Rick Santorum does not understand what you mean by
"people should not go hungry." (Steve Marcus/Reuters)
Leading off, Rick Santorum expands on his view that low-income children should suffer, asking why food stamps are necessary when there are obese people. That's a paraphrase, but not a glibly unfair one:
“If hunger is a problem in America, then why do we have an obesity problem among the people who we say have a hunger program?”
(Looks like he meant to say "problem" at the end where he said "program.")
You might be tempted to think Santorum doesn't realize that vegetables and whole grains aren't the cheapest foods in the grocery store while fast food is very cheap, such that spending less on food can actually contribute to obesity. And that is something lots of people don't fully realize. But Santorum has expressed the view that low-income children should suffer physically for their moral betterment. In light of that view, he's basically elaborating on the theme: Low-income kids should suffer specifically through having their food stamps cut. Low-income adults as well, obviously.
- Want to help young people find jobs? Cut back or eliminate the J-1 and H-2B guest worker programs.
- It's a sad fact that while the American Federation of Government Employees' Explain it to me, GOP is a good ad campaign, it just leaves me with the Liz Phair song stuck in my head. To atone for that, a sample of the campaign:
Extending payroll tax relief for another year will boost the economy by putting an extra $1,500 in the pockets of the average American family. But forcing middle-class workers to pay for it is hypocrisy at its worst. Federal employees are part of the 99 percent. Explain to me, GOP, how slashing their jobs and wages helps the economy.
- Mildly cronyistic yet still labor-related song to get Liz Phair out of your head:
- How anti-union is South Carolina? Basically the only union print shop in Charlotte mostly keeps it secret that its workers are unionized. But the Democratic National Convention coming to town means lots of business for the few union businesses that are there.
- How many loans are underwater in your state?
- A bill has been introduced (with bipartisan sponsors, even) and will go nowhere in the House, aimed at overseas call centers. The bill would "punish American corporations for offshoring their telephone call centers, making such companies ineligible for grants or guaranteed loans from the federal government," as well as requiring that at a customer's request, call center workers disclose their location or transfer the customer's call to a U.S. call center.
- Organizing workers at foreign-owned auto factories in the United States is more or less a necessity for the UAW if it's going to retain any strength. Will it be Nissan?
- The American Crystal Sugar lockout is costing the local community millions of dollars.
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