…it would be great to watch them lose.
Lean Left points to an article from Slate that accuses the GOP of their own form of income distribution. Now, while porkbarrel politics is a serious concern, and there’s little surprise that there’s been a shift of pork towards GOP districts, the article indicates that this is indicative of the GOP wanting to give money to the rich.
…spending on child care food programs was slashed 80 percent; public and Indian housing grants were virtually eliminated; rental housing loans for rural areas and special benefits for disabled coal miners were cut by two-thirds; and the food stamp program was cut by a third.
Direct payments to farmers increased sevenfold during the six years of GOP rule; business and industrial loans quadrupled; home mortgage insurance went up 150 percent; and crop insurance assistance jumped by two-thirds.
If the Democrats really want to go on the record and accuse farmers of being members of "the rich", then I’m all for it. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see Tim Johnson, Tom Harkin, and Paul Wellstone all take a dive in their farm states and hand the Senate back to the GOP.
Let’s take a look at these programs. First of all, the GOP hasn’t cut anything. What has happened is that the amount of increase for these programs has been scaled back. That’s perfectly natural when the strong economy had meant that there were fewer people that needed them! There’s no reason to give a massive budgetary increase to programs that are both ineffective in the first place, and no longer needed large increases. No wonder so many Democrats also voted for these "cuts".
Not only that, but this kind of shift is better for the nation overall. These kinds of programs are the kind that create new wealth. The best government programs are the ones that help small businesses defrat startup costs and encourage entrepreneurial activity. The best welfare program is a strong job base. The kind of handout programs that the Democrats continually champion are never enough to give recipients a real chance, nor should they be. Only regular employment can give the kind of financial and moral boost these people need. That’s the great lesson learned by the nation after welfare reform was passed, and why Congress must renew it. If the Democrats want to put themselves in the role of people who criticize the family farmer and the small business owner as being rich and greedy, they’re more than welcome to.
