In 2009 it was reported that 50 million Americans — that’s 15 percent of all households — experienced food insecurity at some point. Many needed food stamps to feed their families. One out of five veterans receive food stamps. Millions relying on food stamps are the working poor.
The fact that so many working poor rely on food stamps is a good argument for raising the minimum wage. The Republicans not only voted to substantially cut the food stamp program, known as SNAP, but they are also against raising the minimum wage.
One congressman actually said that cutting SNAP would not harm anyone and not one person would lose one calorie or a crumb that deserves it. I think he thought he was making a joke. Actually if you look at his statement logically he is saying some people deserve crumbs. He also asserted that millions of Americans who benefited are not truly in need.
“I think there’s 330 million people starving at least three times a day, we call it breakfast, lunch and dinner.” That was supposed to be another joke.
Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., made these statements.
When it was revealed that he relied on food stamps to supplement his income early in his marriage, he said, “That was different, we needed them.”
And, I suppose no one else does. That, my friends, is the epitome of hypocrisy. Makes one want to put his finger down his throat and throw up.
Scott Des Jarlais, R-Tenn., a pro-life, “family values” (his family, his values) congressman who worked as a doctor before winning election as a Tea Party backed Republican had an affair with a patient. Having sex with a patient subjects any doctor to disciplinary action, including losing their right to practice medicine. On top of that it was revealed in a self-taped telephone call he made to his mistress that he pressured her to have an abortion. So
much for pro-life. He said he was trying to save his marriage when he made the taped call. Later he would claim she was never pregnant. What a hypocritical louse this flake is.
How about Canadian Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the Tea Party anti-Obamacare fanatic who filibustered to shut down the government if Congress would not defund the Affordable Healthcare Act (Obamacare)? While he campaigns to deny Americans affordable healthcare, free healthcare is available in his native country, Canada. He can go home if he falls ill. He also has healthcare insurance provided by the Senate. Why isn’t he up in Canada where he came from
campaigning for the repeal of the universal healthcare available in the country of his birth? Hypocrite.
There are a few Republican governors who lambasted the president, claimed to be against Obamacare, and even went to court to stop it, but now want it for their states. They can call it anything, it is still Obamacare, they‘re supporting. These few governors are hypocrites. Actually, many Republican governors are angry with congressional Republicans for trying to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act.
One fellow in Kentucky, where Obamacare is called Kentucky Connect (Knect), when he signed up, proclaimed, “This is much better than Obamacare.” Kentucky Democrat Gov. Steve Beshear supports the Affordable Healthcare Act, wholeheartedly. He credits it with providing health insurance to 600,000 Kentuckians, creating 17,000 jobs and saving his state $8 million. In Idaho it’s the Idaho Health Care Exchange or Your Health Idaho. Sign up. In Arkansas, where rates are dropping dramatically, they call it the Arkansas Health Care Benefit Exchange. It‘s working.
In states which are aggressively working to get Obamacare up and running, New York has seen a 50 percent drop in rates, California a 33 percent reduction and Illinois a 25 percent drop. Just think what positive impact this will have on business rates?
As a result of the Tea Party Republicans’ shutdown of the government, as many as 800,000 nonessential government employees have been furloughed so far, with no promise of receiving back pay. That includes federal court employees other than judges, National Park employees, Pentagon employees and others. Others dependent on government checks will soon have their checks delayed. The Republicans continue to play a shell game, funding things they like and not others. We will soon default.
However, Congress is considered essential, so congressmen and senators, including the foreigner, Canadian Sen. Cruz won’t miss a single bloated paycheck. They take care of themselves, come hell or high water. The hypocrites. Cruz is the most non-essential person in the galaxy.
Glen McAdoo, a Churchill County resident, can be contacted at glynn@phonewave.net.