"Compassionate Conservative" wrote into my state newspaper and

[GreenPartyVoter]

gave us the all the old standards: (And he found some applause for his views in the comments section. Jerks, the lot of them.)

"I am sick and tired of hearing about other people’s problems. We’ve got the heating oil crisis, the mortgage mess, the homeless count — it goes on and on. Not to forget the march on Augusta because Gov. Baldacci wants to cut welfare giveaways. When did self reliance become a thing of the past?

The way I see it is if you can’t heat your home it is because you didn’t save enough for oil. It used to be that if you were in a mess then your family would bail you out, not the state. If your family couldn’t or wouldn’t, then a little thing called natural selection happens. It’s time we cut off those on welfare, close the shelters and let nature take its course."

http://bangornews.com/news/t/viewpoints.aspx?articleid=161676&zoneid=36

[zanne]

1. Ah yes...

Spoken like a true Conservative Libertarian. God bless his little soul. :grr:

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Did you see the idiot who doesn't want to pay for kids who "aren't smart emough to function"? OMG!

[floridablue]

2. Natural Selection (in the article)

Is that something like let those who cannot obtain heating oil from savings or family just freeze to death and eliminate the problem for the future?

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Apparently. *shaking head* Of course, then he'd be whining about his taxes being used to

bury poor people in potter's field.

[Luna_C_06]

5. Wow......

He'd better hope that he never gets laid off, sick, or worse, his family should pray that they never get sick! It really sounds like he would be tempted to leave even his own behind.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. I am ashamed to say there is a little piece of me that wants Karma to

put him in the shoes of the poor people he scorns, and have NO ONE to catch him when he falls. *slapping wrist*

[Luna_C_06]

51. Oh, I'm sure Karma will get him

eventually. None of us stay young and healthy forever.

[GreenPartyVoter]

52. Very true, indeed. Of course what will it do to my karma for secretly wishing bad things

on people like that? :hide:

[margotb822]

7. I wonder what it feels like to have hardened yourself to the plight of others

It must suck. I hope that he never has to depend on the government for anything. Oh wait, he already does. We all do.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. I keep trying to picture him, and all I can come up with is

[kineneb]

49. Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?

"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigor, then?" said Scrooge.

The writer does not deserve to be called a human. Lizard perhaps, although that insults reptiles.

[GreenPartyVoter]

50. greeat quote and so perfect here

[margotb822]

9. Like the comment about Iraq

That's why we're all in this financial mess. Does he really think that all people make enough money to save? I'm not even going to go into it (because my head will probably explode with frustration), but its the same thing I feel when people say "Well, why didn't they just leave NO when Katrina was coming?" Go where? With what money? And what transportation?

Call it poverty or subsistence living or whatever you want, but the *and company greed has put more and more people in dire straits.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. Yeah. Trust the haves to completely misunderstand the plight of the have-nots

[margotb822]

13. It's about the only thing we can trust them to do

Oh, and promote hate and bigotry.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Yes, there is no doubt of that.

[TransitJohn]

11. Let him become disabled

and he'll be the first bitching about Worker's Comp denying his benefits. Fuckers.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Ayuh

[calico1]

15. I have read posts on other boards where people

nonchalantly talk about "natural selection." The people who aren't tough enough will die out and that will help improve the human race. Nice, isn't it?

[madmom]

17. what's really "funny" is these poor people are the ones who will be left after natural

selection because they have learned to live with out and make due.

[GreenPartyVoter]

20. Very true

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. The sad thing is the people they are willing to let die might

have a lot to offer society under the right circumstances.

[RedCappedBandit]

23. The *funny* thing is..

your typical conservative jackass does absolutely nothing to advance society. Us "liberal pussies" are the scholars and scientists who actually make a difference.

That whole statement about natural selection really irks me (obviously)
Bet he changes tune when something tragic happens to someone close to him.

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. You would think he might change his tune under those circumstance, but you never know. He might

remain stubborn and hardhearted to the end.

[Echo In Light]

31. I spent some time at a forum that was ostensibly liberal, yet many had ZERO compassion for the poor

It was astounding how many of them would immediately spew the classic authoritarian/rightist "boot strap" rhetoric, revealing their deeply seated de-humanized view of the homeless ... who, apparently are little more than "whining" scammers and free loaders.

