Commentary about the poor ....well said arguments about real emotions, prejudices, she is observing as she works for her state, from Wisconsin cousin Tanya Lohr Yesterday at 9:09pm · One question I am often asked since running for Senate is “What was the hardest thing about running?” Most people expect me to say the time commitment, the lack of sleep, or the time away from friends and family. But in reality, the hardest part of running was seeing people’s hatred and distain for the poor. It was difficult to witness the mindset that by hating the poor and treating their poverty like a choice that must be punished, that others could choose not to be poor and therefore avoid that fate. The Republican budget that just passed reminds me of this hatred for the poor that I encountered on the doors. Choosing to turn down federal funds for Medicaid, and instead spending $120 million more to insure 85,000 FEWER people on Badgercare seems spiteful at best. It didn’t save money or create jobs. It just struck down the poor once again. Changing the unemployment insurance program and reducing the funds for benefits makes it even harder for the unemployed to get back on their feet. And it is the poor that will be affected the most by tossing out lawsuits for lead paint poisoning, legalizing bail bounty hunters and easing rules on payday lending operations. And the notion that supporting Republicans in striking down the poor will help others avoid this fate is faulty logic at best. This Republican budget strikes at the middle class as well, further endangering its existence. There’s the additional 1.9 billion dollars that taxpayers will have to spend to pay for the new voucher program. Then there’s the additional $30 million that taxpayers will have to spend to subsidize tax breaks for parents sending their children to private schools. This spending has actually created a $505 million dollar deficit, which is being “fixed” by exempting the budget from the state law requiring that it be balanced. Who will pay for this deficit down the road? If you think it’ll be the wealthy, then you should take a look at who is he major beneficiary of the $651 million tax cut that put us in this debt. Families who earn over $300,000 a year are receiving a $1,500 tax break while those who earn less than $50,000 receive a mere $100 in return. It doesn’t look like this group of legislators is looking out for the middle class, either. I wonder sometimes about the people I met on the doors who professed their hatred of the poor. I wonder if they still live in their house, and are able to pay their bills, or if they have become a recent victim of the shrinking middle class. And if so, I wonder how they feel about the decreasing number of ways out of their new found situation.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 02:27:42 +0000
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