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Politics

Let The Dead Bury The Dead—But They Can Pay For It With a Stimulus Check!

Nick Gillespie | 5.15.2009 9:01 AM

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Antoniette Santopadre of Valley Stream was expecting a $250 stimulus check. But when her son finally opened it, they saw that the check was made out to her father, Romolo Romonini, who died in Italy 34 years ago. He'd been a U.S. citizen when he left for Italy in 1933, but only returned to the United Stated for a seven-month visit in 1969.

The Santopadres are not alone. The Social Security Administration, which sent out 52 million checks, says that some of those checks mistakenly went to dead people because the agency had no record of their death. That amounts to between 8,000 and 10,000 checks for millions of dollars.

More here.

Hat tip: Instapundit.

In honor of zombie stimulus checks, I present for your edification and education, Miss Bette Davis performing as Miss Baby Jane Hudson performing "I've Written a Letter to Daddy," which somehow seems strangely on point re: the shape of the government.

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Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

PoliticsEconomicsGovernment Spending
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