As absurd as this notion may sound, it is actually the latest Republican myth used to justify cutting benefits to the unemployed. Here in Portland, a fast food franchise advertised thirty job openings to staff a new restaurant. I happened to be in the area the day of the interviews, and saw a line of people over four blocks long. Out of curiosity, I asked people in the line what was going on, and they told me about the openings. There were old and young, and male and female. All races were there. What they all had in common, is that none were too lazy to wait for hours in that line for even a very small chance to get a low end crappy job. So when Republican liars tell you they are lazy, don’t you believe it!
It probably seems like we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about what Iowa Republican and generic crazy person Steve King has to say about particular issues. It is not because Steve King is particularly crazy compared to other Republican politicians, but because he is a remarkably unfiltered one: What comes out of Steve King’s mouth is no different from what a great many other conservative congresscritters think, but they are willing to be more subtle in how they phrase it, and Steve King, well … lacks that ability.
The newest case in point: he thinks the problem with unemployment in America today is that we are "a nation of slackers":
REP. STEVE KING: United States of America borrows money and hands it to people and tells them, you don’t have to work for this. You don’t have to produce anything for this. We just want you to spend it. That’s your patriotic duty, to take the money that we borrowed from the Chinese, and the debt burden we put on our grandchildren, and put it in people’s hands and say it’s a patriotic thing, take your food stamps and take your rent subsidy and heat subsidy and your unemployment check, and go engage in commerce, that’s patriotic. Um, no? […]
The former speaker of the House, Speaker Pelosi, has consistently said that unemployment checks are one of those reliable and immediate forms of economy recovery, that you get a lot of bang for your buck when you pay people not to work, and they will go out and spend that money immediately, therefore we should pass out unemployment checks and stimulate the economy. That statement is ridiculous where I come from, Mr. Speaker. To pay people not to work, and somehow in that formula it stimulates the economy. […]
The 80 million Americans that are of working age but are simply not in the workforce need to be put to work. We can’t have a nation of slackers and then have me have to sit in the Judiciary Committee listening to them argue that there’s work that Americans won’t do, so we have to import people to do the work that Americans won’t do, and borrow money to pay the welfare of people that won’t work. That is a foolish thing for a nation to do. We’ve gotta get this country back to work and get those people out of the slacker rolls and onto the employed rolls.
So the reason we have all these unemployed people, or poor people, or hungry people is not a lack of decent jobs, but apparently just that Americans are lazy slobs, and if they would only get off their asses and work the problem would be solved… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Daily Kos>
Republicans want all the relief to go to people who made their money the old fashioned way: they inherited it. Here we have a classic case, in which a criminal commits a crime and blames the victims. People are unemployed because of the Republican recession. The recession occurred, because Republicans allowed Banksters to run wild in an orgy of greed. While Obama has saved more jobs than were created in the eight years of the Bush Regime, we need more, and we don’t have them because Republicans have blocked virtually everything Democrats have tried to do for the poor and middle classes. Republicans are banking on America to fail, so they can regain power.
25 Responses to “Are only the lazy unemployed?”
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This is one of the more repugnant Republican talking points. Yes, they are trying to get Americans to turn on each other. They are banking on Americans being gullible enough to not notice that if you take all the available jobs and handed them out to everyone who is unemployed, at one point you will run out of jobs and there will still be many, many people without one.
Moreover, there are employers who simply refuse to even consider someone who is unemployed for a job. And while the Republicans claim that anyone who is unemployed is so by choice or by sheer laziness, they will also say why shouldn’t employers discriminate against the unemployed.
Where do they get this madness? I suspect it’s from their favorite “philosopher”: novelist Ayn Rand.
That would not surprise me at all. Very astute!
What about the fact that, as far as I’m concerned, those idiots in Washington are self-“unemployed”: they sure-as-hell aren’t doing the job WE”RE PAYING them to do. They lunch with lobbyists, consort with the Kochs, show up for photo ops, diss the disadvantaged and behave like 2 year olds. They’re just sitting around hoping to make the “black guy be a one term president.” No wonder the rest of the world laughs at us!
Well said, Judi!
Judi – you are absolutely right on the Wisconsin 2 yo’s. They are everywhere.
Lisa, I think you owe all of the 2-year olds, an apology. 🙂
LOL! Lisa was quoting Judi!! 😉
About the only times I ever see a “lazy American”, it’s usually a tea bager, sleeping on the job.
What vile Teabuggery! 😉
The only lazy Americans I see are the elected officials who refuse to do their jobs.
Amen Patty!
I spent my career- a long one– working with the the ‘poor” I know just how badly people want to work ; work provides meaning and structure to a life . poor folk know that– they know how unemployment contributes to their isolation ; They want the little niceties of life they can’t afford–like something new to wear , instead of the ‘free store’ — ; They want a vehicle that runs and is safe— They want new shoes–instead of Goodwill—-They want toys for their children– they would like the many things we take for granted ; I could go on and on– And yes we can all point to the “drunken slacker” They exist , I think, so people like this Ass can point to them as an example– I have gone to disability hearings with people who can’t walk– are on O2 ,24 hours a day—who have terminal illness– and I have seen them denied– time after time– This Steve King—Jackass of the day– infuriates me with his level of ignorance— perhaps he needs to get a real job and earn his living —
I am too outspoken these days–
DO NOT SHUT UP!
I hear Limbaugh and Hannity crying crocodile tears over the lack of jobs, the poor unemployed, losing their houses and cars, where’s the jobs? It’s all Obama and the Democrats’ fault, so vote Republican. Yet at the same time they excoriate the unemployed as being slackers and leeches, why don’t they get a job and stop mooching off us producers? Unemployment benefits only encourage them to get extensions when the benefits run out because they’d much rather sit and at home (if not in their parents’ home), sign their unemployment checks and live the high life because of course the poor aren’t really poor anyway compared to other countries. Some of them have, gasp, cars! And many, OMG, have refrigerators and televisions!! And, sputter, sputter, some live in their own houses!!
