“Republicans Hate Poor People:” County GOP apologizes for social media post

[Calthrina950]

Worded unbelievably badly, but the point itself (that Democrats have a political interest in keeping people poor) is not entirely false.

Lol, yes it is. Republicans despise the poor and want to do nothing to actually help them become successful. Just tell them to work harder and pull themselves up by the bootstraps, no actual help.

That is simply not true. Democratic welfare policies have clearly been a failure. We've spent trillions of dollars since LBJ's war on poverty was launched, and yet today the poverty rate is nearly the exact same. That's because the current welfare system essentially locks people in poverty, disincentivizes marriage (a proven alleviator of poverty), and discourages people from finding work by drastically cutting benefits as soon as people get a job (thus making work an economically unsound decision). If you really think the solution for poverty is throwing money at the same failed policies, you're crazy.

(Most) Republicans don't blame, or by any means despise, the poor for the poverty we see and recognize that it's a symptom of failed governmental policy.

I believe the best way to help alleviate poverty is to restructure the welfare system to encourage marriage, slow the decrease of benefits after employment is found, provide educational choice to poor parents so their children aren't locked in failing schools, encourage apprenticeships and more effective job training programs, and free up entrepreneurs from excessive taxes and regulations so they can hire more people (Thank you GOP).

Stop the smears and realize that there's no kindness to be found in supporting policies that keep people trapped in poverty.

I agree with you on all of this, but I would also add that there needs to be a focus on addressing the inequalities within the criminal justice system as well. I think that taking steps to fight against police brutality and misconduct, to encourage community policing, and to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities that they patrol would contribute to addressing the situations which these communities face. Poverty is intimately connected to crime, and any effort to address poverty should also focusing on fixing the inequities in the prison system. The "school-to-prison pipeline" definitely needs to be broken.

[Suburbia]

Republicans hate the poor. Democrats love the poor but their love is contingent on them being poor.

[Suburbia]

There are factors in poverty that are beyond people's control.  There are other factors that are, very much, within one's ability to control, that enable folks to resist falling into poverty and utter destitution:

1.  Abstain from alcohol and drugs.  Alcohol and drugs are poverty-makers.

2.  Abstain from sexual activity outside of marriage.  Child support is tough to pay and tough to live on.  The decision to have children out of wedlock is a devastating one, economically.

3.  Get married and stay married to a stable person.  Divorce is economically devastating.  If someone's beating you, using drugs, committing crimes, etc., that's a reason to bail.  If you've just "outgrown one another" or "fallen out of love",  you NEED to stay married for a variety of reasons, but economic stability is a big reason (especially if you have kids).  The two-income advantage is a necessity these days.

4.  Don't get arrested, and don't become a felon.  This will kill your earning power fast and for a long time.

5.  If you are working for a large organization, full-time, with benefits, you need to think long and hard before you change jobs, especially if you're desiring to "go into business" or you want a change.  Married couples that stay at such jobs, even with only high school diplomas, or only some community college, are often in better shape at 30 than some college grads.

Nothing is a guarantee.  But my money is on the folks who are able to delay gratification and tolerate frustration to succeed and not on the "dreamers" who "follow their heart".  Successful people LEAD their heart; I'm a firm believer in that.  Not everyone will be mega-rich, but there is a difference between being stable and being one step away from the homeless shelter. 

[Ban my account ffs!]

Republicans hate the poor. Democrats love the poor but their love is contingent on them being poor.

It's frustrating how stupid you are.

[HillGoose]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

[Dr. Arch]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

That's not how the world works. It's saddening to read such a thing.

[TPIG]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

Gosh... what's the point of trying to engage in thoughtful debate on this forum? Whether I had responded with "Yeah, the poor suck and deserve to die" or responded the way I actually did (trying to show how I think conservative solutions can actually help the poor) the response from you, obviously, would have been the same.

The left doesn't have a monopoly on kindness and empathy, and to cast me and other conservatives in the same lot as white nationalists is truly reprehensible. I mean honestly, why are you even here? Is it to engage in debate or simply to engage in self-righteous posturing?

[courts]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

Gosh... what's the point of trying to engage in thoughtful debate on this forum? Whether I had responded with "Yeah, the poor suck and deserve to die" or responded the way I actually did (trying to show how I think conservative solutions can actually help the poor) the response from you, obviously, would have been the same.

The left doesn't have a monopoly on kindness and empathy, and to cast me and other conservatives in the same lot as white nationalists is truly reprehensible. I mean honestly, why are you even here? Is it to engage in debate or simply to engage in self-righteous posturing?

well some of what you posted seems to imply significantly more government investment than a lot of what we've seen out of the republican party. also i'd imagine a lot of this is just because of how bitter certain people are here. i know jedi is some ex republican. idk that much on his background otherwise

[TPIG]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

Gosh... what's the point of trying to engage in thoughtful debate on this forum? Whether I had responded with "Yeah, the poor suck and deserve to die" or responded the way I actually did (trying to show how I think conservative solutions can actually help the poor) the response from you, obviously, would have been the same.

The left doesn't have a monopoly on kindness and empathy, and to cast me and other conservatives in the same lot as white nationalists is truly reprehensible. I mean honestly, why are you even here? Is it to engage in debate or simply to engage in self-righteous posturing?

well some of what you posted seems to imply significantly more government investment than a lot of what we've seen out of the republican party. also i'd imagine a lot of this is just because of how bitter certain people are here. i know jedi is some ex republican. idk that much on his background otherwise

And yet even I, a Republican who takes an unorthodox conservative approach to poverty-elimination (that doesn't involve immediate drastic cuts to programs), am still equivalent to Nazi-sympathizers... how great...

