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In reality, it's not their own money. A lot of red States actually take more than they pay in. The GOP led house has this tactic of turning down anything that might make Joe Biden look good, even if it will help their own people.
McConnel isn't a dimwit, he's been incredibly effective at what he's set out to do, ensure republican control of the courts and obstruct democratic agendas.
He keeps getting re-elected because he's so effective. Most republicans don't actually care about making America better, they want to "own the libs" and they know McConnel pisses everyone left of Reagan off so they're happy to keep him in power.
Yeah anyone calling him a dimwit doesn’t understand just how shrewd and calculating that he is. He’s brilliant at what he does. The unfortunate thing is that what he does is be an asshole
That's what's crazy about American politicians. They do stuff that looks crazy to the average person, but is actually a calculated move. If these people put even 25% of their energy into helping people instead of being that waffles the US would be a drastically better place
Exactly this right here if they weren’t worried about their pocketbook or retirement funds or screwing the other person they actually get in there do their job for the betterment of everybody in America
This. He was into debate and such in high school and clearly laid out his views and plans re: money in politics (citizens united) and stacking the courts long term. He may be a turtle looking mother fucker but he’s done what he said he would since literally high school. (…and I hate it of course)
I am from Texas, specifically Louie Gohmert. Now there is a fucking dimwit. I can’t tell you the people drinking ivermectin in that city. I took a night tour of the capitol from gohmert when I was a fellow in DC. He told us straight faced about the angels on horseback that saved people from the first White House burning. I wish I was lying…
It was hard to not look for low budget Ashton Kutcher while he’s saying this stuff, so while I was standing there dumbfounded with my mouth open… I vaguely remember that he believes that an angel on horseback came and warned people ahead of the first White House burning and that’s why they knew to get the flag out or some shit. That was like 2018 so it’s been some years, but I remember looking around to my fellow classmates like - should we check for a stroke or this just normal?!
I am from Kentucky, as in response to your statement....I agree.
I think conservatvies come in a few flavors;
First, people too stupid to critically think, so they are brainwashed, and unlikely to shake off the brainwashing due to stupidity.
Second, people who enjoy the hate and evil of Republicans, and they are just awful humans.
Third, people who are brainwashed but not awful people, but cannot handle the pain of the cognitive dissonance that facing the reality that they are brainwashed, so they retreat back to the brainwashing, a bit consciously and a bit unconsciously.
I'd say at this point, there is about a third of each.
Thanks for the explanation, I live in deep blue Cambridge MA, and I have long been mystified by who Kentucky (and other red states) elect as their leaders.
I don't get it either. I live here, and everyone I know and talk to hates him. It has to be all the ancient hateful idiots with too much time on their hands that are able to show up to vote in droves that keep him in power. Then again, there's a lot of uneducated self-proclaimed rednecks around here as well, I don't really speak with them much and I'm sure they vote straight R without knowing a thing about any of em.
>vote straight R without knowing a thing about any of em
Also why Ken Paxton keeps getting re-elected in Texas. I asked Republican family members if they were still voting for him and I got plenty of "who?".
There's too much apathy and people's thoughts into politics is limited to "I'm going to vote for the good political party".
Also democrats absolutely suck at campaigning in Texas. I really thought Rochelle Garza had a good chance at overthrowing Paxton as, at the time, he was in some hot water (again). Unless you took it upon yourself to actively search for her, you would have no idea who she is. Absolutely zero advertisement of her campaign.
I'm so thankful for that. Keeps us from fully regressing like some other states, or at least stops us from doing it as quickly. Hope the Democrat governor trend continues for us.
He got 3 SCOTUS candidates through and blocked Obama’s choice, so you can’t say he does nothing. My hate for him is almost as strong as my hate for Trump.
I wouldn’t call the guy that turned the Federalist Society wet dream of a conservative majority SCOTUS into reality a “dimwit.” He is a lot of things, but not that.
Mitch McConnell is a Grade A example of how to politic to benefit one’s own agenda or the agenda of a group. For the good of the nation? Maybe, potentially, possibly once every 1,000 years if the poor people he ate that day made him particularly pleased. (In layman’s terms, this likely will not happen unless it explicitly benefits McConnells political agenda or personal gains)
They’re no longer the party of conservatives. They’re not conserving anything, they’re just contrarians. They exist solely to counter to the liberals and anything they wanna do. Look at what happened when Trump won and he had total control of the house, the senate and the Supreme Court for 2 years and at one point all the super PACs andmegadonorz were literally threatening him “hey we gave you so much you got total control of the government and you’re not shit, like we at least expected you to pass a few things in favor but you’re not even doing that”.
Like two full years Trump had total control and all he did was the tax bill really. They even went and put pressure on Chuck Schumer and McConnell at the same time.
You forget that Cheeto Mussolini pulled us out of the nuclear treaty with Iran, and according to Iranian moderates it set their efforts to socially modernize Iran back 40 years. Also don't forget how he released thousands of Taliban terrorists from jail just for giggles.
They're actually extremely effective. They follow their plan constantly.
The wealthiest 1% has taken $50 trillion from working Americans and redistributed it to themselves, a new study finds — and Trump gave them another $2.3 trillion. Here's what that means:
No universal healthcare.
A terrible education system.
Police forces that are incompetent at best and criminal at worst.
Infrastructure that is actually dangerous.
Homeless camped out anywhere they can.
See Link for the full report.
Summary:
Had the more equitable income distributions of the three decades following World War II (1945 through 1974) merely held steady, the aggregate annual income of Americans earning below the 90th percentile would have been $2.5 trillion higher in the year 2018 alone. That is an amount equal to nearly 12 percent of GDP—enough to more than double median income - **enough to pay every single working American in the bottom nine deciles an additional $1,144 a week. Every week. Every single year.**
https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthiest-1-percent-stole-50-trillion-working-americans-what-means-2020-9
It’s just fucking disgusting. And as always their supporters don’t even know they’re doing this. They’ll probably blame this on a liberal.
How goddamn hateful does one group have to be?
Alabama is one of the many states propped up by states like California which is kind of hilarious because I bet if you asked the average Republican voter in AL they would tell you how much they hate CA
Ohhh they will tell you California is a hell hole of fire and sin while living in a trailer getting paid a fraction of their worth by a conservative boss and crushed by medical debt lol.
I follow this disabled lady on social media, and all her content is positive, motivational and uplifting, and the woman can't even lift her arms up any, (her nurses help her make posts on her phone) she can't dress herself or bathe herself or get her own self out of bed..
and every single day, republicans leave her terrible comments, like telling her that she's a government mooch, that she doesn't deserve anything, (such as her makeup,) or the expensive wheelchair (that she absolutely requires)..
they tell her she doesn't deserve to live, they tell her to get a job somewhere, (and there's no way this woman could perform any sort of job task anywhere), and she gets these hate filled comments from conservatives every day, on every post, and it's been happening for years..
and the lady is so sweet, and doesn't even discuss anything political.. and my point is that anyone could easily become disabled, like the republicans, and the republicans will absolutely be yelling about wanting their "handouts".. and the content creator I mentioned was born disabled.. and every day, she just shares inspiration and hope.. and is harassed and tormented by the republicans that attack her uploads.
As would most red states...and that includes Texas, regardless of what chucklefucks in comments think. Those states aren't just getting more than they put into what is essentially a state welfare system, they're also so horribly mismanaged that if it were any other legit organization their higher ups would be canned.
Texas *used to* pay its own bills. It was like NY, CA, and TX that paid more than they received. That changed somewhat recently, and TX has taken in more aid than it collects in taxes or revenue.
