You'll never guess how some of these low-income mothers, that D.C. gave $10,800 to, spent their cash. Never. I'm sure you don't have a clue as to why you're here.
Let's take a quick look at this new program out of D.C. before we go any further.
In 2022, the D.C. government announced a pilot program that offered 132 new and expecting low-income mothers $10,800 over the course of a year — no strings attached — intended to assess how unconditional cash payments could improve their families' outcomes and economic mobility …
All 132 mothers had to choose whether they wanted 12 monthly payments of $900 or the entire amount immediately in a lump sum, a unique feature of D.C.'s pilot.
Take a guess as to what percentage of these mothers took the lump sum …
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If you guessed 75%, you are one of our lucky winners!
Yes, 75% of these low-income mothers chose to take all $10,800 up front. I'm sorry to say it, but I'd have done the same thing. It's "free" money.
As for how the money was spent, well, let's see.
Canethia Miller took the lump sum, and while she initially put some of the money away for expenses, it looks like that money started burning a hole in her pocket, cuz look at this.
'Some of it I just left alone. The other side is, I wanted to blow it. I wanted to have fun,' she said. '[My kids] got to experience something I would never have been able to do if I didn't have that money.'
The five-day, $6,000 trip to Miami was a dramatic upgrade from the Ocean City and Virginia Beach visits that Miller's family was used to. Joined by the children's father, a boat tour exposed them to million-dollar homes and luxury yachts. Her kids went to a dinosaur museum and saw animals in Florida's swamps they had never seen before. Miller still talks about trying Benihana, a Japanese steak and sushi restaurant, for the first time.
Some of the money went toward preparations for the trip: new clothes, shoes, gadgets and toys. 'Every outfit they wore was new,' she added.
In what she called a rare moment of self-indulgence, Miller spent $180 ahead of the vacation to get her own hair and nails done, a glow-up from her usual inexpensive short, dyed style.
Five days.
$6,000.
An amazing feat if we're being honest.
Like I said, I'd have done the same. I mean, that's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not often does someone just hand you $10,800. YOLO, am I right?
Let's look at one more of the moms, who actually spent a lot of the money wisely.
Saleemia Quigley … was able to catch up on credit card bills and rent payments she had fallen behind on, then paid her $1,100 rent in advance for a couple of months.
But Quigley chastised herself for not using the funds to boost her savings account and wondered if the monthly option would have forced her to have more discretion.
'To get picked [for the program], out of all those people, it's a blessing,' Quigley said. 'But I did splurge, I ain't going to lie. I went shopping, clothes — stuff I didn't need. It was like, ‘I paid my rent, so I can go ahead and do this.''
Hey, at least she owned it. Gotta admire that. Again, I probably wouldn't have been this responsible with "free" money, so Saleemia is a better human than me.
Those are just a few of the mothers who chose the lump sum, and I can only imagine the stories we would come across if we looked at a larger sample. I, personally, would've been golfing, sports betting (which would've doubled my money, obviously), vacationing, and luxury dining.
So is it a surprise that DC is extending the program?
Last summer, the D.C. Council in its budget process voted to extend Strong Families, Strong Futures for another year. Coordinators at Martha's Table are thinking through the most strategic way to move the program forward.
'We know at some point it will end,' Lloyd said. 'But we're excited about the impact one year has had on the moms' lives.'
This had the same impact the whole reparations thing would have: The money would be spent frivolously and would find its way back into the hands of the white man within a year. We'd have to do reparations again because racism, and then the pattern would repeat. Programs like this exist to make you poorer, fam, by offering little lottery prizes while the elites get richer (anyone remember that stimmie money?).
This is a preview of things to come, whether that be universal basic income, reparations, or whatever fluffy name the liberals come up with to make it seem worthwhile.
You've been warned.
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