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Of course if the funds are avilable any politicain will go after them that is why we need to make it so they can't get them.Too mnay states are now dependent on funding thru federal governamnt which attches strings. Often local and state governamnets will do projects they would never do if it reuired local atxes;that is the problem in much of the wasteful spending.
The question is, can a person be opposed to government programs, in which they are the beneficiary of?
If the federal government is handing out a couple trillion dollars in a "stimulus", that will most likely be paid for either by taxes or through inflation of the US dollar(paid for just as much by Minnesotans as anyone else). I don't see how it is unprincipled to not attempt to bring as much of that money(that also came from your constituents) back into your district as possible.
I think it would be stupid for Bachmann to snub her nose at billions of dollars that rightfully belong to the people of her state. And anyone who thinks she is a hypocrite is a complete idiot.
I mean, if I am receiving social security, does that mean I can no longer support privatizing Social Security? Is it possible to work for the IRS, while supporting the abolishment of the income tax?
Actually...YES. That's EXACTLY what she should be doing! It's not that hard. You oppose something vehemently & turn around & accept the very same thing you highlight in your campaign??? That is a CLEAR case of hypocrisy! How can one not see that? That's like saying "I oppose all abortions" & then turning around & getting one. I mean....I don't see how it's not clearcut for some of you that it's completely absurd! What does she have to do, rob & steal from her neighbor before some are like "Well, ya know, I liked her & all but maybe she's talking out of the side of her mouth". Ya know? Jesus, I'm appalled at some people.
Go for it then & leave the gobmint stuff for the rest who want to sit back & relax.
Already got a private sector job, less than 48 hours after being contacted by the HR rep. It pays to be in a niche high demand area. The NSF funding also ran out. Still doesn't change my opinion on the matter, nor should it.
For the record, showing results for NSF isn't trivial, it's just that I preferred that we were sponsored by a private entity.
Yes, it would be hard to take you seriously. However we have posters here on Medicare who oppose health care for all, and other government programs that benefit society in general. It may make sense to people like you, but it certainly doesn't to me.
This isn't an argument about whether or not those programs are good or bad. I'm not trying to argue about whether or not the stimulus was good or bad. This post was intended to say that Michelle Bachmann is a hypocrite, or that she is unprincipled. But I simply do not agree.
For instance, I don't like the public school system, and would much rather a privatized system with vouchers. So does it mean I'm a hypocrite if I am sending my kids to public school? Lets say that I am against the "Earned income tax credit", but I qualify for it. Am I a hypocrite if I apply for and receive the credit each year? If I am working a full-time job but am only making a little over minimum wage, and so I qualify for and receive Food stamps(maybe $30 a month). Am I a hypocrite? I don't believe so on any account.
The thing is, the government takes your money through a variety of means. Even if you are paying absolutely nothing in income tax, you are still dishing out money in payroll taxes and in corporate taxes(indirectly of course), as well as many other taxes. The government takes that money and hands it out for a variety of reasons and programs.
In a very real way, if you are eligible for $30 in food stamps a month and you are too proud to go get them. Then you are voluntarily paying in an additional $360 a year in taxes. Lets pretend you bought a house last year and were eligible for the $8,000 new buyer tax credit, but you were opposed to the program. Why wouldn't you still apply for the credit? It works the same way with medical bills and your college education. You would be a fool to not utilize a program in which you have basically already paid for.
Keep in mind, the minimum wage itself is really a "living wage". This living wage already factors in all subsidies and benefits that people receive. And all other wages are generally related to the minimum wage(which is why all other wages go up when minimum wage goes up). So the reality is that, the existence of these welfare programs means people at the bottom tend to get paid less than they would if these welfare programs didn't exist. Which means to a large degree, anyone who is working and who is also eligible for government benefits, is really already paying for their benefits. If they are not receiving them, then they are voluntarily taking a pay cut.
The same thing can be said for Bachmann and Minnesota. The people in Minnesota are already going to be paying for the stimulus either in higher taxes or through the inflation of the dollar(which is the equivalent of being taxed). So if Bachmann is refusing any of the federal stimulus plan, then what she is really doing is voluntarily paying higher taxes to the federal government, but receiving nothing in return.
So while Bachmann is against the stimulus, she knows it is going to be handed out regardless. And she would rather as much of the money that Minnesotans either already have paid, or will pay, to be returned to Minnesota. Which makes perfectly logical sense.
I mean, look at it like this. Lets pretend your housing addition decided to start a HOA, which would charge every house in the neighborhood $100 a month. That money would pay for them to come paint your house and fix your roof, and other cosmetic work on your house whenever it needed to be done. But lets pretend that it took away your right to choose what color to paint your house, or what shingles to put on your roof, etc. So you disagreed with the HOA, but were outvoted, and so now you are paying $100 a month for something you disagreed with. Would you be a hypocrite if you went ahead and allowed them to work on the exterior of your house instead of paying for it yourself? I don't think so, you are just getting what you already paid for. And you can continue to oppose what you see as an invasion of your freedom, and a confiscation of your money, without being a hypocrite.
In reality, this whole conversation is just political theater bullcrap. In this situation, "the left" wants to paint anyone who receives anything from the government as a hypocrite, if they speak up against government spending. In another situation, you'll have "the right" calling the anti-war folks out because "the internet we are on was created by the military". Or some other bull****. This is a stupid argument, and I'm tired of seeing it.
Last edited by Redshadowz; 08-11-2011 at 10:30 PM..
Steve Benen: How About a Bachmann-Inspired Stimulus?
Rachel Maddow talked to Steve Benen about his recent article at The Washington Monthly where he asked this after noting the Republicans like Michele Bachmann's hypocrisy of privately requesting stimulus funds for their districts while publicly decrying any further attempts to stimulate the economy and claiming it doesn't work.
We now have an article from HuffPo and one from Crooks and Liars. Do you know what the original purpose of C&R was. I see they are still one of the left leaning blogs that I speak about all the time.
Look, just because she has support of some people out there, don't make her out to be the Tea Party Pariah. The media drums up as much of this as they can, but when it comes down to it, nobody with a brain should be supporting this woman.
I wondered why some people are so sure that I am completely stupid. Don't call me that again or I will report it. Of course, you didn't know that I kind of like Bachmann, especially compared to Obama.
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