Feeding Stray Animals

The photo on the top is the Republican Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina.  He said, "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed."

Now, you may say, well he's from South Carolina. Or, well, he's like Rick Perry, not real bright. Or you may have any of a variety of reasons to dismiss his remark as an aberration. 

But it's not an aberration. It unmasks the monster.  It reflect a truth about this American Taliban party we call Republican. They really do believe kids who get free school lunches, people who get Medicaide, people who get Food Stamps, mothers to get Aid to Dependent Children are worse than undeserving. They are a sort of undesirable class. They are vermin to be controlled.

Actually, it turns out, there's more to the discussion. Mr. Bauer, who is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, explained  "You're facilitating the problem if you given an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that. "  

This is just in case you you didn't get the point from the first part of the statement.  And we all know, there are some of our fellow citizens who can't think too much further than breeding. They are really just like dogs, who only think about breeding. You know who I'm talking about. (Remember, I'm speaking from down here in South Carolina, where we still fly the stars and bars on top of  the state house.)

The phantom has long been fascinated by the inclination of men to see in others the things they, on some level, feel guilty about in themselves:  So the man who snipes at Jews for being overly concerned about money, is focused on that because he himself is focused on money. 
And Rush Limbaugh, who sees sexual impropriety everywhere, in the simplest statements or postures of others--you have to wonder about why he is focused on that. And now Mr. Bauer, who knows those certain others out there who can't think much beyond, well,  "breeding." (Having sex, in case you hadn't figured that out.)

One mark of intelligence is the discipline to suggest, to not get tied up in knots over explaining. I know this because my own limited intelligence is on display every blog. But how much more intelligent is the stanza  from Ricki Lee Jones's "Old Enough"?

               Maybe it's that I took care of you too many times   
               And you grew weaker for a kindness
               Sometimes kindness from a friend can break a man.

Daniel Patrick Moynahan, Bill Clinton, all of us by now, are aware of the potential for debilitating dependency posed by certain social programs--but we are concerned to solve problems out of a basic sympathy, and, also,  out of self interest. 

Mr. Bauer, the Right Wing Redneck Republicans in charge,  not so much.

As for Mitt, and his tax returns. Well, the man does not admit much, but he does admit to paying only 13% of his income in taxes. All legal, because his Republican brethren have made it legal. But, really, how far is he from Leona Helmsley's comment, "Only little people pay taxes?"

Or, in Mitt Romney's world view, only little people pay real taxes--big people have Republican  legislators in their pockets to give them tax dodges.