By Tana Ganeva, AlterNet
Posted on May 8, 2009, Printed on May 11, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers/www.alternet.org/139934/
Uh oh! Looks like the government is sneakily spending your hard-earned cash to shower welfare moms with Cadillacs again!
One of the GOP's all-time favorite talking points — the racist, classist (and non-existent in real life) specter of welfare recipients living large on the government's dime — appears to be making a comeback, this time inspired by a Massachusetts car ownership program for welfare recipients.
A Fox Nation headline proclaims in outrage: "What?? Free Wheels for Welfare Recipients!"
Clicking through to the actual article, or course, reveals that the program's beneficiaries are hardly awash in luxury. And, despite the fact that the article itself is laughably biased — one brief quote by an advocate of the program, sandwiched between three quotes by Republicans bloviating about government waste — it's pretty easy to figure out that the program is not exactly a harbinger of socialism.
The state does not pay for the cars, but rather "... the car's insurance, inspection, excise tax, title, registration, repairs and a AAA membership." (The cars are supplied by non-profits.) Applicants have to show that they are either employed, or are actively looking for work. In order to get the cars, they have to prove that it is impossible for them to reach work using public transportation. Only families with children are eligible. And on and on.
You may have already surmised much of this, because you're not an idiot. The same cannot be said for Fox Nation readers.
The comments that follow the headline are as racist, classist, and generally fucked up as one would expect. I feel gross re-posting samples, but it's probably important to do so in order to get a true sense of the chilling vitriol and idiocy on display.
Fumes soimanextremist? (if you have to ask ... ):
Wow! We sure do give these people motivation to get the arses off the public dole, don't we? Free or cheap: rent, electricity, food stamps, daycare, phone service, healthcare, paychecks...and now cars! Well I feel much better now that I know that DeShawn won't have to WALK down to the street corner to sell the crack and that Niquisha won't have to haul her 6 kids (all with no babies daddies) down to the FREE health clinic on the bus.
(Yes, believe your eyes. Despite the fact that neither the headline nor article mention race, the commenter felt the need to use stereotypically African-American names.)
Anonymous cleverly writes:
I'm one of these welfare recipients. I plan on selling my car for 3 pounds of crack.
Anonymous 2 says:
Gee, why don't we just pay them to sit home and eat bon bons! Oh, I forgot, we already tried that -- it's called Welfare.
(these are 3 of the first 6 comments. I didn't even have to dig to find the really screwed up crap).
Anyway, one of the more mystifying Republican strategies to regain relevance seems to be to trot out old, largely irrelevant scare tactics. Exhibit A, of course, is the Conservative outcry over the impending advent of socialism. And here now, is another oldie but goody: vilifying welfare recipients and spazzing out about our government's all-consuming obsession with helping the poor.
Let's see how well this tack works out for the GOP, as more and more Americans come to depend on government assistance to survive the econocopolypse.
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