It’s curious how it’s fair to compare poor in the US to the poor in other countries, yet comparisons of millionaire and corporate tax rates in the US and to those in other countries are irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what happens in other countries. This is America!
Their hypocrisy is eye-watering. In a classic case of projection, Limbaugh has regaled us with stories about when he got fired and had to move back in with his parents and he collected unemployment. He recalled fondly how wonderful it was just to lay around in the hammock all day. And he remembered how he was having such a grand time that he didn’t try real hard to get a job and in the end it was his mother, probably, and understandably, totally sick of L’il Rusty cluttering up the house 24/7, who virtually had to force him to apply for a job and when offered it, he only took it because it was apparently either take the job or get out.
But it must have been different then because I see no signs of leeching off the government there. Not a hint of some lazy bum mooching off his parents and preferring to just cash an employment check every week instead of getting a job.
And no traces of not being self sufficient and taking care of yourself in Hannity’s tale either. He claims to have fallen 20 feet off a ladder, landed in his head, and suffered some relatively minor tooth damage. True story! Or so he says. And I know, there’s a lot of jokes to be made here, but that would be a distraction from my point. So, apparently he was clutching his jaw and, being uninsured, worrying about how was he going to pay for the doctor visit? Well, mirabile dictu! It seems his parents, unbeknownst to him!, had taken out a health insurance policy for him. So everything was great!
I guess the point of all this is I’m just surprised their mirrors don’t shatter when they try to look at themselves. Mooching off the government and/or parents wasA-OK (and a source of fond reminisces) for Rush and Sean, but we’re just lazy, if not unAmerican. Agricultural subsidies are fine for the Bachmans, but the rest of us are parasites. A secure, career federal government job with a pension is the American way for some peoples’ parents, enabling them to live a decent life, raise the kids and give them a chance in life (Cheney), but the current crop of government employees? An anchor on the economy, undeserving suckers of the public teat, privatize them all! Abortions and frivolous lawsuits are jim dandy with the Santorums, when it’s them. The rest of us are murderers and harassers of corporations who are defying and destroying the free market. Bill Clinton had a private affair and was thus considered unfit for office. Public serial adulterers Newt and Rudy are revered Republicans and considered presidential material by some.
I could go on and on, but it’s too sad. Sadder still is that these people and their ilk are admired, respected and believed by many including, apparently, the lamestream media.
Welcome Andy. 🙂
They are very well paid propagandists who know every word they speak is a lie. Mirrors do not shatter, because they have no conscience.
Ever since the Vietnam War many of these unemployed are vets who returned home with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injuries. These Tea Bat Tricksters can’t even support the men and women who fight for their safety and freedom.
Welcome John. 🙂
Republican “support” for troops ends the moment a troop is no longer useful as cannon fodder.
NO THAT NOT TURE,,,,,,THE PEOPLE IN THE U.S.A. ARE HARD WORKING PEOPLE…AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT NOT WORKING HAVE WORK ON THE JOBS THEY HAD 5<<>> 20 YEARS… AND MOST NEVER MISS A DAY..
Welcome V. 🙂
That’s true.
All I can say about this moron is put him in the unemployment line — vote him out in 2012! With my luck, his term isn’t up in 2012.
I was wandering around either Daily Kos or ThinkProgress and saw a story about a Louisiana Republican legislator commenting that he would be hardput to pay more taxes. He owns 2 businesses and after paying 500 employees and feeding his family, he only has $400,000 left. He also made a remark about earning $600,000 and that feeding his family cost $200,000 leaving him with a paltry $400,000. $200,000 for food! I’ll assume that also includes hi housing costs etc. If not, I like steak and can be adopted.
It is. He’s in the House. Reps have two year terms. It’s the Senators that have six.
The poor little fascist!
Saw all that about the poor soul with only $400.000 to make ends meet— Frankly I think a benefit for him– ? With instructions from us poor folk- about the best places to shop- make the limited income stretch— Goodwill has nice things– and of course the outlet bakery for pretty good day-old ,, If he goes to walmart- early– he can pick from their yesterday bakery– good stuff– out of date– but good— I know folk who can teach the ropes of dumpster diving–sounds like the poor fool has so much to learn ’bout how hard it is to make it on a limited income—-He really needs to learn the real facts of life and living—–
I don’t know where he can learn the little things tho– like compassion ? Empathy ? Kindness ?– I am sure we -I ? can teach him the skills of survival– but the rest of it– He may be too old to learn– 🙁 Maybe ? Not smart enough , poor guy—
Gee we live just fine on 10% of his paltry income— On Social Security– and the pensions that move us into the landed class , and enable us to keep living in our wee castle—
Oh sighhh- I am getting just so sarcastic and unfeeling in my ‘mature’ age–
And some of us get by on a lot less than 10%!!
We are in the ‘gentry class”— course there are 2 of us– Damm right there are one hell of a lot who live on much less– I can list over and over people I know who somehow make it on 200-300 a month— and a whole bunch that have $520– In my former field of work- a person with $800 a month was Rich!! I do not joke about these incomes–
Certainly– the extras of life– such as dental care –Eye glasses— little things ..are pretty impossible to find– IF one can find a health care provider that will accept a medical card– or even medicare how does one pay for it ?
We were blessed with health and jobs during our working lives– many are not- Many !! And jobs Now– good luck !!
Spend a full day observing in a Public aid office sometime—and just watch the people– who are literally begging for help– enough—
So true. I remember when I could pay for my rent, groceries, vices, on $2/hr. and put money in the bank for a rainy day.