Rand Paul: Food Stamps Are Just Like Slavery

[limpyhobbler]

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) equated government programs that prevent people from dying of starvation with slavery in a new profile of his medical practice published today, revealing himself to hold a view of the role of government so limited as to nearly define the state out of existence.

Paul’s philosophical excursus is buried in the midst of the too-friendly-for-parody article (it ends with a patient waxing poetic about how Paul “loves people“), but the words are unmistakably Randian. “As humans, yeah, we do have an obligation to give people water, to give people food, to give people health care,” Paul allowed, “but it’s not a right because once you conscript people and say, ‘Oh, it’s a right,’ then really you’re in charge, it’s servitude, you’re in charge of me and I’m supposed to do whatever you tell me to do.”

The comments are an echo of his 2011 claim that accepting a human right to health care “means you believe in slavery,” but the Senator’s new variation on the theme is notable because it puts the reasoning behind the crazy in stark relief. Particularly, this line: “You don’t have a right to anyone else’s labor. Food’s pretty important, do you have a right to the labor of the farmer?”

The basic idea is that if slavery means forcing people to do things, and saying people have a right to food means the government should require farmers to provide it to them, then a right to food means the enslavement of farmers. A moderately bright high school student could spot the leap of logic here: no one’s forcing anyone to farm against their will. In a democratic-capitalist economy, people have a right to choose their career and, as it turns out, enough people end up being farmers that there’s generally enough food to go around. A socially-accepted “right to food” merely means the government should pay for the provision of food to those who can’t afford it. No stealing, and definitely no slavery.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/08/26/2525961/rand-paul-food-health-libertarianism-hayek/

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Why does this guy

Keep talking?

[hobbit709]

2. Because like a Chatty Cathy doll, someone keeps pulling his string.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. Ha!

[Warpy]

18. He makes about as much sense, too

[Art_from_Ark]

20. I was thinking he's more like Chatty Cathy's evil twin, Talky Tina

[rustydog]

3. STFU you privileged, spoiled, uppity SNOT

Your hypocrisy is stunning. your self-serving sermons sicken the strongest of hypocrites...

[Historic NY]

4. All from the same guy admired by some here.

[hobbit709]

6. Just because I agree with his views on the NSA doesn't mean I admire him.

Outside of that point, he's still a total ass.

[Fumesucker]

21. And some here "admire" Cheney

If by "admire" you mean "agree with on some policy".

[mick063]

5. Rand Paul is an imbecile

Throwing red meat to the same crowd that Cruz does.

Both are ideological slave masters, appealing to people that genetically believe in slavery, representing states that historically fought a bloody civil war to retain slavery. Both would rather that the descendants of slaves be disenfranchised to participate in the political process, and both come from a political party that represents that view.

When taking on the topic of slavery, Rand Paul's face takes on the appearance of a Mandrill's rainbow colored ass and all that emerges from it is ape shit.

[hobbit709]

7. Technically, Mandrills are monkeys and not apes.

[Blue Owl]

10. Go fuck yourself Rand Paul you goddamn piece of shit

You get what you give, motherfucker.

[Lasher]

11. "then really you’re in charge"

He thinks it's a terrible thing for the government to be in charge. He thinks people born into money and privilege should be the ones in charge. People just like him.

What an ass!

[leftstreet]

12. Why do these loons compare everything to slavery?

Do they just like to talk about slavery?

[CAG]

14. sometimes is code talk for reassuring his side that "its only blacks that get food stamps"

its disgusting, racist, and highly inaccurate

[hobbit709]

15. Because they want to go back to the 1850's

[G_j]

13. I wish someone would make s movie

depicting what a "Libertarian" America would look like. No national parks, rivers poisoned, air thick with pollution.
No food safety. No regulations on anything.
If the poison Chinese dog food bothered people, just think we could poison our animals with food manufactured right here in the good ole USA! Now that's freedom!

[Incitatus]

16. "A moderately bright high school student could spot the leap of logic here"

There's the problem with a lot of Republicans.

[neverforget]

17. Rand Paul is just like Sarah Palin: a fucking idiot. nt.

[MFrohike]

19. Sometimes

Sometimes, I just don't know what to say. On its face, it's just loony. Not eccentric loony, the kind of loony that makes you wish for forcible civil commitment both for his good and ours. Dig a bit deeper and it lets a lot of Dixiecrats claim they're finally opposing slavery, if only 150 years late.

The really funny part is applying his own logic to his own profession. Rand should be out decrying the government monopoly of medical licensing because it forces people to use only government approved providers rather than any old snake-oil salesman they can find. He should be decrying government intervention in the free market and noting that bad providers will be disciplined by the invisible hand. What a fucking jackass.