As an Animal That Breeds, I Resent That, Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer

"South Carolina Lt. Gov. Under Fire for Comparing Welfare Users to Stray Animals"
FOXNews (January 27, 2010)

"The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is taking heat for comparing people on government assistance to 'stray animals' and saying the government should stop 'feeding' welfare recipients who do not meet certain requirements because 'they breed.'

"Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, a Republican, was arguing for fundamental changes to welfare to break the "cycle of dependency" at a town hall meeting in Fountain Inn, S.C., on Friday, when he said:

" 'My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed. You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. ...

" 'They will reproduce,' Bauer said, 'especially ones that don't think too much further than that. And so what you've got to do is you've got to curtail that type of behavior. They don't know any better.'..."

I've been on public assistance. I'm an animal - a primate, specifically: species Homo sapiens sapiens.

And, I'm one of those breeding animals.

Even worse, I suppose, four of my six children are still alive.

It seems that Lieutenant Governor Bauer didn't really mean it - or, at least, that he might have expressed his idea a bit better.

Someone may have spoken to him, about those animals that don't belong to his social circle.

To a great extent, it's this arrogant sense of superiority among America's 'better sort' that helped me decide, in my youth, that I wanted no part of the system. I was revolted by the condescending attitude which many of the affluent and educated had toward 'the masses.' And, I find that I still am.

Enough said.

Related post:

• "Lemming Tracks: Lower Middle Class and Loving It"
  (December 14, 2009)