stamps.
So once again, even Reagan turns out to be not Reagany enough for today's pro-Reagan GOP. It's a very high bar, folks; and lots of would-be leaders on the Right get gut-checked hard trying to hop over it... including Zombie Reagan. Ha-ha-ha!
Little did they know that the joke was on them.
By Laura Gottesdiener
September 28, 2012 | AlterNet
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