In South Carolina, a discrepancy on federal spending (LA Times)

[pinto]

~ pinto

In South Carolina, a discrepancy on federal spending

Campaigning Republicans draw cheers with their calls for cuts to government programs. But the state benefits from such programs to a greater extent than many others.

By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times
January 14, 2012, 7:55 p.m.

Reporting from Beaufort, S.C.— When Rick Santorum stood in front of voters at a yacht club in this small town and pledged to slash government spending, especially entitlement programs, Nancy Garvin knew she had found her candidate.

Garvin, 54, said she was sick of seeing government squander money through agencies that don't do anything, and wants expenditures cut "in half."

"Washington is throwing money away through a lot of wasteful spending," she said, sitting at a picnic table beneath trees draped in graying Spanish moss.

But Garvin, whose husband, a carpenter, has been out of work for four years, depends on the very government she wants to see cut back. She collects disability insurance — it is what she and her husband have survived on as he's looked for work. Her mother is on Social Security. Garvin herself used to work as a nurse at a hospital where many patients paid for services through Medicaid, another program using federal money.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-south-carolina-federal-spending-20120114,0,698798.story

[drm604]

1. Low information voters.

They don't seem to realize that the programs they like, and even depend on, are a very big chunk of federal spending.

They all think it's spent on things like mythical welfare queens.

It's easy to advocate large cuts if you think it won't affect you.

[pinto]

2. Yeah. Isn't the "welfare queen" stereotype another Reagan legacy?

If I recall correctly, he hammered the concept into our political discourse.

Are there abuses? Of course. Is it a standard? Doubt it.

See also - tax exemptions for the wealthy, off-shore accounts, etc. etc.

[drm604]

3. As far as I can recall, it's a Reagan legacy.

[Mopar151]

4. Goes back further than that

Welfare Cadillac - Guy Drake c.1970 I seem to recall Nixon playing that card in amongst the race riots

[unc70]

5. Jesse Helms scripted Reagan to first primary win NC 76. Used in 30's

Jesse Helms and Arthur Finkelstein honed the stories and language over decades in NC. After 6 loses to Ford, Reagan won his first primary in NC, and the Dixiecrats Repubs controlled the GOP and the nation.

When AJ Fletcher started wral radio to advocate for his very conservative beliefs and hired Helms as a news reporter, he succeeded beyond his dreams, along the way using media, technology, big money, divisive issues, racism, and hate speech -- now our nightmares.

(Finkelstein is the real "brain", not Rove. Luntz and many others worked for and learned from him. Fink is Jewish from the Bronx, worked for Ayn Rand while a student, is credited with making liberal a slur, and directed the RW attacks on the poor, blacks, gays, women -- in 1996, he was outed as gay, living in MA with his partner and their two adopted children. F and his partner of 40 years married in 2005. ???!!! )

Social Security was seen as creating the welfare state, the first step leading to socialism and communism. ADC or welfare raised fears that the wrong people to have more children - blacks, Catholics...

These themes were used by the Dixiecrats in 1948, but it was the 1950 that defeated Senator Frank Porter Graham were all the pieces came together since the Rebellion of 1898.

The stereotypes, language, and most of the details were the same in the early 1950's and widely repeated. I remember hearing it before 1954. I can still hear "She's strutting around all dressed up, wearing a fur and all that jewelry. Acting all important, like she thinks she's the Queen!"

Attacks on Eleanor Roosevelt and Truman followed.

[Doctor_J]

6. A parasite that hates its host

That and most of the other red states.

[Doctor_J]

7. Should actually read, "...Ignorant Hypocrisy on federal spending"

For some reason no one will tell people like Garvin that they exhibit a form of mental illness. I have a relative whose only means of support at this time are SS, Medicare (from which he's availed himself of $500,000 in services), and a public school pension. And he sits and watches Fox "News" all day, believes every last lie. Last time we discussed it, I told him, in so many words, "That is really sick. If the US was how Fox wanted it to be, you'd be living in a poor house with no medical care".

Start the meme - Fox watchers (including those who post at DU) are mentally ill.