Paul Krugman - Moochers Against Welfare
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/opinion/krugman-moochers-against-welfare.html?src=me&ref=generalFirst, Atlas shrugged. Then he scratched his head in puzzlement.
Modern Republicans are very, very conservative; you might even (if you were Mitt Romney) say, severely conservative. Political scientists who use Congressional votes to measure such things find that the current G.O.P. majority is the most conservative since 1879, which is as far back as their estimates go.
And what these severe conservatives hate, above all, is reliance on government programs. Rick Santorum declares that President Obama is getting America hooked on the narcotic of dependency. Mr. Romney warns that government programs foster passivity and sloth. Representative Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, requires that staffers read Ayn Rands Atlas Shrugged, in which heroic capitalists struggle against the moochers trying to steal their totally deserved wealth, a struggle the heroes win by withdrawing their productive effort and giving interminable speeches.
Many readers of The Times were, therefore, surprised to learn, from an excellent article published last weekend, that the regions of America most hooked on Mr. Santorums narcotic the regions in which government programs account for the largest share of personal income are precisely the regions electing those severe conservatives. Wasnt Red America supposed to be the land of traditional values, where people dont eat Thai food and dont rely on handouts?
The article made its case with maps showing the distribution of dependency, but you get the same story from a more formal comparison. Aaron Carroll of Indiana University tells us that in 2010, residents of the 10 states Gallup ranks as most conservative received 21.2 percent of their income in government transfers, while the number for the 10 most liberal states was only 17.1 percent.
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wakemewhenitsover
(1,595 posts)ty for posting!
pansypoo53219
(20,981 posts)teabags are that stupid.
demgrrrll
(3,590 posts)in the audience on the scooters railing against Government programs at a Tea Bagger rally. When questioned one of the participants stated that he was employed by the government but "I don't make that much". Total disconnect.
tooeyeten
(1,074 posts)he's preaching to the choir, while those that need it are in total denial.
ezmerelda39
(121 posts)What's yours is Mine, What's ours is Mine, What's mine is Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine......
seeviewonder
(461 posts)Great facts if anyone chooses to listen.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)summing it up all so very well.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)I really don't see the mystery here. The fascists have completely taken over the mass media
benld74
(9,904 posts)level in those same states, and I would bet there IS a correlation between low education levels as well
SpartanDem
(4,533 posts)fuck them why should we pay for safety net they don't want?
AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)Because we aren't them. You sound just like them.
pscot
(21,024 posts)We are a fundamentally stupid country.
Relentless Bitch
(17 posts)AlbertCat
(17,505 posts)...is the most succinct observation of conservatism in the USA ever.
We are a sad joke because of the GOP....and letting religion enter the scene in such a big way.