A Republican state legislator has been quick to rush to the assistance of flood victims with that favorite Republican commodity, derision for those who need flood assistance, calling them "the root of all of our nation's spending and debt problems."
In a blog post from Rep. Tom Burnett (R-Bozeman) written in response to the current floods, Burnett said that his father had once rejected federal disaster assistance and that this presumably was the only honorable way to behave:
How admirable and rare is such pride and independence. How desperately it is needed. Handouts are killing us. They are the root of our nation’s spending and debt problems.
What does Tom Burnett advise
flood victims the root of all our nation's spending and debt problems to do?
Dad had a chainsaw. He had standing timber. He had tools and know-how. He knew how to mix concrete. He had an independent spirit. He and Mom would rather not take handouts. They felt squeamish about burdening others.
Just go get a chainsaw like Tom Burnett's dad and mow down some trees and rebuild your own bridges. Think Tom Burnett makes no sense? That's your problem, not his.
The state of Montana faces record flooding.
This diary is cross-posted at theMontana Cowgirl Blog.