Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Another Wingnut Says "Let Poor Children Labor For Their Gruel"

From Album 5
First, it's not even original -- N. Leroy proposed it at least a year and a half ago (and he probably didn't think of it himself). Second, using children as props for some crackpot theory of morality/work ethics, particularly from a member of the Least Productive Congress Ever, is just plain sick. Finally...poor children need NO lessons in the harshness of life. Taunting from their less-poor classmates might well be the least stressful part of their day. Consider that, in addition to hunger (and not terribly appetizing "free" lunch, as anyone who remembers their childhood school cafeterias well knows)...poor children are often stuck in circumstances that, at best, are stiflingly boring. Few if any books or toys, no such thing as an actual vacation, houses where heat, electricity, or even water might be periodically cut...parents who are likely stressed out themselves and possibly prone to lashing out at their kids. Crappy, crime ridden neighborhoods. A future that...certainly doesn't entail working barely four months a year while making almost $175 thousand dollars. You know, I think poor kids know all too well that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

And Jack Kingston can go fuck himself.

Via.
Posted by Michael at 7:47 PM

2 comments:

  1. charlie ehlen10:42 PM

    Your take on this crap is OUTSTANDING!
    BRAVO sir!!
    I agree with you 100%. The poor kids have a rough life, while the 535 members of the two houses of congress get away with huge salaries, little to no real work, and more holiday time off than should be legal.
    Oh, did you know that those congress critters exempt themselves from nearly every law they pass? Yep, they get off from obeying the laws they force on us. Can you say "double standards"? You damn better know you can. What cowards. They do NOT have to follow the rules they make us obey. They do not have to hire minorities, while some small Mom & Pop store must do so. Maybe not the best example, but one that comes to my mind quite freely. And, back in my high school days, yes we had high school back then, in civics class, we learned about the gummint and the Constitution. My point, I know it takes me a while to get to it, is that those 535 members of congress work for US, the common folks, citizens of the US of A. In truth, elections are basically job interviews. With the critters who occupy both houses of "our"(??) congress recently, you would almost be surprised to read that last bit I just wrote. They DO seem to feel they are above us riff-raff. By the way, I have yet to figure if I am riff or raff, no doubt both, but oh well. I did serve in the Marine Corps, got an Honorable discharge respect the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. I also know that General Smedley Darlington Butler was a true patriot. His short booklet "War is a Racket" is available online and worth a read. After 33+ years as a Marine Corps officer, he said that there are only two reasons for war; 1) to defend OUR homes, and 2) to defend the Bill of Rights. ALL other excuses for war are a racket. Oh, he was awarded the Medal of Honor twice, no coward and he never asked his troops to do anything he would not do himself. His men would have followed him to the gates of hell and taken the place over if he had lead them. Now THAT man was a real leader.
    Sorry for going off on another rant. I'll work at keeping future comments shorter
    Have a great week. Best to you and yours..

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  2. Michael7:53 PM

    Well, first, glad your wife is on the mend, and sorry to hear routine became not at all routine...a decade ago my dad passed on under circumstances that went from routine to not in a hurry (in retrospect, probably for the best -- he wasn't hurting for very long, and that could have easily happened).

    Anyway, changing the subject, hell yes, General Butler was and remains a genuinely great American...though of course forgotten by the "serious" people once he decided to tell the truth about what he was doing in Central America (was he also in the Philippines? I'll have to check). But...just to tangent further, when politicians complain about "dependence" on government...aside from thinking "hmm...where do they get their paychecks?" I also think, but isn't it SELF-government? Which means self-dependence, in a way.

    No, I'm not naive about rackets like K Street and the Defense Establishment, but I DO think basics like Medicare, Social Security...oh, and yes, Defense -- and Veterans Services (my dad was a vet, with 22 years in the US Navy as a carrier based pilot) -- but all of that, at least in theory, should serve us...and does. For instance, I don't think the "free" market ensures US dominance of the global economy nearly as much as...our national government, and specifically the Department of Defense. It defends...mostly Social Security and Medicare. And EVERYTHING else, except maybe Homeland Security (which is tied to DoD) and Agriculture (lots of money there)...is barely icing on the cake. Like Krugman says (I've probably mentioned this before) the federal government is a social insurance agency with a large army.

    Is it fair? Well, as General Butler noted, probably not. But it is reality. And as long as the global economy favors the US (which happened not by god or any such nonsense, but by decisions that were at times shrewd, at times ruthless), there's no reason why we can't expect our national government to work for us...all of us.

    Of all people, I learned a lesson from Ur-capitalist Adam Smith. Actually read The Wealth of Nations...it's mostly boring (as is Capital, by Karl Marx)...but the title itself is a tell: the wealth of NATIONS. Smith, early on (maybe even on page 1, I forget), says wealth is not a function of individuals, but of nations. He didn't call the book 'My Money, and Fuck Taxation."

    Smith also notes the necessity for government regulation to control the excesses of the not-very-free-at-all market, and extols a division of labor, but not a division that exacerbates or generates poverty...

    OK, that's my rant. Take it easy, glad you wife is feeling better, and have a happy holiday. I'll be either here in BR with the orange cat who shares the house, or down in New Siberia...maybe a little of both.

    Happy Solstice.

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