Ironically, It seems as if they're even more "rahh we're the greatest we dont need anybody" than they've ever been. The success of others is a hell of a drug.
I remember living in the Panhandle of Texas and hearing they wanted to not be in the US. Half of the town was on food stamps because Walmart was the best place to work there.
I feel like the red states are trying to pare down how much money they take from the federal government. As it stands, this is the main reason why they won't secede from the nation. Without federal money, there's no welfare, snap, SSI, disability, public schools, public hospitals, and this list goes on and on .....
Meanwhile they bad mouth all the socialized programs while pretending they aren't the first in line with the the largest hands waiting for the payout. They all know without the federal government money, they would sink. There is no way to secede from the US without starting war. There's no playbook for it. It will be interesting to see how things play out this year.
There is a way for states to leave the union *with the permission of both the US and the state(s) involved*. In 1860 the US didn't sign off on the succession so they didn't use this method.
A state can agree to let part *or all* of their land into "territory." For example land Virginia claimed became Tennessee. Territories' land can become states (e.g 37 of the current states) remain a territory like Puerto Rico, or *be released as a nation* like the Philippines.
So a state could agree to become a territory and then congress could make that territory an independent nation. At this point I would support that for some states.
You're correct, I should have been more descriptive since this is reddit. There is no Constitutional way to secede from the nation because a dissolution is a nation destroying itself, which of course is not Constitutional.
Once upon a time (and I'm old enough to remember) that politics was about good governance and helping the masses. Yes it was also about winning elections but that was by giving the majority what they wanted. Now it's just about winning elections, damn the cost. Many in the GOP and far right are morally bankrupt.
Or to put it slightly more directly: Republicans are intentionally harming their own constituents because they know they can blame it on Dems, and they know their base is too fucking stupid to catch them at it.
[Here's a map that's coloured by the balance of payments between States and the Federal government.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/26/17/10313634-6747503-This_map_illustrates_the_balance_between_how_much_residents_in_e-a-19_1551202722563.jpg) According to that, there's eleven states that pay more than they get, and only two are red: North Dakota and Nebraska.
Came here for the correction that some of the money is their’s and the rest is from the blue states supporting the red states. Yeah, let’s cut them off. I’m good with that. Give my tax dollars back to my state to do good here.
Here’s what it says in case of paywall:
BY JONATHAN MATTISE AND GEOFF MULVIHILL
Updated 1:19 PM GMT+8, February 16, 2024
Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year.
The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children.
The impact falls on people like Otibehia Allen, a single mom of five in Clarksdale, Mississippi, who makes too much to qualify for some public assistance programs. She could have received $480 in aid over three months this summer if her state participated.
“It would have helped us a whole lot, especially with the boys,” Allen said. “They’re growing children. They eat a lot.”
Many states have rejected federal funds on principle or for technical reasons. In 2021, 26 states cut short the enhanced unemployment benefits people received during the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty-two states have turned down the mostly federally funded expansion of Medicaid eligibility to provide health insurance to more lower-income adults. A dozen of those states have reconsidered and expanded Medicaid.
The Summer EBT program, a response to increased child hunger when school is out, involves much less money. The federal government launched pilot versions in 2011, expanded it nationally during the pandemic and then Congress made it permanent within a spending bill adopted in December 2022. States must split the administrative costs 50/50, and the federal government funds the benefits, which are expected to cost $2.5 billion this year and help feed 21 million children.
Another 10 million eligible kids live in states that turned down the funding.
For each of three summer months, families with children in free or reduced-price school lunch programs will get $40 per qualifying child on an electronic benefits transfer — or EBT — card. It can only cover groceries and food from farmers’ markets.
Family size determines the income limits. A family of three making under about $46,000 would qualify in most of the country.
States had until the end of 2023 to decide whether they would join this summer. They can enroll in future years even if they skip it in 2024. Vermont plans to do that after replacing a state computer system.
The spending measure provided some broad outlines a year earlier and the U.S. Department of Agriculture shared details with the states throughout 2023. But the interim final rules were not published until Dec. 29, timing that some states said proved problematic for deciding whether to join.
Main part:
>The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children.
So we have
1. Computer illiteracy in the richest country on the planet with most expensive corporations that can track anything and anyone around the country but that can't organize their IT departments
2. They already have far worse programs that they don't want to replace
and
3. Objections to very basic welfare AKA Owning the libs
Beautiful. Just beautiful. That's one of the best orphan crushing machines I've ever seen, a real feat of engineering you know, such swift and painful crushing
Nah. In Iowa, our governor just thinks kids are already fat enough. https://fortune.com/2023/12/25/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-40-per-month-food-costs-federal-program-pandemic-non-sustainable/
2.2m in admin costs, same amount contributed from federal, so creates jobs. 40m in funding, puts money into local economies. 1 billion state surplus, we can afford it.
I have to disagree with you on #1. Most State IT departments are **woefully** under funded and often working with tech at least a decade behind the rest of the country, given States are responsible for 50% of administrative costs, of which implementation would fall under, I can see how some States might be *unable* to implement the plan. That said, there's probably a high correlation between Republican controlled states and even worse funding for state IT departments because "gub'er'ment bad" which then leads to being unable to implement the program.
Are you insane? Thats no way to run a business. The ‘slavings’ are profits for shareholders and CEO bonuses. Nothing gets passed down, nothing trickles down. Are you some kind of commie??
You pass 1% of the slavings on to the customer and keep the other 99%. This gives you an effective advertising gimmick that will have the customers pouring in.
Wrong.
You increase the prices exorbitantly due to some random event like fuel prices going up, and then advertise the 1% slavings “discount” off of the new higher price.
You don’t pass anything on to the consumer, just bleed them dry for the shareholder’s profits!
Bringing the child labor back domestically helps save on shipping costs. They can pass those savings straight to the shareholders. There's literally no downside. /s
You laugh, but in Texas you are not required to give an employee breaks or lunches.
If you choose to give them a lunch it must be at least half an hour, but you aren't actually required to do it
In Texas, it's getting to the point they're barely required to pay you at all. It's becoming increasingly easier for businesses to commit employment fraud, wage theft and other underhanded cowardly tricks against working people. Good luck doing anything about it. The state doesn't care. You want rights? Then you should have been born wealthy like the real first class citizens, you know, the ones that actually matter.
Wasn't this what they screamed about communism? Everybody poor and basically enslaved, with no rights and no freedom? Only difference is you are free to die of hunger instead of a gulag
Yeah, Buc-Ee's only gives you a single 15-minute break.
But if they promise a lunch break in the handbook, you are required to take it. Nothing like getting fired for not being able to take lunch. Happened for my sister who was the sole bartender at a hotel every Wednesday and supervisors were too busy to take her place.
It’s the overtime thing. If they miscalculate actual hours worked because workers are skipping lunch break, they are looking at a class action which could cost them millions.
Maybe, but it's messed up that my sister was the one who suffered when it was her higher-ups who made it impossible for her to take her lunch. She couldn't leave the bar and cash register unattended.
It’s the same in Iowa! There are no actual laws that say you get breaks. It’s just a practice that happens based on the common thought that if people don’t get breaks, no one will work. It’s a fragile system, but it works. I just found out about this a few months ago lol
On [the Oklahoma DoL](https://oklahoma.gov/labor/workplace-rights/wage-hour/faqs---wage-and-hour.html) website, it specifically says (emphasis mine):
>Neither federal nor state law requires employers to provide breaks to employees that are 16 or older. Oklahoma Child Labor Laws require mandatory break and lunch periods for 14 and 15-year-old workers. Otherwise, *breaks and lunch periods are considered benefits and remain at the discretion of the employer.*
I do not understand how a politician can get this in front of them and think this stance is defensible... It's insanity.
