Public Sector Millionaires Wage Class Warfare on Poor

For your Friday watching pleasure, watch a Democratic Congresswoman explain the rank hypocrisy of her Republican colleagues who lead lifestyles of the rich and famous on a sub-$200k salary thanks to lobbyists, etc. As these public sector millionaires (like Chris Collins) work to cut food stamps and do further harm to America’s working poor, including eliminating SNAP benefits for veterans. (Brian Higgins voted against it.)

In my district, California 14, we have about 4,000 families who are on food stamps, but some of my colleagues have thousands and thousands more,” said Speier. “Yet, they somehow feel like crusaders, like heroes when they vote to cut food stamps. Some of these same members travel to foreign countries under the guise of official business. They dine at lavish restaurants, eating steak, vodka and even caviar. They receive money to do this. That’s right, they don’t pay out of pocket for these meals.

Let me give you a few examples: One member was given $127.41 a day for food on his trip to Argentina. He probably had a fair amount of steak.

Another member was given $3,588 for food and lodging during a six-day trip to Russia. He probably drank a fair amount of vodka and probably even had some caviar. That particular member has 21,000 food stamp recipients in his district. One of those people who is on food stamps could live a year on what this congressman spent on food and lodging for six days.

Another 20 members made a trip to Dublin, Ireland. They got $166 a day for food.These members didn’t pay a dime. They received almost $200 for a single meal only for themselves. Yet, for them the idea of helping fellow Americans spend less than $5 a day makes their skin crawl. The families of veterans, of farmers, of the disabled, of the working poor are not visible to them, not even when they are their own constituents.

The Republican House of Representatives voted to literally take food away from working people. It now moves on to the Senate, where the bill will die a swift death. The balls on these guys. 

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUNzQGIXr3I&w=640&h=480]

5 comments

  • Well Alan all I can say is in 15-20 years when the Republican party is merely a regional and no longer nationally recognized political party, and have not won a presidential election during that time they can look back at this as one of the defining moments of the party’s demise……

    • Or, more likely, in 15-20 years Republicans will introduce a bill making it legal for the rich to make their bread by grinding the bones of the poor, and Democrats will cluck their tongues while pining for the golden age when their hero Bill Clinton destroyed Aid to Families with Dependent Children.

      • Colin Eager, how dare you attack Bill Clinton for throwing more people into destitution than any Republican after Hoover has! It’s simply beastly of you to mention his assault on AFDC! Don’t you know he’s a “liberal Democrat” like Obama? Even if they loot and pillage the poor and working people as Republicans do, they do it with a catch in their voices and a tear in their eye. Jeez, the next thing we know you’ll be talking about Obama’s love for Larry Summers, his failure to punish the Wall Street grifters, and his support for tax cuts for the wealthy. You should be ashamed–we’re only attacking Republicans and fundamentalists here, not suave Democrats.

  • They are just toeing the party line: If you love jeebus you dont need food, money or healthcare.

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