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Jim Hightower: Republicans Out of Touch as Middle Class Sinks
American politics is a hoot! Where else can raw ignorance rise to such high places — and then flaunt itself shamelessly for all to see?
For example, who needs Jay Leno or Conan O’Brien for comic relief when we’ve got Andre Bauer? He’s the lieutenant governor of South Carolina (a state, by the way, that really is a comer on the political comedy circuit — especially after Gov. Mark Sanford’s madcap schtick last year involving his disappearance, the Appalachian Trail and an Argentine mistress).
But Sanford is leaving office, and Bauer, who is now a Republican contender for governor, is the state’s new star joker. He had ‘em rolling in the aisles recently when he did a wild, slapstick routine on food stamps at a town-hall meeting. Andre proclaimed that much of his political thinking was shaped by his grandmother and that he had learned a valuable lesson from her.
“She told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why?” he asked, pausing for comedic effect. “Because they breed! You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce.”
I tell you, Bauer is an absolute scream!
But here’s the real punch line: The need for food stamps has been soaring as more and more Americans are falling out of the middle class into poverty. From 2000 to 2008, 5 million more were added to the poverty rolls, and that was before the economic collapse of the past two years. In fact, check this out Andre, and laugh if you feel like it: About 6 million Americans today are living entirely on food stamps — they’ve lost their jobs and have no other income. That’s one out of every 50 of us, and their numbers are growing rapidly. Now, isn’t that a hoot?
Well, one who’s not laughing is Republican Rep. John Linder. This far-out Georgia right-winger is irked that America’s food stamp program will grow to more than $60 billion this year.
“This is craziness,” Linder barked to a New York Times reporter. “We’re at risk of creating an entire class, a subset of people, just comfortable getting by living off the government.”
Comfortable? When was the last time this pampered lawmaker experienced the “comforts” of the food stamp life? Linder himself has been “living off the government” for 18 years, but at the high end — drawing $174,000 a year in pay, plus subsidized health care, a fat pension and generous perks of office.
Hypocrisy aside, Linder is an anti-government, laissez-faire extremist who buys into Bauer’s fantasies about lazy, good-for-nothing strays getting food stamps.
“You don’t improve the economy by paying people to sit around and not work,” he grumps, adding, “You improve the economy by lowering taxes.”
Really? Perhaps the gentleman from Georgia has forgotten that he and the whole Washington insider crowd tried that scam again and again throughout the past decade, slashing all sorts of taxes for corporations and the wealthy. Since Linder is a multimillionaire, that economic “plan” undoubtedly worked out splendidly for him.
For the middle class, however, the 10 years since January 2000 are known as “the lost decade.” In that period, the U.S. economy lost more jobs than it created — zero job growth. That’s the first decade since the end of the Great Depression that our country has had less than a 20 percent rise in job creation.
Also, after the 10-year frenzy of tax-cutting, middle-class families are earning less today, in real dollars, than they did in 1999. Add in skyrocketing health-care costs and the plummeting value of people’s homes, and we get the harsh reality of mushrooming poverty.
So that “subset of people” on food stamps whom Linder so callously denigrates are his own spawn! The food stamp program has had to grow because the tinkle-down economy that he pushed has wrecked America’s middle class.
Does knocking poor people make these guys feel better about themselves? How pathetic. Bauer and Linder are living proof that when it comes to leadership, America has too many 5-watt bulbs screwed into 150-watt sockets.
— Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker and author of Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow. Click here for more information, or click here to contact him.
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» on 02.03.10 @ 07:59 PM
Illegal aliens and lazy Americans are getting free food stamp and welfare money from the rest of us. Government wants this so they can keep their mindless jobs..
Government needs to crack down on lazyiness..
The People need to go to freinds -neighbors-charities-churches and seek help-or WORK—before free hand outs from us..
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» on 02.04.10 @ 06:58 AM
4 1/2% unemployment rate must have been a made up number by the government. Mr Hightower must not have tried to hire someone during that time frame!! I had never seen more tattoos, facial piercings, unruly dress and surly attitudes in my life. Anyone that wanted a job could get one! It amazes me how soon people forget or distort the truth for an agenda. Does he realize the Bush administration also brought in 20% more revenue than Clinton’s? It was Bush’s liberal spending that hurt this economy with the addition of…... everyone should own a home, even if they can’t show the means on how to pay for it! Cut taxes and leave the money in the private sector and watch unemployment get lower….......yes, like in the “lost decade”!
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» on 02.04.10 @ 08:58 AM
Today’s working family can easily become tomorrow’s homeless - that’s why we have food stamps and social programs.
It’s not an “illegal alien” or “lazy American” issue.
