Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers learned Tuesday that they will be getting $200 to spend on school supplies for their children. The money went out at midnight to families that use social services or food stamps and have children between the ages of 3 and 17.
While in Harlem on Tuesday, Governor Paterson publicly announced that billionaire investor George Soros will donate $35 million in order to trigger another $140 million in federal stimulus money to pay for the one-time-only grants.
"I decided that those who can afford it should step up to the plate," Soros said of his decision to donate the $35 million.
Conservative talk show hosts, like Albany's Paul Vandenburgh, and many Republican politicians immediately attacked the program as a taxpayer-funded giveaway open for abuse
"You would expect there would be restrictions on there, schools or something of that nature - none of that stuff," Vandenburgh exclaimed on his Talk 1300 AM radio show.
mcl says "are you concerned at all about the way that people spend this money..."
mark dunlea, hunger action network says: "not at all.."
Mark Dunlea, of the Hunger Action Network, says he has no concerns over how people spend the money and adds that this is what the federal stimulus money should be spent for.
"It will help reduce poverty a little bit and will help the local economy," he told NEWS10.
When asked if she thinks people will spend the money wastefully, Neal said, "Yes, yes, very much so (but) I mean, it wasn't given to you for yourself, it was given to you for your children."
Some of the big retail stores will be holding special sales for those getting the $200 grant.
Republican Assemblyman Jim Tedisco blasts the no-strings-attached grants as a potential huge waste of taxpayers' money.
"They're treating like they're kids in a candy store," Tedisco They're treating it like it's their money and they can do what they want with it, that it's unlimitied - it's not."
As he unveiled the program Governor Paterson mentioned no names, but he said critics should know that more than half the money will go to families on food stamps, not on welfare, and a lot of the money will go upstate.
"This is what the economic stimulus package actually is," Paterson said.
