Via Jonathan Chait at The New Republic, here's a lovely little story out of Kansas City:
First, meet David Jungerman of Raytown, KS. He's responsible for the following billboard:
David's big fat head sort of gets in the way here, so to ensure you read it, it states:
ARE YOU A PRODUCER OR PARASITE? DEMOCRATS - PARTY OF PARASITES.
Wow, a bit harsh, David. Kind of a sweeping statement, isn't it? But hey, inflammatory as one might be, as long as you can walk the walk, I guess you're entitled to talk the -- what's that again?
The Raytown farmer who posted a sign on a semi-truck trailer accusing Democrats of being the “Party of Parasites” received more than $1 million in federal crop subsidies since 1995.
But David Jungerman says the payouts don’t contradict the sign he put up in a corn field in Bates County along U.S. 71 Highway.
“That’s just my money coming back to me,” Jungerman, 72, said Monday. “I pay a lot in taxes. I’m not a parasite.”
Yeah, I'm hard pressed to figure out my response here. Does Jungerman not understand that most of the folks benefitting from extended unemployment, new healthcare benefits and whatever other programs he's against also pay taxes? Surely, at the least, something less than 100% of the Democratic Party?
Or, perhaps, farmers get some more special exemption -- in fact, Jungerman says that these subsidies aren't a handout - they're just a way of the government ensuring that free market forces don't apply to farmers:
Crop subsidies are different, he said. When crop prices dip below a certain point, the federal government makes up the difference with a subsidy payment.
According to a farm subsidy data base, Jungerman received $1,095,101 in the past 15 years, including $224,763 in 2000. Last year, he received $34,303.
I don't even want to go into the inanity of farming subsidies, because in all honesty I don't know enough about them. I do find it incredibly irritating that the folks who think the free market is a solution for everything seem to not care or pretend not to notice that farmers don't have to play by the same rules.
Chait suggests that some of this "it's okay if I do it" results in the fact that most farmers are middle-aged white men, while recipients of other governmental programs have slightly darker shades of skin. I can't really comment on that either, but I suspect that it's even more basic than that. It's just a nice combination of ignorance and selfishness. Folks neither understand what they're complaining about, nor realize that they're making exemptions for themselves - and only themselves.
In fact, it's fairly well-trod territory -- the states that complain the loudest about "government handouts" and programs "rammed down the throats of America" are, of course,
the states that utilize these programs the most.
And I'd at least
get it if the folks complaining were the other residents of the state - seeing others get governmental assistance and being offended about it to yell loudly. But the
recipients of these handouts should probably take a long look in the mirror before complaining too loudly about EVERYONE ELSE.
On a related note, David Jungerman, you are fucking welcome for your subsidy, which helped pay for your stupid sign. You see, I pay a lot of taxes too - I wish there wasn't as much governmental waste and that those dollars were stretched a lot better, but I don't complain about it because I understand that taxes are vital and important to keeping the country running. Part of that is the subsidy you get. Which put the money in your pocket for your insulting, ignorant sign.
If you are going to piss away that money so freely, at least be honest about it.
