May 25, 2014

Facebook, Food Stamps, Politics, And The Megaphone Of The Uninformed

When you use Facebook as a megaphone to pronounce condemnation of people who happen to own certain material possessions while simultaneously using food stamps, you perpetuate a stigma that already exists. You are simply pouring salt on a wound. You are standing on your soapbox and demeaning a system that helps people in need, while disparaging people you don’t know, to make a political point, about something you evidently are not informed about.

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February 1, 2014

Yes, Liberals Are Judgmental Too

I would like to remind fellow liberals that we too are judgmental creatures. We are all human, so we cannot escape our biases. Yeah I know, sometimes we like to think we are the clear thinkers, and that we are above bias, but think about it, doesn’t that sound just a bit self-righteous? And isn’t that the kind of pious thinking we rail against when it comes to conservative thought? My hope is that most liberals realize this, and I think that might be one of the differences between liberals and conservatives, and yes, that sounds self-righteous too, with just a touch of condescension added in for good measure.

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November 19, 2013

America Needs To Break The ‘Walmart Mentality’

The “Walmart Mentality” could otherwise be referred to as “Supercapitalism,” also the name of a book by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. It’s the idea that unrestrained capitalism leads to corruption, not only of the market economy, but also democracy. The “Walmart Mentality” is that a few people get filthy rich by squeezing the system as much as they can without breaking it. But the problem, as is always the problem with greed, is that there is never enough, so eventually something is going to break. But the few people benefiting from this scenario are usually old, and they have build up such massive wealth, they can insulate themselves from the fallout for the rest of their lives.

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November 1, 2013

Profiting From Government Subsidy: That’s The Real Walmart

Walmart has been running a new ad campaign with the tagline “That’s The Real Walmart.” The ads started earlier this year and they are designed to trumpet career growth opportunities for Walmart “associates.” Every time I see one of these ads I can’t help but think it’s a slap in the face to the thousands of Walmart workers who have organized and protested the company’s low wages and minimal benefits. But these commercials offer a completely different message. If you didn’t know better, you’d think Walmart was the ideal company to work for. I’m sure there are positions within Walmart that pay good wages and offer adequate benefits, but what about the average Walmart floor worker? And don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to critique Walmart employees, because in this economy, with so many people still looking for work, a job is a job. I’m not judging Walmart employees, I’m judging Walmart.

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September 21, 2013

35-Year-Old Afghanistan Veteran Writes That He’s On Food Stamps, Tells Republicans He Would Prefer Not To Starve

If you are a Republican in congress voting to cut food stamp funding, you must convince yourself you are doing right by the people. You don’t want people telling you that you are an uncaring person who wants people to starve, because you don’t see it that way. So you must utilize a series of lies to assure your psyche of absolution, that you are only participating in this exercise out of concern and love for those less fortunate. Because you are the adult in the room. You are the authority on this topic. You must teach people a hard life lesson, and possibly be the bad guy for a while, for the people to see the light.

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September 19, 2013

House Republicans Vote To Cut Food Stamps For Two Million Children

This is definitely an occasion for a slightly misleading article headline. And I say “slightly” because it’s actually true. Okay, Republicans didn’t explicitly vote to cut food stamps for children, but children do make up half of food stamp recipients. Therefore, when House Republicans voted today to cut food stamps by $4 billion a year over the next ten years, estimated to affect up to four million people, that means up to two million children will go hungry because of contemptuous conservatives.

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August 21, 2013

Hey Conservatives, Want Less Government? Raise The Minimum Wage

Are you a conservative who wants less government? Do you despise welfare queens? Do you have contempt for fellow human beings when they need trivial things like food and health care? Do you yell things like “get a job” or “work harder” or “start your own business” when you hear people grumble about their empty stomach, or carp about going into debt for medical bills, or bemoan their inability to buy the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu grip for their kid at Christmas time?

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