Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) is in no danger of living down his suggestion that poorer schoolchildren be made to do a bit of work before we do something so egregious as
giving them food:
WSAV morning anchor Dave Kartunen added up the tens of thousands of dollars in meals that Kingston and his staff charge to taxpayers, campaign contributors and host countries on overseas visits.
The report concludes by catching up with Kingston at a noon campaign event. “Isn’t this a free lunch?” the congressman is asked.
Here’s how Kingston, who recently allowed himself to be photographed behind a vacuum cleaner, chose to reply:
“This is what we need in America: We need workfare over welfare. I learned a lot when I was 14 and 15 years old, doing work inside and outside the household. And as a result, I grew up with a good work ethic. It’s hard in today’s society to have a discussion where you want to challenge the status quo because of the ‘I got you’ politics.”
He's certainly committed to the bit. While I don't think anyone would question Rep. Kingston's work ethic—
you try glad-handing that many people at that many events in a constant attempt to pry money out of them—he's quite sure that things like "feeding children who would otherwise not eat" is a corrupting influence on the tykes.
But what's with this notion that the message America gives to the poor is "I got you"? Since when? I don't see anyone on the televisions arguing that, just pundit after pundit arguing that the poor are holding America back with their stubborn insistence on being poor, and long conversations that always end with budgets that take more away from the poor, and monologues from people like Jack Kingston about how a bit of child labor is good for the lazy little snots.