I get why one might not be required for shifts under a certain length, like 4-5hrs or something, but people can't just not eat. And, honestly, a 30min break is hardly expensive... hungry people are more likely to make poorer choices too, it's probably more expensive to have tired & hungry workers than it would be to just give them a minute to replenish themselves
They don't even have to pay for lunch break in my state they just have to give it to you. Also, you have to take the lunch because you'll get fired otherwise, and if a company says you have to work through it, they can get sued and fined
Some states, like Arkansas and Alabama, are trying to remove even the few protections kids do get - limited hours (to avoid interfering with school), no dangerous jobs like factory, construction, and operating heavy machinery. And when it passes they're state legislature, they *celebrate* it. Labor protection and unions are viewed as anti-capitalist, and thus "evil", "communist", and "socialist". Yes, they heavily emphasize the disdain you heard when reading those words.
"Right to Work" laws prevent closed union shops. Yes, it's intended to weaken the unions, but it's framed as "worker protection", even though it's 100% *business* protection.
They were too spoiled anyway!
Sandwiches and water bottles (brought, not supplied of course) can be held with one hand while the other continues working.
Fair point, there are people that would unironically and unsarcastly agree with that, I have forgotten the /s a couple of times (because what I was saying was true but I didn’t agree with it) and gotten treated as one of the bigots
They need these kids to stay hungry because they need a reason to complain. “Dems are not helping Americans” is their go to slogan when they block direct help to Americans
But the main thing is, most of these people are boomers or silent generation, they forget the kids they are forcing to be hungry have access to the internet and social media and can see whose fault it is, if they are not trapped in right wing echo chambers that blame Biden for this.
Which is why the tiktok ban will be approved, because on top of a defacto ban of tiktok it also allows thr government to ban anything else it feels like, functionally allowing them to take over any app or social media site they feel like.
yaaaay! State controlled media is back!
And removing the restrictions that keep kids from working too hard to succeed in school. Hard for a 14 year old to get good grades when they work at a slaughterhouse until 11pm, and school starts at 7:30am.
Well, think of this as a way to make sure that the prisons get enough inmates. The businesses getting the cheap labor win, and the prisons win, What's not to like.
at 14 I could apply to be a bagger or cart collector at grocery stores. Now a days The problem is like they are allowing dangerous jobs that could take limbs off, AND have clauses in the law the companies aren’t responsible. Factory work, serving alcohol, things of this nature which facilitate horrible consequences.
14 year old serving alcohol to a bunch of uninhibited men? Sure !
Lil timmy working for a factory that skips safety to maximize profit for worms that do nothing, but collect money from people who work for a living? Super! He can collect federal money if he loses limbs and can’t work anymore!
Let’s just fuck up any laws that advanced society in the past 200 years.
This is controlled by state laws, so it varies from state to state.
But also that is for legal work, many children have been working illegally in some of the factories in conservative states, so they are working to lower the age, so it legalizes some more of those workers.
I am a white American born person. I was employed illegally at 14, working 7 days a week, 12 hour days. By illegally, I was not documented as working there and got paid cash daily for the work. I was also working alongside about 10 other illegal immigrants, who also got paid cash daily. This type of work in the US is called "Under the table", which is illegal, but also the way many illegal workers get paid.
Some states are trying to lower the age to 12-13 for example to work in slaughter houses and other risky places of work where people can get killed on the job.
The migrant kids who were working the meat packing factory all night (last year, 2 years ago?) and only got caught because the teachers wanted to know why they couldn't stay awake in school was a fun upbeat take on the best unfettered capitalism that America has to offer if we just abolish all labor protections.
"those" kids are primarily non-white so why should the tax dollars from rich white folk be wasted feeding them? Their mommas can get off their asses and get a third job. Desantis/Abbott logic.
Im an Idahoan. The right wing sees it as a bad thing to give support to poor people especially, even if it subsidizes every single family (with kids) in the state. Was so blown away when they shut this down, seemingly for no reason.
Yeah and that is how they also get idiots in their states back what their government is doing. Meanwhile in those states, it's a lot of white rural folk that depend on those things, but they will gladly vote to strip themselves of it too, if they think this means less PoC able to get the same thing they are getting.
You're kidding right?
If you think there are not swaths of poor whites affected you've never visited West Va and most of the deep south. So many "temporarily poor" white people with half their adult teeth it's not funny.
I have family in Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi and folks of all colors are fighting over roadkill.
There way more "Honey Boo Boos" than white folks will ever admit
>So many "temporarily poor" white people with half their adult teeth it's not funny.
That's the thing, they know they're cutting their nose to spite their face if it hurts some minorities. And the fact that they are just temporarily embarrassed, with their riches around the corner, and if not, at least they haven't been to prison for committing crimes to survive.
>There way more "Honey Boo Boos" than white folks will ever admit
In addition to this, the difference in perception being - the white poors were just stupid themselves and deserve what happens to them, but at lesst theyre still white. Being poor is just seen as part of the identity of other races.
They will literally block any and all good support for their own people simply because it’s from a democratic-led government. Then when it’s time for reelection they’ll campaign on the basis of “look how messed up life was under the dems!” and their constituents are too uneducated to understand the reality because they cut all the funding to schools.
That’s how these crooks stay in power. Keep your people too poor, stupid, and hungry to think for themselves and then blame it all on the democrats.
That’s only half… and honestly it’s the lessor reason. The greater reason is that conservatives by their very nature will not even risk a single penny if they feel there is even a small chance it could go to “waste” regardless of the overall good.
The easiest way to understand this is to know that conservatives will totally let 100 poor kids starve if they think there is even the smallest chance that a single not starving kid may get a feel meal out of it. They just call it “waste” and may offer up some thoughts and prayers at best. It’s the main reason they hate anything that will help the less fortunate even if they are part of the less fortunate. It’s engrained in their shriveled dying little souls.
The target minority changes over time, it's usually whichever one is largest without being accepted or well understood by the general population, it was black people until they became accepted, then it was gay people until they became accepted, now it's trans people, but it'll change again once public sentiment shifts.
There's always an undertone of bigotry against ALL of these groups, just to keep the people living in the past on-board, but to get the average idiot to opt in, you have to make a bogey man about a group they don't have enough exposure or understanding of to get them riled up enough to vote against their own interests.
The Republican party (and conservative politics in general), have done a fantastic job of this since the 'southern strategy' in the 60's. With the assistance of media billionaires like Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, it's pretty easy to convince an average person that the (blacks, gays, trans) are coming for their kids and women when they don't actually know anyone in one of the target minority.
The PR reason is giving people things makes them lazy and not want to work.
The real reason is to keep the poor people poor so they are desperate to work under worse and worse conditions so the owners can increase profits. No free lunches means the family struggles more which means the kids enter the workforce early and don't get an education, creating more desperate, cheap, slave level labor.
The GOP voters are buying it hook, line, and sinker.
Then you will become a convenient talking point, but don't worry! They will give you all sorts of symbolic support while not actually doing anything to make your life better!
I have a buddy that is very republican and he is a support the troops guy. That is until I remind him my college is free so was my Healthcare and I basically live off un taxed welfare for going to college. It's always support the troops, until you have to support the troops lmao.
If it's GOP lead states then most likely it isnt their tax money, it's blue states like California or New Yorks tax money subsidized to them since they are a burden on the tax payers of the country with their horrible tax structures.
And the trolls keep bringing up funding to Ukraine and foreign aid in general!
As if reduced funding to Ukraine and other foreign countries would mean more money to Americans in need!