This is the point I'm trying to make. It doesn't matter how much nuance is put into the argument, unless you fall completely in line with leftist thinking, you're an empathy-deficient sociopath who chuckles at the thought of poor children starving.

[Don Vito Corleone]

The reason I think Republicans hate poor people has nothing to do with their policies. It has everything to do with their rhetoric. When Republicans like Orrin Hatch say the poor are lazy and need to help themselves, despite the fact that the working poor are very hard working, then what on earth do you want me to conclude other then Republicans don't like poor people?

[TPIG]

The reason I think Republicans hate poor people has nothing to do with their policies. It has everything to do with their rhetoric. When Republicans like Orrin Hatch say the poor are lazy and need to help themselves, despite the fact that the working poor are very hard working, then what on earth do you want me to conclude other then Republicans don't like poor people?

Sure, I think that's a fair conclusion that any rational person could come to in response to a comment like that. Obviously Hatch was wrong. I, and a lot of conservatives, blame the government for the failure of welfare policies and the sustained poverty we see, not the poor themselves.

[Santander]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

[TJ in Oregon]

The reason I think Republicans hate poor people has nothing to do with their policies. It has everything to do with their rhetoric. When Republicans like Orrin Hatch say the poor are lazy and need to help themselves, despite the fact that the working poor are very hard working, then what on earth do you want me to conclude other then Republicans don't like poor people?

Sure, I think that's a fair conclusion that any rational person could come to in response to a comment like that. Obviously Hatch was wrong. I, and a lot of conservatives, blame the government for the failure of welfare policies and the sustained poverty we see, not the poor themselves.

Not to excuse the vitriol of course, but I think bruhgmger2's point is an important one. A good-faith defense of free market/small government policies should be that those policies help life people out of poverty. But the prominent defenders of free market/small government policies haven't generally tried to make that argument and have instead focused on the rights of people with money. In doing so, the idea that such policies actually do benefit poor people has generally been ignored or forgotten. As such, fewer people believe it, and it doesn't generally look like elected Republicans really believe it either. That presents both a challenge and an opportunity to people like yourself who really do believe free market/small government ideas work for the common good. The challenge is that, unfortunately, you will have your motives impugned. The opportunity is that you get to present people with ideas they are not accustomed to hearing. And when people change their views, it's not normally after hearing the same argument for the 10000th time, but from hearing a view from a fresh perspective.

[Antonio the Sixth]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

sociopathy is so funny amirite lololol

[HillGoose]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

sociopathy is so funny amirite lololol

I'm not a sociopath.

Those who undermine me and then want me to help them in their time of need, and after I help them, go right back to being hurtful towards me, those are the sociopaths.

That's why I've decided I can't allow myself to feel sympathy for anyone else's struggles. If someone wants my help they have to have proven their usefulness or loyalty, or else people will think they can get away with stabbing me in the back.

[Dr. Arch]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

sociopathy is so funny amirite lololol

I'm not a sociopath.

Those who undermine me and then want me to help them in their time of need, and after I help them, go right back to being hurtful towards me, those are the sociopaths.

That's why I've decided I can't allow myself to feel sympathy for anyone else's struggles. If someone wants my help they have to have proven their usefulness or loyalty, or else people will think they can get away with stabbing me in the back.

Nobody will care for you if you treat everyone that way.

[MasterJedi]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

sociopathy is so funny amirite lololol

I'm not a sociopath.

Those who undermine me and then want me to help them in their time of need, and after I help them, go right back to being hurtful towards me, those are the sociopaths.

That's why I've decided I can't allow myself to feel sympathy for anyone else's struggles. If someone wants my help they have to have proven their usefulness or loyalty, or else people will think they can get away with stabbing me in the back.

Nobody will care for you if you treat everyone that way.

"I'm not a sociopath", then goes on to state exactly how they are one. That is exactly sociopathic behavior toward other people.

[HillGoose]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

sociopathy is so funny amirite lololol

I'm not a sociopath.

Those who undermine me and then want me to help them in their time of need, and after I help them, go right back to being hurtful towards me, those are the sociopaths.

That's why I've decided I can't allow myself to feel sympathy for anyone else's struggles. If someone wants my help they have to have proven their usefulness or loyalty, or else people will think they can get away with stabbing me in the back.

Nobody will care for you if you treat everyone that way.

"I'm not a sociopath", then goes on to state exactly how they are one. That is exactly sociopathic behavior toward other people.

so

refusing to let people walk all over you = sociopathy?

[MasterJedi]

On a serious note (meaning I'm not playing Tankie at the moment), reading through this thread really shows that movement conservative-types are just as empathy-deficient and fundamentally bad as white nationalists/the "alt-right", even if they hide under the veil of Respectability.

my only goal in life is to make enough money that i can shove it in my parents face that i'm better and more successful than they ever were.

also if i have a lot of money, people will need it so i can make them respect me out of the fear that I won't help them.

is that so bad?

sociopathy is so funny amirite lololol

I'm not a sociopath.

Those who undermine me and then want me to help them in their time of need, and after I help them, go right back to being hurtful towards me, those are the sociopaths.

That's why I've decided I can't allow myself to feel sympathy for anyone else's struggles. If someone wants my help they have to have proven their usefulness or loyalty, or else people will think they can get away with stabbing me in the back.

Nobody will care for you if you treat everyone that way.

"I'm not a sociopath", then goes on to state exactly how they are one. That is exactly sociopathic behavior toward other people.

so

refusing to let people walk all over you = sociopathy?

If you don't know the difference between not letting people walk all over you and only being "friends" with people that you can manipulate into being useful, that's sociopathy.