A-Hole Politicians & Their Rabid Followers

I've never been a fan of politicians.  I pretty much think they're all crooks and liars - just some more than others.  Lately, though, my opinion of politicians has gone about as low as it can go.  You know by now that I'm fairly liberal, but even the guys I voted for are pissing me off - mostly because they don't have any balls and they've seemed to have lost their voices.

I've read a lot of articles lately about how both sides are being total dicks when it comes to screwing the elderly, the poor, etc., but this article really took the cake.  Nothing makes me angrier than when politicians start screwing kids.

Michigan State Senator Bruce Casswell made a budget proposal that Michigan's foster children can only get clothes from secondhand stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army.  If you read the article, it's pretty offensive, but it's when you get down to the comments section where the good people of Michigan weigh in on the idea that really shows you what douchebags people can be.  I'll get to the douchebags in the minute, let's start with Senator Casswell.

Senator Casswell's argument is that he never had anything but secondhand clothes growing up and it was good enough for him so it should be good enough for the foster kids.  OK, but I would bet Senator Casswell wore his secondhand clothes in a home that was a safe and loving environment where he had two parents that cared for him.  Where he was treated with respect and dignity and where he was supported in his pursuits.  A lot of foster kids don't have that sort of safety net.  I'm not saying that new clothes are going to give them any of that, but it will at least give them dignity and help them blend in with their peers.  I didn't see where anyone was asking the state to buy these kids Juicy Couture or Polo.  You can find perfectly nice NEW clothes for good prices at stores like Wal-Mart, Target and even Macy's or The Children's Place if you watch sales.  Senator Casswell can talk all he wants about wearing secondhand clothes, but I bet her NEVER wore someone else's underwear!  Can you imagine the humiliation of having to wear USED underwear, bras and socks??

I wonder, when was the last time Senator Casswell was even IN a Salvation Army or a Goodwill store?  Probably not recently.  Well, let me tell you, I was in a Goodwill store not two weeks ago and it was a horrific experience.  First, I was SHOCKED at how expensive all of the clothes were.  T-shirts that someone got free from a casino were selling for $3.  Just what I'd want to wear:  Binion's Has the Loosest Slots!  Second, I was DISGUSTED by the condition of the clothes.  NOTHING was clean.  There were dresses with lunch still clinging to the front of them, a jumper with a used lollipop in the pocket, men's pants with God knows what on them - OK, I knew what was on them and let's just say the stains reminded me of Bill Clinton.  Shoes that were caked with dried mud and all of them looked like you'd catch a foot fungus just getting too close to them.  Third, I was APPALLED by the quality of the clothes I found there.  I live in an affluent area and this Goodwill is right in the middle of it.  I went there expecting to find some nice choices and instead I found clothes that were fashionable 25 years ago.  I found clothes with visible defects - missing buttons, stains, rips, etc.  Do you know how much buttons cost?  By the time I spent $5 on the dress and then another $3 on buttons, I might as well have gone to Macy's with my coupon and bought a new dress for the same price!

Once again, this shows me how out of touch our effing politicians are.  Big effing surprise there.  I'll give you a hint as to how we can solve a lot of the debt and budgeting problems:  tax the rich.  People like Warren Buffett and my former boss, Peter G. Peterson, are BEGGING to be held to a higher standard.  They know they have more than the rest of us and they're willing to share it, but they must be TOLD to share it.  WTF is Washington waiting for?

Like most politicians, Senator Casswell obviously lives in a gilded cage and doesn't have a clue as to what's going on in our country these days, but what about his constituents?  What is their excuse for being dickheads?

Did you read any of the comments that people posted?  What a bunch of ignorant, uncaring, selfish pricks. One person commented:  "These kids have already lost life's lottery, good to teach them that if they want to move up in society, they must work harder, they must overcome."