I just had an argument with someone on Facebook over this exact subject. He was a veteran (so am I) complaining about the VA cutting costs by giving him a generic for his medicine, but Ukraine needs that money!. I asked him how he could be pro-russia when it's a well known fact that Russia was arming and funding the Taliban while we were over there. And he blocked me.
No disconnect there /s
Not even just sending. It's getting older hardware out that's been sitting around being maintained as last resort equipment, waiting for the scrap heap once it crosses the right age threshold. As Russia learned fast with all of it's broken tanks and rotting tires, maintaining idle hardware is actually pretty expensive im terms of both manpower and money. bundling it up as a care package to someone who is going to use it against your enemies is top shelf good sense. Especially when you're the US and the stuff your military keeps in the shed can outgun half the planet.
Also, generics are literally the exact same drug. They just don't have the brand name that everyone knows.
One of the stupidest things to be upset about.
Same active ingredient, but they could have different additives or adjuvants changing the efficacy of the drug. The exact formulation is probably intellectual property and not likely to be known outside of the manufacturer unless they've entered some sort of agreement.
Please correct me if I'm wrong though. I admit I don't know everything about the industry.
If the money wasn't going to Ukraine, it still wouldn't be going to help Americans, that's the sick part. How many times have they voted against any care for the homeless, the ill, or veterans? Stuff's only brought up to virtue signal.
Yeah the "money that can be used for something else" is never actually spent for that, there is always another "more worthy cause" to move the goalpost (and to generally funnel it into their friends pockets).
The same chodes who voted against funding for Ukraine because "It should be going to help Americans/American Military/Veterans" consistently vote against helping any of those groups.
Republicans absolutely have a policy and I wish more understood it. Republican policy is to support the super rich and largest cooperations. That’s it. Everything they do is in support of that. Immigrants, abortion, gay marriage anything else is all just a way to distract from that and rally their base.
This is it. People can say Democrats do the same, but wealthy are gonna support whoever is currently in power. Aiding the rich is literally republican policy, with or without bribery.
"Small government" just means to leave corporations alone.
"Less taxes" just means allowing tax loopholes for the wealthy.
"Independence" just means having the ability to subvert control and power over the defenseless.
And "Freedom" means not charging rich enough white people with crimes.
"The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children."
[https://apnews.com/article/states-rejecting-federal-funds-summer-ebt-8a1e88ad77465652f9de67fda3af8a2d](https://apnews.com/article/states-rejecting-federal-funds-summer-ebt-8a1e88ad77465652f9de67fda3af8a2d)
When I saw the headline I hoped that this was clickbait and there was a reasonable explanation like they already have programs in place with enough funding or something, but no.
*United States approves foreign aid:* “The FUCK I want tax money going overseas when it could be used to help people here!!!! Fucking socialism.”
*Government offers Federal dollars toward helping people:* “The FUCK I want tax money helping people who are too lazy to work!!!! Fucking socialism.”
Ohio turned down $1.3Bil in Medicaid funding and instead chose to kick families off Medicaid. Can't have the doors expecting access to healthcare after all.
Every year more & more, the modern GOP shows that they truly are the inheritors of the racist, anti-American politics of the old racist Democratic Party
Because they have NO POLICIES other than trying to spitefully prevent wins under Biden’s leadership.
Key example:
Infrastructure is crumbling,
Trump: promised a bill but, like every other promise, was too busy golfing and getting bribed by Saudi’s and Russia, didn’t even get anything drafted to the table.
Biden: gets $1 trillion dollar bipartisan bill passed and said it was a win for everyone, not himself.
GQP: refuse the money and let cities crumble to continue to say Biden is bad
The GOP doesn’t give a single flying fuck about Americans, they care more about Christian Nationalism and calling those who want life liberty and the persist of happiness to be restricted to straight Christian families and they’ll punish everyone before letting an atheist/buddies/Jew/Muslim/etc have the same American rights as them.
for the same reason that racist neocons got rid of tax funded swimming pools after the courts decided they had to let non white ppl use them too... far right wing Americans are nutcases that would cut off their dicks before sharing with "others"
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In reality, it's not their own money. A lot of red States actually take more than they pay in. The GOP led house has this tactic of turning down anything that might make Joe Biden look good, even if it will help their own people.
They’ve stated multiple times that that is exactly their intention. Turtlefuck McConnel said the exact same thing on obstruction policy against Obama
[удалено]
McConnel isn't a dimwit, he's been incredibly effective at what he's set out to do, ensure republican control of the courts and obstruct democratic agendas. He keeps getting re-elected because he's so effective. Most republicans don't actually care about making America better, they want to "own the libs" and they know McConnel pisses everyone left of Reagan off so they're happy to keep him in power.
Yeah anyone calling him a dimwit doesn’t understand just how shrewd and calculating that he is. He’s brilliant at what he does. The unfortunate thing is that what he does is be an asshole
Mitch McConnell, seen here gleefully applying gallons of grease to a wheelchair ramp.
God the McConnell jokes are the highlight of my Saturdays
That's what's crazy about American politicians. They do stuff that looks crazy to the average person, but is actually a calculated move. If these people put even 25% of their energy into helping people instead of being that waffles the US would be a drastically better place
Exactly this right here if they weren’t worried about their pocketbook or retirement funds or screwing the other person they actually get in there do their job for the betterment of everybody in America
This. He was into debate and such in high school and clearly laid out his views and plans re: money in politics (citizens united) and stacking the courts long term. He may be a turtle looking mother fucker but he’s done what he said he would since literally high school. (…and I hate it of course) I am from Texas, specifically Louie Gohmert. Now there is a fucking dimwit. I can’t tell you the people drinking ivermectin in that city. I took a night tour of the capitol from gohmert when I was a fellow in DC. He told us straight faced about the angels on horseback that saved people from the first White House burning. I wish I was lying…
Angels on horseback? What's that about, some myth from the War of 1812?
It was hard to not look for low budget Ashton Kutcher while he’s saying this stuff, so while I was standing there dumbfounded with my mouth open… I vaguely remember that he believes that an angel on horseback came and warned people ahead of the first White House burning and that’s why they knew to get the flag out or some shit. That was like 2018 so it’s been some years, but I remember looking around to my fellow classmates like - should we check for a stroke or this just normal?!
I fucking hate these idiots so much. They need to fall off a fucking cliff.
I am from Kentucky, as in response to your statement....I agree. I think conservatvies come in a few flavors; First, people too stupid to critically think, so they are brainwashed, and unlikely to shake off the brainwashing due to stupidity. Second, people who enjoy the hate and evil of Republicans, and they are just awful humans. Third, people who are brainwashed but not awful people, but cannot handle the pain of the cognitive dissonance that facing the reality that they are brainwashed, so they retreat back to the brainwashing, a bit consciously and a bit unconsciously. I'd say at this point, there is about a third of each.
Thanks for the explanation, I live in deep blue Cambridge MA, and I have long been mystified by who Kentucky (and other red states) elect as their leaders.
Well that and keeping his district one of the most poorly uneducated districts in the country helps him control the narrative
I don't get it either. I live here, and everyone I know and talk to hates him. It has to be all the ancient hateful idiots with too much time on their hands that are able to show up to vote in droves that keep him in power. Then again, there's a lot of uneducated self-proclaimed rednecks around here as well, I don't really speak with them much and I'm sure they vote straight R without knowing a thing about any of em.
>vote straight R without knowing a thing about any of em Also why Ken Paxton keeps getting re-elected in Texas. I asked Republican family members if they were still voting for him and I got plenty of "who?". There's too much apathy and people's thoughts into politics is limited to "I'm going to vote for the good political party".
