Buchanan continues by dismissing a host of government programs designed to assist the working poor and our least advantaged citizens as giveaways to the African American community.
[N]o people anywhere has done more to lift up blacks than white Americans. Untold trillions have been spent since the ’60s on welfare, food stamps, rent supplements, Section 8 housing, Pell grants, student loans, legal services, Medicaid, Earned Income Tax Credits and poverty programs designed to bring the African-American community into the mainstream.
Conservative commentators like Buchanan and right wing media outlets like Fox News continue to foster white resentment for political gain. They perpetuate the myth of the social safety net only benefiting people of color or illegal immigrants. Their aim is to engender bitterness among "honest, hard working, tax paying" whites.
The fact is that more whites receive these benefits than African Americans (or illegal immigrants for that matter). And I am proud to live in a country where our government looks out for the least among us. As a child, I was a beneficiary of these programs. My parents were able to put food on the table for me with food stamps. My father was able to receive a college education through the GI Bill. I was able to attend college through Pell Grants and student loans. I bought my first house through an FHA loan. My parents and I are all honest, hard working, tax paying whites who have succeeded. We have been fortunate enough financially to more than put back into our government what the government gave out to us. Al Franken once said, "Conservatives like to say that people need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps – and that’s a great idea. But first, you’ve got to have the boots." This is why I am proud to be a Progressive.
It is time to face white resentment head on, and to tell those who peddle in that fear for political gain, "No more!" Our healing begins when their control of our government ends. And it is time for MSNBC to take this man off the air.
Let MSNBC hear you on this issue: letters@msnbc.com
Update [2008-3-22 10:23:45 by D Wreck]: Thanks for your response to my first diary!
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