The GOP's Ongoing War to Re-Brand Poor People as "Lazy," "Freeloading"

[marmar]

AlterNet / By Lauren Kelley

The GOP's Ongoing War to Re-Brand Poor People as "Lazy," "Freeloading"
The GOP's blame-the-victim rhetoric and profits-before-people attitude toward Medicaid fit neatly into the party's decades-long anti-poor agenda.

January 13, 2011 |


To hear some Republicans speak of it, you'd think the Medicaid program was designed by the devil himself for the sole purpose of wasting money. It's been called, pejoratively, "socialist" and "a clear and present danger to the budgets and priorities of the states."

Not that Democrats spend all their time gushing over the program. It has its legitimate problems, to be sure. But the program does provide, if imperfectly, healthcare access to the country's poorest citizens. The New Republic senior editor Jonathan Cohn lays out Medicaid's importance in a column for Kaiser Health News:

Medicaid may not provide great access to care. But it does provide access -- access its recipients very much need and that, according to research, has measurably improved their health. In what may be the most well-known study of its kind, economists Janet Currie and Jonathan Gruber found large expansions of Medicaid during the 1980s and early 1990s "significantly increased the utilization of medical care, particularly care delivered in physicians' offices," leading to "significant" reductions in both infant and child mortality.

Medicaid also provides benefits that its unique population needs, but would struggle to find in the private insurance market. That includes lead screening for low-income children, a fragile population at high risk of toxicity from chipped paint in old, poorly maintained homes. And it includes long-term care, particularly nursing home care, for senior citizens who can't afford its high expense. In fact, it is the disabled and the elderly -- not the stereotypical single mother on welfare -- on whom Medicaid spends the majority of its money.

Low-income children. Senior citizens. People with disabilities. Who would oppose helping those demographics gain access to life-saving healthcare services? ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/rights/149490/the_gop%27s_ongoing_war_to_re-brand_poor_people_as_%22lazy%2C%22_%22freeloading%22/

[Demeter]

1. If the GOP Hates Poverty and the Poor So Much

Why are their policies and programs designed to increase the numbers of the impoverished?

[mindem]

2. It's the welfare queen thing all over again.

They seem to think the more wealthy you are the harder you work.

[old mark]

3. They hate the poor and unemployed for being poor and unemployed,

hate the old and sick for being old and sick.

What a wonderful group of people they are.

K&R

mark

[Joanne98]

4. They think they have the "God given" right to insult people!

[Historic NY]

5. They really need to look in the mirror.

[Downwinder]

6. How many Tucsons would we have without Medicaid?

Anyone can afford a gun. Even if they can't afford medical treatment.

[Wednesdays]

7. K&R

My signature: "To a conservative, a recession is when millions of workers suddenly decide to become lazy and irresponsible."

[Downwinder]

8. Where were these Governors in the Single Payer debate?

Single Payer would have solved their problem.

[GaltFreeDiet]

9. Somebody needs to remind them of Matthew 25:35-49

then ask them "What would Jesus do?"

[DCKit]

10. MediCaid is anathema to the "Die Quickly" stance of the Republics. nt

[alarimer]

11. Democrats buy into it too, see "welfare reform" n/tt

[yurbud]

12. GOP def of waste of money: anything that helps poor or middle class

Def of responsible spending: anything that further enriches the already wealthy, from tax breaks to subsidies to wars to seize resources for the wealthy at taxpayer expenses and the expense of the lives of our troops.