I've gotten to the point where when anyone uses the derogatory term "whining," as applied to another's plight, let alone the systematically disenfranchised, I can almost always safely assume it's coming from a rightward leaning, authoritative person who has swallowed U.S. propaganda hook, line and sinker.

[GreenPartyVoter]

32. Appalling, isn't it, to hear such things from "liberals"? Sadly, that sentiment even shows

up here on DU now and again.

[Echo In Light]

35. Decades worth of corporate/right wing culture/media will yield those results in the public mind

[GreenPartyVoter]

40. Absolutely. And the trend shows no sign of letting up.

[Beregond2]

16. CC

What really gets me about this type is, A., they usually claim to be some type of Christian, despite the fact that what they espouse is the opposite of Christianity, and B., they are usually the first to avail themselves of government help whenever they can get it, with the excuse: "Hell, my taxes paid for it, why shouldn't I get some of that back?"

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. My first thought was, "I hope this guy doesn't call himself a Christian" because

what he espouses goes all against the tenet of providing for the least for these.

[Crunchy Frog]

21. Well surely it would be more humane

to institute a policy of mass euthanasia. :shrug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

25. "Paging Dr. Kevorkian" Except I bet he wouldn't allow that. Coward's way out or some such nonsense

[Thickasabrick]

22. He sounds like an old fart, hopefully that type will be dead soon....

but can't help hoping his heat goes out and he freezes to death. Karma's a beeyatch.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. Yeah, I do know some old guys who think like this. Luckily this state is turning bluer as time goes

by.

[calimary]

27. Ah, another one of those nice, Christian IGMFUs who believe "SO"

strongly in the Christ-given directive about caring for "the least of My brethren."

:sarcasm:

IGMFU, btw, stands for "I Got Mine, F-U."

[GreenPartyVoter]

28. Dunno if he's "Christian" but he is definitely IGMFU and so are several of

the commenters.

[HughBeaumont]

29. Right, so the SMART people such as himself can start society over again.

If stupid was a grain of sand, Repukes and capital L Libertarians would be the Sahara.

[GreenPartyVoter]

30. I can only imagine what a society peopled entirely by folks like him would be like

[Blue_Tires]

34. we are moving in that direction

i'm seeing the whole "if you're poor/lack healthcare/have debt, etc. then you weren't smart enough or didn't work hard enough" - attitude on the sharp increase in recent years...

[GreenPartyVoter]

37. And the disconnect between those attitudes and laying the blame where it belongs on

failed policies instituted by **co is astounding, isn't it?

[Echo In Light]

33. People who LOVE to deem the plight of others as "whining" are usually authoritative/rightward

Zero compassion, zero concern for finding common ground, or empathizing, let alone sympathizing. It's always omnipresent in rightist rhetoric, the primary thrust and zeal of their attack: in their estimation, a rigged socioeconomic playing field simply does not exist {for that would entail the much ballyhooed "conspiracy" bugaboo that they likewise crusade against to no end}.

[GreenPartyVoter]

38. They can't comprehend all the factors in play, hence the assumption of

a "level playing field" being in effect for everyone.

[Echo In Light]

41. Some, yes. Others are simply quite hateful, prejudiced. Our culture teaches hatred of the poor

[GreenPartyVoter]

43. We teach hatred of a lot of people. :^(

[AlCzervik]

36. Wow, Frank sucks the fat one. What a miserable fucker. I hope his neighbors

read that and give him the what for.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Yeah. I do wonder if they will.

[AlCzervik]

42. i would, i'd just look at him and then just look away with no explanation.

[GreenPartyVoter]

44. You know, if he's self-employed he might have cost himself a lot of business. Might even

become poor from it.

[AlCzervik]

45. oh no and then he won't be able to afford oil for his family!

and you know what----people would give him a hand up and maybe he'd learn to be a little more human....but i doubt it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

47. I doubt it too, but I will pray for some enlightenment for him anyway.

[lonestarnot]

46. Does he have a brain tumor?

[GreenPartyVoter]

48. Yes, and I bet it makes it very hard for him to sit down now.

:hide:

[sweetpotato]

53. Wonder what church he sits in on Sundays?

And another point to ponder - why is SOCIAL Darwinism OK - but the theory of evolution is not?

[GreenPartyVoter]

54. Seriously!