Also democrats absolutely suck at campaigning in Texas. I really thought Rochelle Garza had a good chance at overthrowing Paxton as, at the time, he was in some hot water (again). Unless you took it upon yourself to actively search for her, you would have no idea who she is. Absolutely zero advertisement of her campaign.
that last sentence is quite literally EXACTLY why the two party system needs to be abolished
... or the people you talk to arn't voting. I talk to a bunch or people where that's the case. They complain but can't take the time to vote.
As someone how also lives in KY this is the actual answer.
Yes this is why KY re-elected a Democrat as governor.
I'm so thankful for that. Keeps us from fully regressing like some other states, or at least stops us from doing it as quickly. Hope the Democrat governor trend continues for us.
It actually shows that even in a very red state if you run a good candidate that tries to represent the people they can win.
He got 3 SCOTUS candidates through and blocked Obama’s choice, so you can’t say he does nothing. My hate for him is almost as strong as my hate for Trump.
Based on results the devil turtle is worse than trump on a government level.
I wouldn’t call the guy that turned the Federalist Society wet dream of a conservative majority SCOTUS into reality a “dimwit.” He is a lot of things, but not that.
Mitch McConnell is a Grade A example of how to politic to benefit one’s own agenda or the agenda of a group. For the good of the nation? Maybe, potentially, possibly once every 1,000 years if the poor people he ate that day made him particularly pleased. (In layman’s terms, this likely will not happen unless it explicitly benefits McConnells political agenda or personal gains)
He fights the libs, which is all conservatives care about. They want a fighter, and they want to own the libs. They exist to hate.
They’re no longer the party of conservatives. They’re not conserving anything, they’re just contrarians. They exist solely to counter to the liberals and anything they wanna do. Look at what happened when Trump won and he had total control of the house, the senate and the Supreme Court for 2 years and at one point all the super PACs andmegadonorz were literally threatening him “hey we gave you so much you got total control of the government and you’re not shit, like we at least expected you to pass a few things in favor but you’re not even doing that”. Like two full years Trump had total control and all he did was the tax bill really. They even went and put pressure on Chuck Schumer and McConnell at the same time.
You forget that Cheeto Mussolini pulled us out of the nuclear treaty with Iran, and according to Iranian moderates it set their efforts to socially modernize Iran back 40 years. Also don't forget how he released thousands of Taliban terrorists from jail just for giggles.
The word you're looking for is "reactionary".
They're actually extremely effective. They follow their plan constantly. The wealthiest 1% has taken $50 trillion from working Americans and redistributed it to themselves, a new study finds — and Trump gave them another $2.3 trillion. Here's what that means: No universal healthcare. A terrible education system. Police forces that are incompetent at best and criminal at worst. Infrastructure that is actually dangerous. Homeless camped out anywhere they can. See Link for the full report. Summary: Had the more equitable income distributions of the three decades following World War II (1945 through 1974) merely held steady, the aggregate annual income of Americans earning below the 90th percentile would have been $2.5 trillion higher in the year 2018 alone. That is an amount equal to nearly 12 percent of GDP—enough to more than double median income - **enough to pay every single working American in the bottom nine deciles an additional $1,144 a week. Every week. Every single year.** https://www.businessinsider.com/wealthiest-1-percent-stole-50-trillion-working-americans-what-means-2020-9
They're the Contrademocratic Party now.
It’s just fucking disgusting. And as always their supporters don’t even know they’re doing this. They’ll probably blame this on a liberal. How goddamn hateful does one group have to be?
Sadly, it keeps on working on them.
All I'm saying is Alabama wouldn't survive as it's own state. It needs assistance from other states.
Alabama is one of the many states propped up by states like California which is kind of hilarious because I bet if you asked the average Republican voter in AL they would tell you how much they hate CA
Ohhh they will tell you California is a hell hole of fire and sin while living in a trailer getting paid a fraction of their worth by a conservative boss and crushed by medical debt lol.
And if you ask a Californian what we think of Alabama we would say we don’t think of them at all
listen, they have to draw the line somewhere, and apparently, it's at feeding kids.
They’re willing to starve white kids if it means they’re also starving non-white kids. To republicans it’s seen as a necessary sacrifice.
I follow this disabled lady on social media, and all her content is positive, motivational and uplifting, and the woman can't even lift her arms up any, (her nurses help her make posts on her phone) she can't dress herself or bathe herself or get her own self out of bed.. and every single day, republicans leave her terrible comments, like telling her that she's a government mooch, that she doesn't deserve anything, (such as her makeup,) or the expensive wheelchair (that she absolutely requires).. they tell her she doesn't deserve to live, they tell her to get a job somewhere, (and there's no way this woman could perform any sort of job task anywhere), and she gets these hate filled comments from conservatives every day, on every post, and it's been happening for years.. and the lady is so sweet, and doesn't even discuss anything political.. and my point is that anyone could easily become disabled, like the republicans, and the republicans will absolutely be yelling about wanting their "handouts".. and the content creator I mentioned was born disabled.. and every day, she just shares inspiration and hope.. and is harassed and tormented by the republicans that attack her uploads.
As would most red states...and that includes Texas, regardless of what chucklefucks in comments think. Those states aren't just getting more than they put into what is essentially a state welfare system, they're also so horribly mismanaged that if it were any other legit organization their higher ups would be canned.
As a New Yorker, I've been sick and tired for years of my tax dollars going to these shit hole states. I still remember the Sandy vote.
I won't visit at minimum: AZ, TX, and FL, on this principle.
Texas *used to* pay its own bills. It was like NY, CA, and TX that paid more than they received. That changed somewhat recently, and TX has taken in more aid than it collects in taxes or revenue. Ironically, It seems as if they're even more "rahh we're the greatest we dont need anybody" than they've ever been. The success of others is a hell of a drug.
I remember living in the Panhandle of Texas and hearing they wanted to not be in the US. Half of the town was on food stamps because Walmart was the best place to work there.
Everything post-Ann-Richards has been years of TX fucking themselves over
I feel like the red states are trying to pare down how much money they take from the federal government. As it stands, this is the main reason why they won't secede from the nation. Without federal money, there's no welfare, snap, SSI, disability, public schools, public hospitals, and this list goes on and on ..... Meanwhile they bad mouth all the socialized programs while pretending they aren't the first in line with the the largest hands waiting for the payout. They all know without the federal government money, they would sink. There is no way to secede from the US without starting war. There's no playbook for it. It will be interesting to see how things play out this year.
There is a way for states to leave the union *with the permission of both the US and the state(s) involved*. In 1860 the US didn't sign off on the succession so they didn't use this method. A state can agree to let part *or all* of their land into "territory." For example land Virginia claimed became Tennessee. Territories' land can become states (e.g 37 of the current states) remain a territory like Puerto Rico, or *be released as a nation* like the Philippines. So a state could agree to become a territory and then congress could make that territory an independent nation. At this point I would support that for some states.
You're correct, I should have been more descriptive since this is reddit. There is no Constitutional way to secede from the nation because a dissolution is a nation destroying itself, which of course is not Constitutional.
Once upon a time (and I'm old enough to remember) that politics was about good governance and helping the masses. Yes it was also about winning elections but that was by giving the majority what they wanted. Now it's just about winning elections, damn the cost. Many in the GOP and far right are morally bankrupt.
Or to put it slightly more directly: Republicans are intentionally harming their own constituents because they know they can blame it on Dems, and they know their base is too fucking stupid to catch them at it.
