Make those welfare cheats piss in a cup!
One of the many angry white guy bellowings out there. I know they're just angry and not interested in analyzing their position. But I am.
Here's a recent NYT short piece on the growing support for requiring drug testing of welfare recipients. In case the URL doesn't work, it says that conservatives and the GOP presidential candidates support such a requirement. About half the states in the US are considering making laws to that effect.
Quoth the Romney: "People who are receiving welfare benefits, government benefits, we should make sure they're not using those benefits to pay for drugs".
Quoth the Gingrich: "...It could be through testing before you get any kind of federal aid — unemployment compensation, food stamps, you name it."
OK, I'll name it. The homeowner's mortgage deduction. If you're a regular middle class Joe with a regular mortgage, you get a medium-sized reduction in your tax bill. If you're rich or you have a large and expensive mortgage (like Mitt Romney), you get a big tax break. Sounds like a government benefit to me. And a large one. How large? The estimates are that the federal budget outlays are roughly $100 billion/year.
Compare this to welfare expenditures. Conservative mag Forbes estimates that even in the depths of our economic crisis, the US is spending $100B/year on the various programs loosely thought of as "welfare". Food stamps comes in at $75B/year.
How could conservatives demand that the poor welfare recipients have to pee in a cup without also demanding that middle class and wealthy home owners taking the mortgage interest deduction on their 1040 tax returns also pee in a cup? The size of the programs is similar, and the $$ comes from the taxpayer. After all, as Governor Romney might say, how do we know that mortgage interest deduction recipients aren't using those benefits to pay for illegal drugs?
Unless conservatives come flat out and say that they're really just interested in picking on the poor, they should also demand drug testing for everyone receiving federal benefits.
Make those mortgage deduction cheats piss in a cup!
One of the many angry white guy bellowings out there. I know they're just angry and not interested in analyzing their position. But I am.
Here's a recent NYT short piece on the growing support for requiring drug testing of welfare recipients. In case the URL doesn't work, it says that conservatives and the GOP presidential candidates support such a requirement. About half the states in the US are considering making laws to that effect.
Quoth the Romney: "People who are receiving welfare benefits, government benefits, we should make sure they're not using those benefits to pay for drugs".
Quoth the Gingrich: "...It could be through testing before you get any kind of federal aid — unemployment compensation, food stamps, you name it."
OK, I'll name it. The homeowner's mortgage deduction. If you're a regular middle class Joe with a regular mortgage, you get a medium-sized reduction in your tax bill. If you're rich or you have a large and expensive mortgage (like Mitt Romney), you get a big tax break. Sounds like a government benefit to me. And a large one. How large? The estimates are that the federal budget outlays are roughly $100 billion/year.
Compare this to welfare expenditures. Conservative mag Forbes estimates that even in the depths of our economic crisis, the US is spending $100B/year on the various programs loosely thought of as "welfare". Food stamps comes in at $75B/year.
How could conservatives demand that the poor welfare recipients have to pee in a cup without also demanding that middle class and wealthy home owners taking the mortgage interest deduction on their 1040 tax returns also pee in a cup? The size of the programs is similar, and the $$ comes from the taxpayer. After all, as Governor Romney might say, how do we know that mortgage interest deduction recipients aren't using those benefits to pay for illegal drugs?
Unless conservatives come flat out and say that they're really just interested in picking on the poor, they should also demand drug testing for everyone receiving federal benefits.
Make those mortgage deduction cheats piss in a cup!
Mirror mirror on the wall
ReplyDeleteIs GOP the biggest hypocrit of them all?
Was it Rush with drugs
Was it Larry Craig in a stall
This bastion of blowhards
Let the poor take the fall
You are ready for "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me"...
ReplyDelete