Well hell, if they've already lost life's lottery then is Goodwill even too good for them??  Let's not waste another dime!  Maybe we should just make them walk around naked and hope the elements claim them so we don't have support their hungry and cold little asses any longer!  I mean, after all, what's the point in keeping them around?  We're just raising a bunch of losers who don't have a chance of EVER being contributing members of society!

If the person who wrote that comment was standing here, I would ACTUALLY punch him/her in the throat.  What a complete and total asshat.  I hope that guy never needs unemployment or assistance of any kind.

You know how everyone's afraid the government is monitoring the Internet and keeping track of us a la Big Brother?  I wish they were.  I wish that if you made a comment like that, it would get filed under your name and then three years from now when the shit hits the fan in your life and you go to sign up for welfare or unemployment your name would be flagged.  You'd go in to get your check and it would be, "Ooops, sorry, I can't help you today.  Looks like on April 26, 2011 you commented that Michigan's foster children had lost life's lottery and you wanted to deny them basic human needs.  Yeah.....looks like you just lost the lottery too, jackass.  Welcome to hell.  You'll need to leave the building in the next 30 seconds before we throw you out on your poor, needy ass and delouse you.  You can pick up a Will Work For Food sign at the door - Jen has paid for that for you, she felt it was the least she could do."

5 comments:

Kiki Wilson-Harshman said...

my stomach hurts i am laughing so hard

Max said...

This is pretty accurate, though somewhat restrained. Tell us how you really feel! :)

amanda jo said...

I totally agree with you. You ought to check out our new governor. He's a real gem. Makes me want to move out of state, oh yea, except my house can't sell bc its not worth what we owe, and half of MI is unemployed. yipee....

lupinssupins said...

GREAT column! Like Sen. Asshat, I, too, grew up in hand-me-downs from neighbors & relatives and my kids were often clothed from church rummage sales, Kmart and Target. [My kids were also eligible for free school lunches, but we only filled those forms out so that their strapped schools could get the extra federal money those percentages brought them. We packed their own lunches b/c we could.] But we didn't LIKE it, so why would we wish it on others? Esp. since, as you pointed out about the gilded cagers, WE had 2 loving, full-time PARENTS looking out for us, putting their/our children before themselves/ourselves, keeping us/them safe from harm and housed & fed, however basically. Sen. Castoff & even more so the jackass trolls commenting on the newspaper story, clearly have NO idea what foster kids have gone through. How can they be so gratuitously hateful?

Your other points are also very well taken.(1) Used shoes & underwear? Ewww. God knows my Scottish father was cheap, er, frugal, & my dear mother, may she RIP, resented the hell out of anyone who had more than her [damn few in her Depression childhood, but damn near most in their circle as adults.] But even they drew the line at that! [Their germophobia was at least good for that!]
(2) You are so right about Goodwill. I used to love that place! And the church rummage sales of my kids' childhood used to provide much nicer brands than the discount stores [one son was perpetually quoting "Rainman" to us-- "Kmart sucks, Mom!"] But since the current Depression began, Goodwill & rummage sales have provided ever slimmer, shabbier pickings. People are far more reluctant [or even able] to just GIVE away clothes in decent shape. They either wear them until frayed, or hand them down to friends who've lost jobs and/or homes, or sell them on Craigslist or ebay for spare cash.

This Michigan pol & his supporters [much like the right wing trolls who populate the threads of my home-town paper] lack both empathy & a soul! I love your idea of a registry of heartless comments, to be used against them in the future.

Laura said...

Wow! Thrift stores in the Northland are much better than the Johnson County ones, then. I was rummaging around in the Salvation Army's store on North Antioch and things looked as good as usual. You're right about the prices, though, they compare to Kmart and Walmart sales, and about the underwear. Never in a million years would I buy undergarments there.

I do agree with you on what a douche the senator is. He's obviously forgotten how important fitting in is to the teenage set. Especially at for the foster kids who don't have a stable home life. The guy is a jerk and a half.

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