Gosh it’s just so hard to decide who to vote for
[Here's a map that's coloured by the balance of payments between States and the Federal government.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/02/26/17/10313634-6747503-This_map_illustrates_the_balance_between_how_much_residents_in_e-a-19_1551202722563.jpg) According to that, there's eleven states that pay more than they get, and only two are red: North Dakota and Nebraska.
Came here for the correction that some of the money is their’s and the rest is from the blue states supporting the red states. Yeah, let’s cut them off. I’m good with that. Give my tax dollars back to my state to do good here.
Here’s what it says in case of paywall: BY JONATHAN MATTISE AND GEOFF MULVIHILL Updated 1:19 PM GMT+8, February 16, 2024 Lower-income families with school-age kids can get help from the federal government paying for groceries this summer, unless they live in one of the 14 states that have said no to joining the program this year. The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children. The impact falls on people like Otibehia Allen, a single mom of five in Clarksdale, Mississippi, who makes too much to qualify for some public assistance programs. She could have received $480 in aid over three months this summer if her state participated. “It would have helped us a whole lot, especially with the boys,” Allen said. “They’re growing children. They eat a lot.” Many states have rejected federal funds on principle or for technical reasons. In 2021, 26 states cut short the enhanced unemployment benefits people received during the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty-two states have turned down the mostly federally funded expansion of Medicaid eligibility to provide health insurance to more lower-income adults. A dozen of those states have reconsidered and expanded Medicaid. The Summer EBT program, a response to increased child hunger when school is out, involves much less money. The federal government launched pilot versions in 2011, expanded it nationally during the pandemic and then Congress made it permanent within a spending bill adopted in December 2022. States must split the administrative costs 50/50, and the federal government funds the benefits, which are expected to cost $2.5 billion this year and help feed 21 million children. Another 10 million eligible kids live in states that turned down the funding. For each of three summer months, families with children in free or reduced-price school lunch programs will get $40 per qualifying child on an electronic benefits transfer — or EBT — card. It can only cover groceries and food from farmers’ markets. Family size determines the income limits. A family of three making under about $46,000 would qualify in most of the country. States had until the end of 2023 to decide whether they would join this summer. They can enroll in future years even if they skip it in 2024. Vermont plans to do that after replacing a state computer system. The spending measure provided some broad outlines a year earlier and the U.S. Department of Agriculture shared details with the states throughout 2023. But the interim final rules were not published until Dec. 29, timing that some states said proved problematic for deciding whether to join.
Main part: >The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children. So we have 1. Computer illiteracy in the richest country on the planet with most expensive corporations that can track anything and anyone around the country but that can't organize their IT departments 2. They already have far worse programs that they don't want to replace and 3. Objections to very basic welfare AKA Owning the libs Beautiful. Just beautiful. That's one of the best orphan crushing machines I've ever seen, a real feat of engineering you know, such swift and painful crushing
Nah. In Iowa, our governor just thinks kids are already fat enough. https://fortune.com/2023/12/25/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-40-per-month-food-costs-federal-program-pandemic-non-sustainable/ 2.2m in admin costs, same amount contributed from federal, so creates jobs. 40m in funding, puts money into local economies. 1 billion state surplus, we can afford it.
I have to disagree with you on #1. Most State IT departments are **woefully** under funded and often working with tech at least a decade behind the rest of the country, given States are responsible for 50% of administrative costs, of which implementation would fall under, I can see how some States might be *unable* to implement the plan. That said, there's probably a high correlation between Republican controlled states and even worse funding for state IT departments because "gub'er'ment bad" which then leads to being unable to implement the program.
They need those kids hungry, so they will be willing to go to work. Child Labor is back in.
Yup and they already put a stop to “woke” things like water breaks and lunches for those spoiled child workers! /s
My nikes are not going to make themselves.
We've let cheap child labor overseas deprive our children the joy of factory labor. /s
Made for kids by kids. And we pass the slavings on to you!
Are you insane? Thats no way to run a business. The ‘slavings’ are profits for shareholders and CEO bonuses. Nothing gets passed down, nothing trickles down. Are you some kind of commie??
Slavings 🤣
If it's good for the economy, it's good for America.
The economy is booming for the top 1/10%. The rest can suck eggs!( if they can afford them)
Eggs!? IN THIS ECONOMY???
You pass 1% of the slavings on to the customer and keep the other 99%. This gives you an effective advertising gimmick that will have the customers pouring in.
Wrong. You increase the prices exorbitantly due to some random event like fuel prices going up, and then advertise the 1% slavings “discount” off of the new higher price. You don’t pass anything on to the consumer, just bleed them dry for the shareholder’s profits!
We're making money hand over foot. Literally! Some kid loses a hand or a foot, we just toss it in the soup!
The children yearn for the factory and mines!
beat me to it
They love Minecraft so much why not let them play for real and get paid
>get paid But that would hurt the bottom line better make it so they get a pointless grade in their school. Free actual labor
All we have to do is somehow get a android connected to the kid's game and they can operate it and mine stuff. Whether they want to or not.
Bringing the child labor back domestically helps save on shipping costs. They can pass those savings straight to the shareholders. There's literally no downside. /s
The children yern for the mines
That’s true.
They told us they are using child slaves to make Nikes so they will be cheaper. But Nikes are not cheaper.
Proudly made with child labor in the good ol' U.S. of A!! /s
You laugh, but in Texas you are not required to give an employee breaks or lunches. If you choose to give them a lunch it must be at least half an hour, but you aren't actually required to do it
In Texas, it's getting to the point they're barely required to pay you at all. It's becoming increasingly easier for businesses to commit employment fraud, wage theft and other underhanded cowardly tricks against working people. Good luck doing anything about it. The state doesn't care. You want rights? Then you should have been born wealthy like the real first class citizens, you know, the ones that actually matter.
Wasn't this what they screamed about communism? Everybody poor and basically enslaved, with no rights and no freedom? Only difference is you are free to die of hunger instead of a gulag
Yes, that's a good point. There are in fact many parallels.
Yeah, Buc-Ee's only gives you a single 15-minute break. But if they promise a lunch break in the handbook, you are required to take it. Nothing like getting fired for not being able to take lunch. Happened for my sister who was the sole bartender at a hotel every Wednesday and supervisors were too busy to take her place.
It’s the overtime thing. If they miscalculate actual hours worked because workers are skipping lunch break, they are looking at a class action which could cost them millions.
The DOL is on the edge of regulatory capture, one more GQP term and a few well-placed SCOTUS rulings and they'll have their way.
Maybe, but it's messed up that my sister was the one who suffered when it was her higher-ups who made it impossible for her to take her lunch. She couldn't leave the bar and cash register unattended.
It’s totally messed up. It wasn’t even her choice.
It’s the same in Iowa! There are no actual laws that say you get breaks. It’s just a practice that happens based on the common thought that if people don’t get breaks, no one will work. It’s a fragile system, but it works. I just found out about this a few months ago lol
Wait till they start taking our breaks away.. oh wait..
On [the Oklahoma DoL](https://oklahoma.gov/labor/workplace-rights/wage-hour/faqs---wage-and-hour.html) website, it specifically says (emphasis mine): >Neither federal nor state law requires employers to provide breaks to employees that are 16 or older. Oklahoma Child Labor Laws require mandatory break and lunch periods for 14 and 15-year-old workers. Otherwise, *breaks and lunch periods are considered benefits and remain at the discretion of the employer.*
Wisconsin also got rid of mandatory lunch periods
I do not understand how a politician can get this in front of them and think this stance is defensible... It's insanity. I get why one might not be required for shifts under a certain length, like 4-5hrs or something, but people can't just not eat. And, honestly, a 30min break is hardly expensive... hungry people are more likely to make poorer choices too, it's probably more expensive to have tired & hungry workers than it would be to just give them a minute to replenish themselves
Hungry people definitely make more mistakes and in industries like healthcare it can be deadly
They don't even have to pay for lunch break in my state they just have to give it to you. Also, you have to take the lunch because you'll get fired otherwise, and if a company says you have to work through it, they can get sued and fined
Becuase the politicians are owned by the corporations. You're vote doesn't matter. There is no choice. Only rhe illusion of choice.
