{"id":6965,"date":"2012-02-02T00:03:39","date_gmt":"2012-02-02T08:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=6965"},"modified":"2012-02-02T00:03:39","modified_gmt":"2012-02-02T08:03:39","slug":"gop-stripping-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2012\/02\/02\/gop-stripping-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP "Stripping" Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are few lies Republicans will not tell to demonize the poor, as justification for cutting off the needy to give bigger tax cuts and subsidies to the greedy.  Many of those lies are quite absurd, like this one.  Those lazy, good for nothing [minority implied] wastrels are cashing their federal benefits and running to the strip club for a lap dance.  They are so serious about propagandizing US voters with this BS, that they are actually trying to pass a law to prevent their made-up complaint.<\/font><\/p>\n

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\"2stripperheels\"The GOP is cultivating a staggeringly disdainful view of Americans who are struggling to get by in the wake of the Great Recession<\/strong>. Seeking to gut the social safety net programs<\/strong> on which an increasing number<\/a> of Americans rely, Republicans have demonized the poor as dependent<\/a>, lazy<\/a> drug-users<\/a> who pilfer Uncle Sam for trips to Hawaii<\/a>. In that vein, House Republicans are bringing a bill to the floor today to ensure that low-income Americans don\u2019t use federal benefits to pay for \u201clap dances.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n

The bill\u2019s sponsor Rep. Charles Boustany Jr. (R-LA) says he\u2019s trying to close a \u201cstrip-club loophole<\/a>\u201d which allows beneficiaries of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program use state-issued debit cards at strip clubs, casinos, and liquor stores. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty rampant around the country,\u201d he insists. <\/p>\n

Naturally, no one thinks adult entertainment is an appropriate use for TANF funds. But as Center for American Progress Action Fund\u2019s Melissa Boteach notes, the use of funds at strip clubs, liquor stores, and casinos is hardly a \u201cpressing national crisis,\u201d but rather a politically valuable message for the GOP, regardless of its veracity, because it\u2019s useful to the GOP to paint vulnerable Americans as \u201cdelinquent and criminally inclined<\/a>\u201c\u2026 [emphasis added<\/em>]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Inserted from <Think Progress<\/a>><\/p>\n

On the other hand, maybe I\u2019m being to quick to dismiss the Republicans\u2019 absurd claims.  After all, when it comes to strip clubs, I have to admit that they are a Republican area of expertise, as this Rachel Maddow video from March 2010 reveals.<\/font><\/p>\n