On this date in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, as well as 2020, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day posted profiles of Josh Miller, a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and one of the biggest hypocrites you’re ever going to find on the issues of government-assistance in regards to healthcare. You see, Miller managed to get himself in a drunk driving accident at the age of 22 where a pickup truck when tumbling off into a ravine that left his good friend dead, and himself paraplegic. Now, the bill for his recovery exceeded $1 million, but he got by because luckily the social safety net like Medicaid was there to catch him. And that’s why it was baffling in February of 2014 to see Miller vote to block the Medicaid expansion in Arkansas, and deny tens of thousands of people the same hope that he once needed.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you Miller may have bonked his head tumbling down that ravine, he also is so pro-life that he supported a measure that would have required a criminal investigation whenever a mother had a miscarriage, voted for TRAP laws to attempt to close all the abortion clinics in Arkansas by deliberately enacting impossible-to-meet restrictions upon them, and is so hung up on guns that he voted to allow firearms on college campuses and inside churches (because Jesus wants people packing heat while they pray). Not to mention, Miller supports stricter Voter ID measures to combat the statistically non-existent problem of “voter fraud” that disenfranchises tens of thousands of voters, and used his paralysis as his justification, saying if he can get registered to vote, why can’t naysayers?
And after trying to deny money to sick people in need by denying the Medicaid Expansion, perhaps it should be noted that Miller moved to amend Arkansas State Law so he could still keep his own government aid, even though he accepts rental payments (in other words, he still wants government assistance, even though he’s financially well off between his salary as a legislator, and what he earns renting properties). But if there was any chance that we were about to forget Josh Miller’s hypocrisy, that went out the window when he shared this delightful rant on Facebook regarding his vote against the Medicaid Expansion in April of 2016:
”AR Works is the title of the new law and this is what it consists of.
1. Continuing the Private Option. (A disaster of a program that has made a few insurance companies millions at the expense of future taxpayers.) The Private Option has also made it more difficult for our most vulnerable population (the recipients of traditional Medicaid) to find a doctor because more and more medical providers have stopped taking new Medicaid patients. They have opted to accept the state funded private insurance recipients because the insurance companies pay a little more than Medicaid. Doesn’t sound too bad unless you’re disabled and have to travel many miles away from home to find a doctor who will see you.
2. Sending “Work Referrals” to able bodied individuals who make 0 income. This sounds like a novel idea until you hear more about it. This will consist of a pamphlet (no doubt mailed to those folks at the expense of the taxpayers) that will tell this population (over 100,000) where to go to get training on how to get a job. I’m sure this training will include instructions like these…
A. Set your alarm
B. Get out of bed
C. Get dressed
D. Go look for a job
E. If offered a job, take it
F. Do your best to do your job
G. Repeat steps A, B, C, and F every day of your employment.
I am not kidding about this. My feeling is that these adults (who are able bodied and healthy but are earning $000.00) don’t want a job. Many of them have it figured out that they can stay unemployed and have their needs met by those who do believe in the principles of hard work. I’m sure that their lifestyle isn’t what they might want it to be but, hey - they don’t have to work 40+ hours a week to make ends meet like the taxpayers do. I honestly don’t mind helping people who are trying to help themselves but I have a hard time giving the fruits of hard labor to those who CHOOSE to sit at home and do nothing.”
In the past year, Miller has missed more votes than the average legislator in Arkansas, by far, and when he has shown up, he’s voted against legislation as extreme as a ban on abortion at 18 weeks.
There are no limits to this guy’s hypocrisy or lack of self-awareness, based on his own history. Josh Miller was re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020 based on the benefit that he ran unopposed. He’s not term-limited in the Arkansas Legislature until 2028, so unless someone bothers running against him, he won’t be returning to being one of the people he hates so much living off of government checks. Pity, that.