It would seem that while railing about “Socialism”, “Marxism”, or just plain old “Obamanism”, some of our hypocritical Senators and Representatives have themselves been feeding from the trough of national welfare. Blanche Lincoln D(AR), Max Baucas D(MT), Chuck Grassely R(IA) and wouldn’t you just know it, Michelle Bachman R(MN) have all been collecting farming subsidies for their family farms. And while Stephanie Sandlin R(SD) did not collect for herself, her father, Les Herseth collected $844,725 from 1995 to 2006. It seems they have a “fierce belief in God, the free market and a two-year limit on all welfare benefits—unless it’s welfare to rich Republicans who don’t need it”
Michelle Bachman has, through her family farm, collected over $250,000. Chuck Grassley has seen his family collect $1 million in federal handouts over an 11-year period, with Grassley’s son receiving $699,248 and the senator himself pocketing $238,974. Even Grassley’s grandson snagged $5,964 in 2005 and $2,363 in 2006. Max Baucas has collected $250,000. Sam Brownback has collected $500,000 over the past 11 years. Blanche Lincoln D(AR) and her family have collected over $750,000 and she admitted to pocketing $10,000 for petty cash in 2007.
So, while all of these people would deny basic human rights such as a decent health care plan for “the regular” American, they have been dipping in to the welfare trough to line theirs and their family’s pockets. You will remember Bachman and Brownback were participants in Tony Perkins and The Family Council prayerfest to stop the healthcare bill from passing this week.
I believe that the God they are praying to will have a nice surprise for them someday, but it will not be exactly what they hope they will get. I wonder if God has sent them an email yet? Adlib?
You can read the full story here:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/michelle_bachman_welfare_queen_20091221/
Ugh! Sam Brownback is one of my senators… He’s such a sleaze!
SueinCA – Fantastic post! It would be lovely to see this splashed across the front pages of all these hypocrites’ (escribacat’s perfectly spelled best term!) hometown papers!
Does anyone recall the two Michigan brothers who gave aid and comfort to Tim McVeigh? They were rabidly, slaveringly anti-government BUT also took farm subsidies. The root of this hate lies in utter selfishness – they want money going to only themselves, not to – you know, “them”. The deep racism and xenophobia of these people is beyond disgusting.
Sue – yesterday a long-time staff person in our state legislature told me that I would be shocked to hear how many Republicans are perfectly happy to have California crash and burn, to have the government die from lack of funding, to have the state fold entirely. To non-Californians – we are the only state that requires a 2/3 vote to pass both budget AND tax increases or even rate restorations, and we do not have a 2/3 majority of Dems. We are dying from a lack of revenue, so programs for the people teetering on the precipice financially are being whacked. And the Republicans LOVE it. In January the Governor (yes – the two-bit B actor) will propose massive eliminations – not cuts but eradication – of ALL WELFARE SUPPORT. That will put 1.4 million people, mostly children, on the street – and the Republicans LOVE it. Then they will try to eliminate Healthy Families, the SCHIP program that helps families buy insurance for their kids. And he will call for us to cut medical care, and cut in home care (see KQuark on the move to get people home – in CA with NO help at all.) And we will underfund the schools and give university students another 37% tuition hike. Screw the middle class and the poor! That will make California wonderful again, won’t it?
But they gave Hollywood a huge tax break, multinational corporations got $2.5 billion per year in breaks, and we are the only state that has no oil extraction tax. NONE. So the rich get filthy richer, and the poor get tossed in the gutter. Subsidize the Rich! That’s our state motto! Eureka!
Thank you SueinCA for shining this light on the nasty underbelly of the anti-government, anti-American hypocrites. They are despicable!
Thanks for posting this, Sue. With all the alternative news sources out there, it’s impossible to get to all of them every day, Truthdig is one of the best — and I would have missed this. It’s a very important story, especially in light of the stingy approach to health care and the stimulus.
I wonder if Grassley’s constituents even know about this….
Life on the (Animal) Farm:
All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
Sue, another wonderful article. I don’t know how you so consistently do it. To me, this farm subsidy issue is another one that is indicative of both a bad condition in itself and a symptom of a larger problem: the one that so many others here have pointed out: a pervasive double standard.
The poor are supposed to be thrifty and hard-working. But these people collect hundreds of thousands of dollars for doing nothing, and spend it on ridiculous luxuries (including, in Baucus’s case, a mistress).
These people are all about going to war over non-existent WMDs. But it’s other people’s kids–especially minorities– who are supposed to take on the risk.
They have their Cadillac congressional health care. The rest of us are Socialists for wanting the same thing.
The poor are supposed to shun abortions, but once children are born, these types fight frantically to avoid any taxes that might improve health care or education for all the kids they insist come into the world.
You have to wonder if the cradle of their “ethics” (if that word can even be applied) is a culture in which it was considered perfectly acceptable to attend a Klan meeting, a cross burning and a lynching on a Saturday night, and then show up in your Sunday best to piously sit in the “Amen Corner” on Sunday morning. Truly, a schizophrenic state of mind is standard operating procedure for these right wingers and their cronies.
Hypocrisy at its best!! Especially of Michele Bachmann who is a Tea Bagger screams out against government hand outs and yet she gets one!! Jesus H. Christ!!
Uhmm I don’t think he would approve of any of her antics
So true, i bet He is begging His Father to break the 7th seal….lol!
LOL, I just bet. I want to be around when all these guys face their maker. Welcome to the Planet. I recognizeyou from HP
How do you spell H Y P O C R I T E S.
Bachman, Grassley, Baucas, Lincoln, brownback and Sandlin’s father LOL
Boy, did this just open up a huge can of worms! (That
Wow, you know alot more about it than I do. I just find it disgusting that they are so hypocritical. It just makes me sick that they get away with it all. there are alot of small farms out there that could use the help and these greedy blue dogs and republicans are taking the food right out of their hands/mouths
Meh– that was gratuitous crap I had in Word about farm subsidies and was stupid to post, but it momentarily rankled me. I hate when I go off like that on someone’s great blog, Sue.
Not at all, all info is good. The more the more we learn and I am always up for learning.
It’s fucking disgusting.
Well, then KQ, I would have to agree with you……………