“Lost Decade” and “Illegal aliens…” are your typical hypocritical greedy conservatives who are always ready to “throw out the baby with the bath water”.
Having no common sense, they both have no idea why social programs exist.
However, I guarantee that either one or both would have their hands out for “government help” if or when they lose their sole support.
It’s interesting to note that Americans who are out of work continue to collect “unemployment” and “food stamps” while they look for jobs. That’s the purpose of social programs.
Their children continue to go to schools whether “unemployed” parents have funds, pay taxes, or not.
The purpose of a nation is to take care of everyone’s needs through taxing. Roads, infrastructure, schools, parks, etc.
Perhaps
“Lost Decade” and “Illegal aliens…” ought to try another country - one more to their liking - one without social services - more greed oriented - a country kinda like the one that conservatives are working so hard to give us.
Imagine that country - that nation - more in line with conservative values. One where “The People need to go to friends -neighbors-charities-churches” for help.
Wait - the churches no-longer have enough money, friends are either “out-of-work”, too busy trying to “make ends meet”, most charities are out of funds, and, neighbors?
“Lost Decade” and “Illegal aliens…” - I bet you’re both “good neighbors” - I bet you help the homeless and less fortunate!
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» on 02.04.10 @ 09:14 AM
Thank you Jim, I absolutely agree. We all would like to get these people back to work and off the government assistance programs.
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» on 02.04.10 @ 10:47 AM
These liberals did not properly regulate the banking system and they caused this mess—demanding the banks give loans to welfare queeens and other losers—blame the democrats for pandering..
Vote Boxer out..
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» on 02.04.10 @ 10:54 AM
Thats why the state county and city’s are all bankrupt in Calif—its going to get worse until we cut the super sized government payroll—Staff and wages 40%..pensions are rediculous…who works for whom—unions are our problem—
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» on 02.04.10 @ 01:43 PM
No common sense? Social programs are safety nets. Not for making a living, which many do just to game the system. Same with work comp which we all pay in to. How many of us know or know of someone gaming that system also. All I am saying is to provide the means whereas people can be employed. By taxing everything you can, and taking the money out of the private sector and giving it to the government only creates more entitlement. People were buying homes that were on welfare! You ever see someone buying with food stamps and jumping into a nice car? Happens all the time. Believe me, if there was another country that I could go to that lived by our “constitution” and had tight immigration laws and people were rewarded for their hard work, I would be there in a heartbeat.
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» on 02.04.10 @ 03:07 PM
Bruce, where is the common sense in giving out money that is not earned? Common sense says if you continue to give someone something unearned they will become dependent on it. Common sense says if you tax the wealth generating private sector less more wealth and thus more tax revenues are realized. You seem to think that those who are against making dependents out of otherwise useful people are ignorant of why we have social programs. Did it ever occur to you that maybe they have more common sense than you? Maybe they see the absolute folly of government institutionalized welfare.
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» on 02.04.10 @ 06:28 PM
To those who hate the free loaders and moochers on your tax dollars I ask this:
Did you come from a stable family with engaged parents?
Were you urged to get an education?
Do you have above average intelligence? And if so what did you do to get it that the m,oochers could learn from you?
Have you ever been thrown out of work because your industry was shipped off shore?
Did you have people who would extend you credit at a reasonable rate for: college, when you were down, or sick?
What did you do, that insured you had no gentically inherited disease or illness that left you impoverished?
Who makes wealth? Certainly not the investment capitalist by himself, but by a joint effort of investment and labor.
If you have had all the advantages, then why are you so smug and self righteous about helping those who by, gentetics, birth, enviornment, or opportunity, were not as fortunate as you?
Perhaps the problem is not people who are down on their financial luck, but those “haves” who have allowed themselves to become morally bankrupt.
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» on 02.05.10 @ 11:37 AM
Welfare, unions, lazy civil sevants, overpaid government workers—too many government workers, always complaning they are understaffed—Ha Ha—thats the game..
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» on 02.05.10 @ 02:52 PM
“The need for food stamps has been soaring ...”
Should read “The demand for food stamps has been soaring…” Of course it does. There is a bottomless pit of need for anything that is free.
If you think that we do not have enough welfare programs, look at your utility bills. I am already subsidizing gas, electric and phone with lifeline, etc. programs. Show me an area of life where there is not assistance already in place. The future of all of these programs is to get bigger and more costly if they are allowed to continue.
We must shut down many of these programs and focus the welfare/employment programs. First we hire thousands of able bodied men and permanently station them along our borders. Them we hire thousands more to enforce our immigration laws. These men get to have the first opportunity at the jobs that the illegals were holding.
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