Posted on 04/30/2014 12:43:48 PM PDT by nhwingut
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said Monday he’s not convinced the GOP cares about poor people as much as Democrats do.
“People ask me, ‘Do Republicans care as much about the poor as Democrats do?’” Santorum said at a New York meeting of conservatives. “I’m not sure we do. I’m not sure we do. And the reason I’m not sure we do, is because I don’t hear us talking about them very often.”
The remarks came during the Q-and-A portion of the event, where Santorum was promoting his new book, “Blue Collar Conservatives.” He was asked whether he supports the earned income tax credit, a wage subsidy for low-income Americans, which some conservatives proposed as an alternative to raising the minimum wage.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
“Please eliminate my ‘multiple added points’. What do you believe that Rick Santorum is right about?”
I know you were not addressing me but I would like to take a crack at this. He was not right about anything really in the purpose of his remarks. But accidently, I think he is on to something. It isn’t that the GOP doesn’t care for the poor. Au Contraire, they care a great deal. It is just that they have ceded the field to caring about the poor to the democrats and their media pushed narrative, namely, that unless you are talking welfare and tax increases you hate the poor.
The reason the GOP-e can’t break out of the gravitational hold of this narrative is simple, they can’t embrace conservative/Christian ideas. For one, give a man a fish you have fed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you have fed him for life. Instead, they run from those teachings and arguments and apologize for them. They simply surrender and leave “caring for the poor” as a democrat pillar.
Ironic, is it not that the truth of the matter is that democrats and their policies create poverty purposefully all in the name of vote getting. And the GOP-e just sits silently, excepting the premise that capitalism and free markets actually hurt the poor. They slink from election to election hoping the poor will not turn out to vote against them because, Lord knows, they certainly are not giving them any reason or argument to vote for them.
What the hell is he talking about?
Isn’t a large amount of our taxes not already going to our “poor” , many of whom have cell phones, drive SUVs, live in apartments with AC and have cable TV?
It IS government's job to "care" about people. And it's "We the people's" job as the ultimate ruler of this country to make sure that are elected representatives do so. We can debate about what's the best way to do this.
If "We the people" want to continue to continue to be ruler of this country, we'd best pay heed to the warning in the following scripture.
Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him? Jer 22:16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? saith the LORD. Jer 22:17 But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it. Jer 22:18 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! Jer 22:19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
But ... to then have a former gOp POTUS candidate come out and repeat the same lie was just too much.
Isn’t a large amount of our taxes not already going to our “poor” ...Please. When people ask me “What about about the poor?” or bring up the ‘poor’ in any conversation I look at them blankly like they farted and say “There are no ‘poor’ in the US.” That usually makes them stutter, stall and look at me like they don’t understand. I then unload them and quote from Milsep, Friedman and Jefferson.
I think he’s correct in the sense that the GOP and conservatives treat the poor as enemies who need to be punished. All of us would be better served if we treated them as the victims of democrats that they are.
While I don’t agree with him on tax credits to the poor I do agree that we can’t whip the slaves off the plantation.
The need for entitlement reform is obvious but I think regulatory and tax reform should come first to create jobs for poor people to go to. Personally I’d eliminate the tax on manufacturing and roll back regulation to a reasonable level as a means of spurring job creation. And THEN I would start whittling away at the welfare state. There is also immigration hurting the poor.
The republicans also need to learn to effectively show the poor how the democrats are using them. One example is the oil trains carrying Bakken oil. Some of those trains roll through heavily populated areas of Detroit and no one is warning them of the danger Obama is putting them in by standing in the way of pipelines. If there is a disaster, democrats will run down there and immediately blame the oil companies and republicans.
Its also important to note that not all poor are democrat voters. Myself for instance am dirt poor but would rather go without than take dirty money or vote democrat. I don’t want anyone to do anything for me or give anything to me. I want a government to do the right thing which is to set America free to prosper the best way we can.
He’s former all right, let’s keep it that way. Thanks nhwingut.
It must be a good-paying gig being a perpetual Presidential candidate: book tours, personal appearances, etc.
Go get a real job, Rick.
Santorum was a shining light long ago. His time is past. He will not earn my vote:
Nor will Jeb Bush
Nor Paul Ryan
Nor Chris Christie
Nor Mittens Rinomney
Nor any other lame RINO, country-club, egg sucking dog of a candidate.
Hey Rick, here is a bit of advice from my Parents.
My Late Mother always said, “you help people who CAN’T help themselves, not people who WON’T help themselves”.
My Father wasn’t to PC about things. My Tagline came from personal experience when I was a whiny Teenager. My Dad set me straight.
For those here saying that Rick meant something different than the Money Shot line he sopouted, you obviously think that “context” means something in today’s world. It doesn’t unless the line is attributed to a Democrat.
As a Conservative or a Republican, you have to measure your words very carefully. This is no do over or explanation.
In fact, Santorum is essentially limited to talking about US Postal Service (Clause 7 of Section 8) where domestic issues are concerned, most other federal government services that citizens think are bona-fide federal services, like SS and Obamacare Democratcare, actually constitutionally indefensible imo.
You are wrong; in my opinion. The government is our employee; like a dog on leash there to serve us as we direct.
It is we the peoples job to care about our fellow man and citizens. We may or may not use the government to do that.
We have gotten SO USED to the government doing things they shouldn’t be doing; that we can't tell the difference anymore.
If my neighbor is having trouble taking care of his house; I shouldn't wait for the government to take of it. I should offer to go over myself and help him myself. Same thing in my area when they didn't clear the snow off my bike paths. I finally just went and cleared it my self.
The way I read scripture, I see a mandate for government, the church, and individuals to care for the poor. That the mandate exists for individuals does not negate the mandate for the other two.
There are very specific instructions to kings and their rule is tied to it. I posted one of them.
So disappointed. I expected Santorum to be an articulate Conservative not a mush.
Conservatives show they care for the poor by lowering taxes on businesses which provide jobs to the poor. There, an answer from someone who’s never run for president & lost their own state!
The Dims talk about the poor incessantly; but for all their talk and money-tossing, they have little to show for actually eliminating poverty.
You may be correct; but our system has blown so far past anything reasonable that it’s impossible to defend.
I am aware of it but not being scholarly or even barely educated, I always want ammunition so I can show it to others.
I need to read the entire Constitution a bunch of times. I am anxious for the fedgov be whittled down - no, that sounds too slow - sliced down - to only the duties allowed in the Constitution.
The Constitution and its amendments, along with key statements in key Supreme Court case opinions, are roughly 30 pages. And the Supreme Court has officially clarified that it is simple (relatively) reading too.
”3. The Constitution was written to be understood by the voters; its words and phrases were used in their normal and ordinary as distinguished from technical meaning; where the intention is clear, there is no room for construction and no excuse for interpolation or addition.” —United States v. Sprague, 1931.
On the other hand, if you were taught the Constitution wrongly like I was, and I know that my teachers and parents meant well, then an otherwise modest learning curve may be a challenge.
Are you familiar with the Founding States' division of federal and state government powers evidenced by the Constitution?
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