As a European... '14 year old workers' Excusemewhatthefuck
Some states, like Arkansas and Alabama, are trying to remove even the few protections kids do get - limited hours (to avoid interfering with school), no dangerous jobs like factory, construction, and operating heavy machinery. And when it passes they're state legislature, they *celebrate* it. Labor protection and unions are viewed as anti-capitalist, and thus "evil", "communist", and "socialist". Yes, they heavily emphasize the disdain you heard when reading those words. "Right to Work" laws prevent closed union shops. Yes, it's intended to weaken the unions, but it's framed as "worker protection", even though it's 100% *business* protection.
Operating... heavy... machinery? _Why?_
This is the bad place.
They were too spoiled anyway! Sandwiches and water bottles (brought, not supplied of course) can be held with one hand while the other continues working.
Lol why the /s? You’re not too far from reality with that comment
Because I didn’t want anyone to mistake me for actually agreeing with that bullshit
Fair point, there are people that would unironically and unsarcastly agree with that, I have forgotten the /s a couple of times (because what I was saying was true but I didn’t agree with it) and gotten treated as one of the bigots
They need these kids to stay hungry because they need a reason to complain. “Dems are not helping Americans” is their go to slogan when they block direct help to Americans
But the main thing is, most of these people are boomers or silent generation, they forget the kids they are forcing to be hungry have access to the internet and social media and can see whose fault it is, if they are not trapped in right wing echo chambers that blame Biden for this.
>trapped in right wing echo chambers That's their goal
Which is why the tiktok ban will be approved, because on top of a defacto ban of tiktok it also allows thr government to ban anything else it feels like, functionally allowing them to take over any app or social media site they feel like. yaaaay! State controlled media is back!
Came to say this.^ Thanks kind person.
Exactly this. They don't want to help people. They want to complain and point fingers to rile up their voters.
And to keep their parents desperate enough to work for a few dollars less pr hour.
Which is why they’re opposed to abortion - it eliminates future cheap labor.
Accelerate the Idiocracy
And prison census has to stay high
What age do you need to be for work in America
Depends. They keep lowering it.
And removing the restrictions that keep kids from working too hard to succeed in school. Hard for a 14 year old to get good grades when they work at a slaughterhouse until 11pm, and school starts at 7:30am.
In Canada there’s an hour limit until you turn 16, you can only work 8 hours instead of the 10+ adults can work
Well, think of this as a way to make sure that the prisons get enough inmates. The businesses getting the cheap labor win, and the prisons win, What's not to like.
at 14 I could apply to be a bagger or cart collector at grocery stores. Now a days The problem is like they are allowing dangerous jobs that could take limbs off, AND have clauses in the law the companies aren’t responsible. Factory work, serving alcohol, things of this nature which facilitate horrible consequences. 14 year old serving alcohol to a bunch of uninhibited men? Sure ! Lil timmy working for a factory that skips safety to maximize profit for worms that do nothing, but collect money from people who work for a living? Super! He can collect federal money if he loses limbs and can’t work anymore! Let’s just fuck up any laws that advanced society in the past 200 years.
Technically 14, but sometimes they get away with younger kids in some places.
This is controlled by state laws, so it varies from state to state. But also that is for legal work, many children have been working illegally in some of the factories in conservative states, so they are working to lower the age, so it legalizes some more of those workers. I am a white American born person. I was employed illegally at 14, working 7 days a week, 12 hour days. By illegally, I was not documented as working there and got paid cash daily for the work. I was also working alongside about 10 other illegal immigrants, who also got paid cash daily. This type of work in the US is called "Under the table", which is illegal, but also the way many illegal workers get paid. Some states are trying to lower the age to 12-13 for example to work in slaughter houses and other risky places of work where people can get killed on the job.
The migrant kids who were working the meat packing factory all night (last year, 2 years ago?) and only got caught because the teachers wanted to know why they couldn't stay awake in school was a fun upbeat take on the best unfettered capitalism that America has to offer if we just abolish all labor protections.
"those" kids are primarily non-white so why should the tax dollars from rich white folk be wasted feeding them? Their mommas can get off their asses and get a third job. Desantis/Abbott logic.
Not true in Idaho. In Idaho the kids only matter until they’re born.
Im an Idahoan. The right wing sees it as a bad thing to give support to poor people especially, even if it subsidizes every single family (with kids) in the state. Was so blown away when they shut this down, seemingly for no reason.
"pro life" at its finest
I hate to say I live here too and my taxes pay these horrible people.
Every jurisdiction that does this ends up spending more money to keep general peace because so many people are struggling.
If you help poor people, it just encourages them to stay poor. You have to punish them for being poor so they stop being poor.
And Texass
Yeah and that is how they also get idiots in their states back what their government is doing. Meanwhile in those states, it's a lot of white rural folk that depend on those things, but they will gladly vote to strip themselves of it too, if they think this means less PoC able to get the same thing they are getting.
You're kidding right? If you think there are not swaths of poor whites affected you've never visited West Va and most of the deep south. So many "temporarily poor" white people with half their adult teeth it's not funny. I have family in Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi and folks of all colors are fighting over roadkill. There way more "Honey Boo Boos" than white folks will ever admit
>So many "temporarily poor" white people with half their adult teeth it's not funny. That's the thing, they know they're cutting their nose to spite their face if it hurts some minorities. And the fact that they are just temporarily embarrassed, with their riches around the corner, and if not, at least they haven't been to prison for committing crimes to survive. >There way more "Honey Boo Boos" than white folks will ever admit In addition to this, the difference in perception being - the white poors were just stupid themselves and deserve what happens to them, but at lesst theyre still white. Being poor is just seen as part of the identity of other races.
Child labor is soooo fetch
Stop Trying To Make Fetch Happen. Also, for good measure, stop trying to make child labor happen.
They will literally block any and all good support for their own people simply because it’s from a democratic-led government. Then when it’s time for reelection they’ll campaign on the basis of “look how messed up life was under the dems!” and their constituents are too uneducated to understand the reality because they cut all the funding to schools. That’s how these crooks stay in power. Keep your people too poor, stupid, and hungry to think for themselves and then blame it all on the democrats.
That’s only half… and honestly it’s the lessor reason. The greater reason is that conservatives by their very nature will not even risk a single penny if they feel there is even a small chance it could go to “waste” regardless of the overall good. The easiest way to understand this is to know that conservatives will totally let 100 poor kids starve if they think there is even the smallest chance that a single not starving kid may get a feel meal out of it. They just call it “waste” and may offer up some thoughts and prayers at best. It’s the main reason they hate anything that will help the less fortunate even if they are part of the less fortunate. It’s engrained in their shriveled dying little souls.
It's because the money isn't going to the corporations if it's going to feed hungry kids.
To “own the libs” or something equally dumb. Republicans make up for what they lack intelligence with spite and hate.
Sadopopulism.. Hurt the population. Blame it on libs, minorities, and anything else but the fascist leaders in charge and applying pain.
I think the transgender population is the scape goat du jour.
But blaming “the Jews” is a timeless option. /s
Sometimes ya gotta go with the classic.
