A few state legislatures, dominated by Republicans, have not only attacked women with draconian anti-abortion laws but have also attacked poor people by trying to micro manage how they spend public assistance. The GOP has the idea that poor people are spending money on steak and lobster and other luxuries. One survey shows they are still wrong.
The survey provides no evidence that the poor are wasting their money on delicacies. Indeed, the results show that regardless of income, Americans make very similar choices at the grocery store. The wealthy spend more overall, of course, and less as a share of their total spending. Yet the rich, the poor and the middle class all spend about 19 percent their grocery budget on fruits and vegetables, about 22 percent on meats, and about 13 percent on breads and cereals.
Other categories of food also show no variation with income. What about that lobster? Fish and seafood account for between 3 percent and 4 percent of the grocery budget for all groups — $80 per year for the poor, and $222 per year for the wealthiest group.
It’s comforting that when it comes to their choices at the grocery store, Americans have so much in common, given the other factors dividing the country along economic lines.
The idea behind moves to further burden the poor with restrictions and red tape is that if you make something unpalatable then the person is likely to give up or not even ask for help which in the GOPs twisted logic means more tax cuts for the rich.
I’ve written before that poor people work extremely hard to get the benefits due to them. They give immense amount of time filling out paper work and standing in lines. They open up their private lives for inspection and they have to deal with being told “no” on a daily basis.
No one chooses to be poor. It is something some have to live with and struggle to survive. More restrictions or red tape to a poor person is like a boxer taking a punch and not falling down.
The “small government” party is no where to be found as long as it means sticking it to poor people. Republicans have a habit of legislating based on bigotry and not evidence. They also prove once again they lack any shred of compassion or decency.
*Side Note* If you still believe poor people are spending your tax dollars on items they shouldn’t be then by all means contact your local welfare department or county prosecutor and report them.
