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ORIGINAL: PeonForHer
I know that righties think that their view of the world is about 'hard-headed realism' rather than the idealism of the lefties

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ORIGINAL: kdsub

lol... When I was 16 I made the asbestos tape for the Mercury space capsule...believe it or not it did take skill to run that machine properly. Although it will most likely kill me one day.

Butch

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Yes correct. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution, anyone? Nicholas and Alexandra and the Russian Revolution, anyone? I love how people conveniently forget history.

When the ruling class ignores poverty and truly leaves people to starve - bad things always happen. Starving people who have limited means of self-survival will do what they have to do. (How is someone who doesn't own land supposed to farm?? You can't take over public land to farm for personal gain - it's illegal.)

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What Franson is referring to is an entirely different species (humans) helping a different species (park animal) that creates a dependency that is not naturally occurring.

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ORIGINAL: kalikshama

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What Franson is referring to is an entirely different species (humans) helping a different species (park animal) that creates a dependency that is not naturally occurring.

Yes, it's offensive because she's denying food stamp recipients their humanity by comparing them to non-humans.

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animals of one species will help each other out.

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ORIGINAL: PeonForHer

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ORIGINAL: Fellow
People who would starve to death without the program should just grow their own food. Michelle Obama gives a great example how to do it. She is not working, she has two young children, her husband gives her no money for food. So, she starts the vegetable garden. She has no land, she just uses public owned land for it. Everybody can do the same.

I know that righties think that their view of the world is about 'hard-headed realism' rather than the idealism of the lefties - but the assumptions behind this sort of sentiment beggar belief. Why do people assume that those who are starving will just put up with it? Disraeli, more than a century ago, realised that when people get too poor, they'll stop playing within society's rules. That is just how things *are*.

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"Denying their humanity?"

Not at all. No more than telling someone "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" is calling that person a dog. Or saying that someone is as wise as an owl is denying their humanity, or telling someone he has the memory of an elephant, or the appetite of a bird.

It's a warning on people becoming dependant on government programs; not an attempt at name-calling.

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Isn't it ironic that the food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever.

Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to please not feed the animals, because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.

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ORIGINAL: erieangel

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animals of one species will help each other out.

They don't have to be of the same species. One of my cats was a rescue that was found and taken care of by a neighborhood dog as a new born kitten. (Actually, all of my cats were discarded as kittens).

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ORIGINAL: tweakabelle
Perhaps even worse is the underlying philosophy - that the individual is always the author of their own misfortune. How this can be applied in free wheeling capitalist society that fetishes winners and throws 'losers' onto the scrapheap defies logic.

The price of having winners is that some people are going to end up losers, and there are going to be an awful lot more losers than winners in today's world. It's just the "way things are". You can't have one without the other. So individuals are not always the authors of their own misfortunes. This posiiton is nasty judgemental and irresponsible.

That's before we begin to look at questions like: why should children be made to suffer for the alleged financial 'inadequacy' of their parents?

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ORIGINAL: tazzygirl

Used to be a time when politicians had better sense than to utter a word without it being fact checked and approved.

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ORIGINAL: Raiikun

I don't see how that is any more of a negative comparison than a plethora of other statements that make comparisons to animals when making a point.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you"
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink."

Off the top of my head.

Poorly worded maybe, but that's a major over-reaction over nothing.

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ORIGINAL: xxblushesxx

I'm starting to believe it *is* just politicians and they all suck, no matter what flavour they are.

I think you may be on to something there.

This is a tweet I favorited last night; "Hey, assholes. It's possible to support gay marriage, loathe racism AND be a conservative. Ever heard of nuance?"

I would be interested in just how one would accomplish that. How would you do it?

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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri

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ORIGINAL: kalikshama
Michele Bachmann Says If You Are Unemployed, You Should Starve
November 8, 2011
Yesterday morning during a speech at the Family Research Council in Washington, Michele Bachmann bashed the unemployed in perhaps the most heartless way possible. After vowing to weaken social safety net programs such as Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, and unemployment benefits, Bachmann said that if you are currently not working, you should not be eating.
“Our nation needs to stop doing for people what they can and should do for themselves. Self reliance means, if anyone will not work, neither should he eat.”
Bachmann is saying that the unemployed should starve themselves and their families since they are out of work through no fault of their own. She might as well have added that the unemployed shouldn’t be allowed to have clothes or a roof over their head. This statement by Bachmann shows how much the Republican Party loathes the unemployed. They have zero compassion for anyone or anything. Even Jesus fed the needy. These Republicans have no Christian values at all, nor do they have humanity.

You are not allowed to twist context and meanings.

At no point in time did Bachmann say that the unemployed should not eat. If you list yourself as "unemployed," that means you are looking for work and have not yet found it. But, those aren't the people who Bachmann was talking about. The phrase. "will not work," is not equivalent to "can not find work."


Who, exactly are these people whom you claim refuse to work?

So, if you are choosing to not work, when you are capable, why should we be responsible for feeding you?

I do not work and I get a check from the govt.
You are responsibile for feeding me because I am entitled to it. The fact that you do not like fullfilling your obligations to me is tough shit.

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ORIGINAL: Fellow

The remark (do not feed animals) is actually directed towards the government program, not blaming the recipients. Food stamp program has been fastest growing program since 2009. In case the government would shut it down the consequences (food riots) would be difficult to handle. Still, my advice for the recipients is: do not get comfortable and think it will be part of your budget forever. People who would starve to death without the program should just grow their own food. Michelle Obama gives a great example how to do it. She is not working, she has two young children, her husband gives her no money for food. So, she starts the vegetable garden. She has no land, she just uses public owned land for it. Everybody can do the same.

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ORIGINAL: Fellow

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Yes correct. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution, anyone? Nicholas and Alexandra and the Russian Revolution, anyone? I love how people conveniently forget history.

When the ruling class ignores poverty and truly leaves people to starve - bad things always happen. Starving people who have limited means of self-survival will do what they have to do. (How is someone who doesn't own land supposed to farm?? You can't take over public land to farm for personal gain - it's illegal.)

Did I just become "Occupy the Public Land" movement? The ruling class in the US does not ignore poverty. The food stamp program is an example of it.


The food stamp program is a classic example of a govt givaway to agribiz that can be twisted into a club to beat the food stamp recipiants with.

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It's a warning on people becoming dependant on government programs; not an attempt at name-calling.