Friday, December 17, 2004
Prolonging Your Joyless Existence
Legislator would sanction Minnesota welfare recipients for smoking
This is a bit contradictory, isn't it? If you hate the poor this much, wouldn't you want them to smoke themselves to an early grave?
This follows on the heels of that heel Gov. Pawlenty's proposal to forbid people with food stamps from purchasing snacks -- poor people are apparently held to an entirely different moral standard than the rest of us. If sucking from the government teat means one is no longer allowed to enjoy oneself, shall we take away their brain-deadening televisions? How about their toasters? Why should they get to alter their white bread for the sake of hedonistic deliciousness on the tax-payers' nickel? Hell, we should mandate that they buy only specifically unappetizing foods with their welfare dollars! If they get foods high in sugars or trans-fats, they're cut off!
And what are you doing with that trashy novel from your public library, welfare mom? Trying to forget your troubles? I don't think so! We're restricting your library access to the theology and self-help sections! And hey, you better not be riding that city bus somewhere fun! Hard-working tax payers want their money going towards downtown development of Hard Rock Cafes or massive subsidies for corporations that really, really mean it this time when they say they won't close up shop and move somewhere without OSHA or minimum wages, not free-loading poor people unwilling (or unable) to give up their last remaining petty, trifling vices! |
Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said Friday that welfare recipients should be fined for smoking because the habit increases the state's health costs.
Seifert, the chairman of the House State Government Finance Committee, said he would introduce legislation next month imposing higher premiums, co-payments or economic sanctions for people getting state assistance who don't quit smoking.
This is a bit contradictory, isn't it? If you hate the poor this much, wouldn't you want them to smoke themselves to an early grave?
This follows on the heels of that heel Gov. Pawlenty's proposal to forbid people with food stamps from purchasing snacks -- poor people are apparently held to an entirely different moral standard than the rest of us. If sucking from the government teat means one is no longer allowed to enjoy oneself, shall we take away their brain-deadening televisions? How about their toasters? Why should they get to alter their white bread for the sake of hedonistic deliciousness on the tax-payers' nickel? Hell, we should mandate that they buy only specifically unappetizing foods with their welfare dollars! If they get foods high in sugars or trans-fats, they're cut off!
And what are you doing with that trashy novel from your public library, welfare mom? Trying to forget your troubles? I don't think so! We're restricting your library access to the theology and self-help sections! And hey, you better not be riding that city bus somewhere fun! Hard-working tax payers want their money going towards downtown development of Hard Rock Cafes or massive subsidies for corporations that really, really mean it this time when they say they won't close up shop and move somewhere without OSHA or minimum wages, not free-loading poor people unwilling (or unable) to give up their last remaining petty, trifling vices! |