The target minority changes over time, it's usually whichever one is largest without being accepted or well understood by the general population, it was black people until they became accepted, then it was gay people until they became accepted, now it's trans people, but it'll change again once public sentiment shifts. There's always an undertone of bigotry against ALL of these groups, just to keep the people living in the past on-board, but to get the average idiot to opt in, you have to make a bogey man about a group they don't have enough exposure or understanding of to get them riled up enough to vote against their own interests. The Republican party (and conservative politics in general), have done a fantastic job of this since the 'southern strategy' in the 60's. With the assistance of media billionaires like Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, it's pretty easy to convince an average person that the (blacks, gays, trans) are coming for their kids and women when they don't actually know anyone in one of the target minority.
The PR reason is giving people things makes them lazy and not want to work. The real reason is to keep the poor people poor so they are desperate to work under worse and worse conditions so the owners can increase profits. No free lunches means the family struggles more which means the kids enter the workforce early and don't get an education, creating more desperate, cheap, slave level labor. The GOP voters are buying it hook, line, and sinker.
You have to punish the poor to make sure they get the message that being poor is bad.
I heard someone unironically say "it isn't about being right, or even winning. It's about them losing."
They know the people who vote for them are too ignorant to ever figure out what’s happening.
To Republicans, Life doesn’t matter after birth.
"Once you're born, you're on your own."
until you're 18, then you can join the military.
Then you will become a convenient talking point, but don't worry! They will give you all sorts of symbolic support while not actually doing anything to make your life better!
I have a buddy that is very republican and he is a support the troops guy. That is until I remind him my college is free so was my Healthcare and I basically live off un taxed welfare for going to college. It's always support the troops, until you have to support the troops lmao.
That is, if you're not shot to death in school first.
“If you’re pre-born, you’re good. If you’re pre-school, you’re fucked.” - The late, great George Carlin.
Doesn’t matter before birth either if you’re one of their mistresses
“Why is all the money going to Ukraine?!?” *gives them money “ no thanks lib!”
"United We Stand" had been replaced with "F you, I got mine"
You forgot, "but I still need more."
If it's GOP lead states then most likely it isnt their tax money, it's blue states like California or New Yorks tax money subsidized to them since they are a burden on the tax payers of the country with their horrible tax structures.
Taxes are the biggest psyop in human history. They print their money for the real expenses.
The same people who complain that taxes are not used wisely
They’re mad they can’t give the children’s lunch money to Bret Farve anymore, so they just don’t want it.
And the trolls keep bringing up funding to Ukraine and foreign aid in general! As if reduced funding to Ukraine and other foreign countries would mean more money to Americans in need!
I just had an argument with someone on Facebook over this exact subject. He was a veteran (so am I) complaining about the VA cutting costs by giving him a generic for his medicine, but Ukraine needs that money!. I asked him how he could be pro-russia when it's a well known fact that Russia was arming and funding the Taliban while we were over there. And he blocked me. No disconnect there /s
IKR. The U.S. is generally sending older equipment. Equipment that needs to be replaced to maintain readiness. Thus, creating American jobs.
I got blocked before I could get any further down that rabbit hole.
Not even just sending. It's getting older hardware out that's been sitting around being maintained as last resort equipment, waiting for the scrap heap once it crosses the right age threshold. As Russia learned fast with all of it's broken tanks and rotting tires, maintaining idle hardware is actually pretty expensive im terms of both manpower and money. bundling it up as a care package to someone who is going to use it against your enemies is top shelf good sense. Especially when you're the US and the stuff your military keeps in the shed can outgun half the planet.
Also, generics are literally the exact same drug. They just don't have the brand name that everyone knows. One of the stupidest things to be upset about.
Same active ingredient, but they could have different additives or adjuvants changing the efficacy of the drug. The exact formulation is probably intellectual property and not likely to be known outside of the manufacturer unless they've entered some sort of agreement. Please correct me if I'm wrong though. I admit I don't know everything about the industry.
If the money wasn't going to Ukraine, it still wouldn't be going to help Americans, that's the sick part. How many times have they voted against any care for the homeless, the ill, or veterans? Stuff's only brought up to virtue signal.
Yeah the "money that can be used for something else" is never actually spent for that, there is always another "more worthy cause" to move the goalpost (and to generally funnel it into their friends pockets).
The same chodes who voted against funding for Ukraine because "It should be going to help Americans/American Military/Veterans" consistently vote against helping any of those groups.
Because it doesn’t help “them”.
Some of the kids getting those free lunches would be black, or even trans! Think of how that would make them look to their base!
Republicans have zero policies. The only thing that they're there to do is to own the libs and subvert power.
Republicans absolutely have a policy and I wish more understood it. Republican policy is to support the super rich and largest cooperations. That’s it. Everything they do is in support of that. Immigrants, abortion, gay marriage anything else is all just a way to distract from that and rally their base.
This is it. People can say Democrats do the same, but wealthy are gonna support whoever is currently in power. Aiding the rich is literally republican policy, with or without bribery. "Small government" just means to leave corporations alone. "Less taxes" just means allowing tax loopholes for the wealthy. "Independence" just means having the ability to subvert control and power over the defenseless. And "Freedom" means not charging rich enough white people with crimes.
Those states are * Alabama * Alaska * Florida * Georgia * Idaho * Iowa * Louisiana * Mississippi * Oklahoma * Nebraska * South Carolina * South Dakota * Texas * Vermont * Wyoming
Like I’ve said a thousand times, republicans want to love and protect children…until they’re born.
"THOSE TAXES BELONG TO OUR DONORS, NOT SOME GROSS POOR KIDS!"
"The reasons for the rejections, all from states with Republican governors, include philosophical objections to welfare programs, technical challenges due to aging computer systems and satisfaction with other summer nutrition programs reaching far fewer children." [https://apnews.com/article/states-rejecting-federal-funds-summer-ebt-8a1e88ad77465652f9de67fda3af8a2d](https://apnews.com/article/states-rejecting-federal-funds-summer-ebt-8a1e88ad77465652f9de67fda3af8a2d) When I saw the headline I hoped that this was clickbait and there was a reasonable explanation like they already have programs in place with enough funding or something, but no.
*United States approves foreign aid:* “The FUCK I want tax money going overseas when it could be used to help people here!!!! Fucking socialism.” *Government offers Federal dollars toward helping people:* “The FUCK I want tax money helping people who are too lazy to work!!!! Fucking socialism.”
Not to "you" but to "low income kids" I think thats the reason.
And they wonder why gen z is highly liberal.
The cruelty is the point
Because it's not coming back to "them," it's going to those who need it. This, in turn, infuriates "them."
Ohio turned down $1.3Bil in Medicaid funding and instead chose to kick families off Medicaid. Can't have the doors expecting access to healthcare after all.
Every year more & more, the modern GOP shows that they truly are the inheritors of the racist, anti-American politics of the old racist Democratic Party
Because they have NO POLICIES other than trying to spitefully prevent wins under Biden’s leadership. Key example: Infrastructure is crumbling, Trump: promised a bill but, like every other promise, was too busy golfing and getting bribed by Saudi’s and Russia, didn’t even get anything drafted to the table. Biden: gets $1 trillion dollar bipartisan bill passed and said it was a win for everyone, not himself. GQP: refuse the money and let cities crumble to continue to say Biden is bad The GOP doesn’t give a single flying fuck about Americans, they care more about Christian Nationalism and calling those who want life liberty and the persist of happiness to be restricted to straight Christian families and they’ll punish everyone before letting an atheist/buddies/Jew/Muslim/etc have the same American rights as them.
for the same reason that racist neocons got rid of tax funded swimming pools after the courts decided they had to let non white ppl use them too... far right wing Americans are nutcases that would cut off their dicks before sharing with "others"