U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman has been living off of government assistance since 1993—first as a Wisconsin State Assembly member, then as a Wisconsin state senator, and now as Wisconsin’s representative from the 6th Congressional District. He does not think anyone should receive government assistance. He also thinks as a never-married, childless man, he can dole out advice on both subjects.
Let’s recap some of Grothman’s greatest hits over the years: he called the protesters occupying the Wisconsin State Capitol “slobs.” He is against 4-year-olds entering kindergarten because, "Recent studies have confirmed that any academic benefits of government-funded preschool disappear by the fourth grade”—a claim rated as false by Politifact. When asked about equal pay, he stated:
"You could argue that money is more important for men. I think a guy in their first job, maybe because they expect to be a breadwinner someday, may be a little more money-conscious. To attribute everything to a so-called bias in the workplace is just not true,”
Not only is this statement misogynistic, it has also been debunked by multiple studies on the subject (and it’s no wonder he has never been married).
His statements on homosexuality are—oh, where to begin?
You can read about them here, here, here, and here. When not coming up with off-the-wall made up crap about gay people, he says that single parents are responsible for child abuse (as a single parent, that one really irritated me). He thinks that unplanned pregnancies are solely the choice of women, a clear signal that he needs to take a remedial biology class.
Representative Grothman also does not believe that Martin Luther King Day should be a holiday, and says giving state workers that day off is an "is an insult to all the other taxpayers around the state." His feelings on Kwanzaa? He calls it "the supposed African-American holiday celebration” and says it should be "slapped down."
His deep thoughts on affirmative action:
"There's no question that affirmative action is an idea whose time has come and gone," he told Wisconsin Public Radio. "It's offensive and it's very anti-business."
He also prefers anecdotal evidence over actual research. This is painfully apparent in many of his statements, like what he wrote in this op-ed:
"I've interviewed over a dozen people who check out people who pay with food stamps, and all felt people on food stamps ate better—or at least more costly—than they did. Observations of people who work in food stores indicate that many people who use food stamps do not act as if they are genuinely poor."
We could go on and on about the dumb things Rep. Grothman has said over the years, but that would end up being a novel. But it’s worth noting a couple of things he has proposed as a U.S. Congress member.
Unsurprisingly, Rep. Grothman is against Obamacare. He really hates it—hates it so much he has attached an amendment to the Republican health care bill. The amendment would end the provision allowing parents to keep their children on their health insurance policies until they hit age 26. Grothman’s amendment would change that age to 23. After sending a request to his office (I also tweeted the question, and sent a Facebook message) asking him the reasoning behind this amendment, I have not received a response. This amendment is baffling. There is no sane reasoning behind it. Who does it hurt to have a child on a parents insurance until the age of 26?
Of course with Rep. Grothman, the answer is often in plain sight. First, Grothman stated that he “identified an issue with Pell Grants that doesn't get much attention." Anecdotal evidence in his district indicated people are choosing not to marry so they can have incomes low enough to qualify for the need-based aid program. But wait—there’s more!—he also argued:
...that first-year students should be barred from receiving Pell Grants to make sure the federal government is not "wasting money" on those who don't graduate. And he suggested that low-income recipients are spending the grant aid on "goodies and electronics." Those students could pay for college by taking out loans, he said.
It doesn't take a genius to guess that his attack on Pell grants is somehow tied to his amendment on the age kids are kicked off their parents’ health insurance. What’s your guess?
(*Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas may win the title back next week: he and Grothman are like idiotic twins separated at birth.)