Dead Woman Gets Federal Stimulus Check

POSTED: 12:32 am EDT May 12, 2009
ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. -- Millions of Americans on Social Security are receiving $250 checks as part of the president's stimulus plan -- including an Anne Arundel woman who died more than 40 years ago.

The woman's son, 83-year-old James Hagner, said he got the surprise when he checked his mailbox late last week.

"It shocked me and I laughed all at the same time," Hagner said. "I don't even expect to get one for myself, and I get one for my mother from 43 years ago?"

His mother, Rose, died on Memorial Day in 1967.

Social Security representatives said there is a good explanation. Of the about 52 million checks that have been mailed out, about 10,000 of those have been sent to people who are deceased.

The agency blames the error on the strict mid-June deadline of mailing out all of the checks, which didn't leave officials much time to clean up all of their records.

Agents ask that people return the check if they receive it. Hagner said he'd like to frame it and hang it on his wall. "I just want to keep it as a souvenir. I'll never cash it," Hagner said.

Social Security officials said they aren't expecting to lose too much money to fraud. They're reminding the public that it's a federal offense to cash someone else's Social Security check.

This is the government that people trust and want running our country.  I wonder how long it takes them to get a  dead person out of their system? Do you wonder why we are so in debt, just do the math on this story. Do they really think people are going to send that money back? They aren’t expecting to lose too much money? 10,000 checks mailed to 10,000 dead people comes to $2,500,000. But to the government that is simply pocket change isn’t it. Social Security is already going broke, after reading this I don’t wonder why. If you trust the Government with your money, think again.

'CHANGE' - God's Terms or Yours?

Someone said something to me and I got to thinking about it and so I just thought I would post my thoughts on the matter.

Dependence on God; we should depend on Him for everything in our lives. It is also true that we have to trust God to change us but we have to make right choices and obey the truth we know during that time. Our willful disobedience to the truth we know and the wrong choices we willfully make tie God’s hands in our life. We have to do our part. We can’t just sit back, live life the way we want and expect God to just magically change us. Our choices for Him show Him we are willing to have Him work in us, otherwise we all could stand up on judgment day and say, “well, I never changed because God didn’t change me.” Or “I didn’t get to a certain place because God didn’t get me there.”

Now don’t get me wrong, there are things in us that only God can change, and He does, but to really become what He wants us to become there are conditions we have to meet. I remember years ago someone told me that if I would take one step forward, He would take two. I believe with my whole heart that some of the mountains in me would never have been removed if I hadn’t of made certain choices in my life, certain separations unto the Lord, and being obedient in some of the small things. We go through life and so many times ignore so much of what we do thinking it doesn’t really matter but it does. God is watching and those seemingly insignificant things matter to Him. That still small voice is what He is looking to see if we are hearing and obeying it; or if we even care about it.

Wanting God to change us is a very noble thing, especially now a days; but are we willing to make the changes in our life that He is wanting, do we just want Him to change us or do we want to change for Him? Many times I have wanted Him to change me for me but what about Him, what about my desire and love to be changed for Him? We spend so much of our time pleasing ourselves and then we wonder why our hearts are not being changed. Each day He gives us opportunities to choose for ourselves or for Him. Maybe the reason I’m not experiencing the kind of changes I want is because of what I’m choosing during the day.

So if you are out there doing things you know are displeasing to the Lord or not doing things you know you should and are just waiting for God to change you while you continue on your merry way; I hope this helps you think twice and maybe make an effort to change things in your life, then watch and see what God does for you. I’m quite sure that the changes you are looking for will begin to happen and in a much greater way.