Check out this woman running for mayor of Racine, WI who says that if you're on food stamps, you shouldn't be allowed to vote.
According to the USDA, that's 28 million people — or about nine percent of the country's population — in any given month.
"People who are living off the government," Jody Harding reasons, "have little incentive to change their habits." Therefore, somehow they must be prevented from voting for incumbent politicians.
Quite clever, don't you think? Then, in the highly unlikely event Jody Harding becomes an incumbent politician, the attendant flip-flop:
I was for disenfranchisement of the poor before I was against it.
And speaking of living off the government, the mayoralty of Racine is worth around $92K per year, including benefits. Beats food stamps.
This woman is certifiable. After all, by her logic, my wife who received Pell Grants shouldn't have been able to vote while she was receiving those grants, since they're a form of government subsidy.
ReplyDeleteI left this comment on her blog yesterday afternoon, but it's still awaiting moderation. We'll see if she lets it see the light of day:
ReplyDeleteWhat about all those small business owners who received tax credits for purchasing large SUVs back in the days of the Bush-Cheney petrolocracy? Should they have lost their right to vote? What about real estate developers who take TIF grants from municipalities? Does that count, or do you only want to disenfranchise poor people who receive government assistance?
Do you realize that most Americans (yourself undoubtedly included) consume far more than they produce? Our lifestyle is subsidized by the labor of the poorest folks, mostly in third-world nations, who produce more than they consume. By your Henny Penny argument, we should let the Chinese workers who produce most of the crap sold at Wal-Mart have a vote in this country while most of us stay on the sidelines.
Good point. Also, the intended disenfranchisees are less likely to have spare piles of cash laying around that they can hand to politicians directly.
ReplyDeleteBut those who do can vote and hand over the cash.