If I had a nickel for every time I heard some idiot say, “There are plenty of jobs out there; these welfare people are just lazy,” I’d be able to retire quite comfortably.

People that say such things want to believe that being poor and living on government assistance is a non-stop party. Folks like that believe the only way to get these people to be tax payers is to stop all government assistance.

I’ve argued with folks (usually Republicans) that if they cut all government assistance, they will spend twice as much to arrest and lock up all the people that won’t have any way or any hope of supporting themselves and their families except turning to crime…like stealing food and clothing.

Here’s the big old Republican dream…

Cut all government assistance. No more food stamps, WIC, Medicare, Social Security, or anything else the government gives away to those lazy, good-for-nothing poor, sick, and old people.

Those that have been living high off the government hog but are able to work will give up and take one of those millions of jobs just waiting out there for them. Those jobs might be for low wages and have no benefits, but that’s what lazy people deserve. They just need to work hard for minimum wage, and that will be its own reward.

Sick people are whiners. People get sick. If they have been lazy and didn’t prepare to be sick, they die…so sad, too bad; why should lazy sick people get our money.

Old people are just lazy people that have lived long enough to become a burden to society. If you toss them off the dole, they will get off their lazy old asses or die…so sad, too bad; these geezers have lived long enough. They need to move on and let people with money breathe the air.

Poor, brown, and black people are naturally lazy. That’s why they end up consuming the most government assistance. If we stop coddling these human drains, they will get jobs and pay taxes. It’s just a matter of some tough love. Life on welfare is a wild party. It’s no wonder they stay on the dole.

If you believe any of this garbage, you are an idiot…or a Republican.

The American dream is supposed to be a rags-to-riches story. Anyone from anywhere can (with hard work and a love of God) be anything they want to be. There are no limits.

That’s just bullshit. It could be true someday if the playing field is leveled, but the truth is that the playing field for old, poor, brown, and black people goes uphill. The field for white people with money runs down hill.

It’s been that way since we bought and sold poor, brown, and black people in open markets. Emancipation was crippled by all the laws passed that restricted the choices of poor, brown, and black people.

In the last election, several states tried to make it harder for old, poor, brown, and black people to vote. The field is unlevel and it’s littered with mines. It’s been that way forever. So, if you believe the Republican dream, you are an idiot.

Any attempt to level the playing field is called “redistribution of wealth.” This is a horrible idea to Republicans because to them it means that old, poor, brown, and black people will be allowed into white people’s homes to take whatever they can carry.

If you slash and burn government spending like the ultra right freaks advocate, you will be up to your hips in old, poor, brown, black, and white people. There will be more homeless and sick people. The mess that austerity brings will overwhelm us faster that the scourge of the federal deficit.

If you take money out of the economy…the economy shrinks. When the economy shrinks, business tightens its belt. When business tightens its belt, you get more poor and sick people because business let them go. You can’t save the patient by slowing the flow of blood from the heart and cutting off all but the essential body parts necessary for survival.

If Republicans are right about the old and the poor and the only reason they don’t contribute to the economy is because they are lazy, the Republican dream will work.

If, on the other hand, the old and poor turn out to be victims of an unlevel playing field and cutting them loose to fend for themselves won’t force them to get jobs, then we are screwed.

Which scenario seems the most logical? We have real economic disparity in this country and less money will make the problem even worse…OR…all we need to do is cut these freeloaders off and our economy will pick right up and everything will be whiskey and whores.

I know what idiots think.