Politicians and their truthiness

[Townsend]

...according to politifact.com and The Daily Beast

http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/2762/1/

[Townsend]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tea-party-hypocrisy-lawmakers-tea-party-ties-government/story?id=13259014

Tea Party Hypocrisy? Some Lawmakers With Tea Party Ties Are on the Government Dole

The biggest recipient was Rep. Stephen Fincher, a Republican from Frog Jump, Tenn.

While the self-described Tea Party patriot lists his occupation as "farmer" and "gospel singer" in the Congressional Directory, he doesn't mention that his family has received more than $3 million in farm subsidies from 1995 to 2009, according to the Environmental Working Group.

[Conan71]

Those damn Tea Party hypocrites.  I bet they even travel on federally-funded roads, fly in and out of federally-funded airports, and I even bet they use the Postal Service.

The horror!

[Red Arrow]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tea-party-hypocrisy-lawmakers-tea-party-ties-government/story?id=13259014

The biggest recipient was Rep. Stephen Fincher, a Republican from Frog Jump, Tenn.

While the self-described Tea Party patriot lists his occupation as "farmer" and "gospel singer" in the Congressional Directory, he doesn't mention that his family has received more than $3 million in farm subsidies from 1995 to 2009, according to the Environmental Working Group.

That's only a bit over $200K/yr for the family.  How many wage earners in the family?  They aren't even rich as a family as they are below Obama's magic $250K figure.

I'll ask the Fincher family to give back a lawful assist when Buffet, Gates and friends start volunteering to give the Federal Government a lot more of their millions in taxes.

[swake]

Those damn Tea Party hypocrites.  I bet they even travel on federally-funded roads, fly in and out of federally-funded airports, and I even bet they use the Postal Service.

The horror!

Damn Socialists.

[Townsend]

Those damn Tea Party hypocrites.  I bet they even travel on federally-funded roads, fly in and out of federally-funded airports, and I even bet they use the Postal Service.

The horror!

So they should take the federal funding when they say there shouldn't be any?

Do as I say not as I do?

[Teatownclown]

Those damn Tea Party hypocrites.  I bet they even travel on federally-funded roads, fly in and out of federally-funded airports, and I even bet they use the Postal Service.

The horror!

Tea bagger lingo?

[Conan71]

So they should take the federal funding when they say there shouldn't be any?

Do as I say not as I do?

I'll agree, accepting direct payment from the government when you campaign on austerity smacks of hypocrisy. However, I know nothing else about their farming operations, so it's hard for me to say one way or the other if they should have been taking subsidies.  Should they have gone out of business instead? Our family farm was in a Federal CRP program in the 1980's where we were literally paid not to grow anything on a portion of the land.  It was a "soil conservation program" devised by the USDA to help farmers cope with the grain embargoes against the USSR and limiting the amount of grain on the market.  Basically our lessee planted tall grass to keep the soil from eroding.

That said, the article is a "gotcha" piece.  Name one business in this country which does NOT enjoy some sort of government subsidy, whether it's a tax break, using public infrastructure, the postal service to send and receive mail, etc.

I'm not a fan of the government picking the winners and losers via it's actions up to and including direct payments.  Yet it's how we try to stabilize the economy and bring votes home for our beloved legislators.  Ghack!

(interesting note: there's a photocopied sign on the wall of the Donaldson Station which states the U.S. Postal Service does not receive taxpayer funds.  News to me)

[Townsend]

I'll agree, accepting direct payment from the government when you campaign on austerity smacks of hypocrisy. However, I know nothing else about their farming operations, so it's hard for me to say one way or the other if they should have been taking subsidies.  Should they have gone out of business instead? Our family farm was in a Federal CRP program in the 1980's where we were literally paid not to grow anything on a portion of the land.  It was a "soil conservation program" devised by the USDA to help farmers cope with the grain embargoes against the USSR and limiting the amount of grain on the market.  Basically our lessee planted tall grass to keep the soil from eroding.

That said, the article is a "gotcha" piece.  Name one business in this country which does NOT enjoy some sort of government subsidy, whether it's a tax break, using public infrastructure, the postal service to send and receive mail, etc.

I'm not a fan of the government picking the winners and losers via it's actions up to and including direct payments.  Yet it's how we try to stabilize the economy and bring votes home for our beloved legislators.  Ghack!

(interesting note: there's a photocopied sign on the wall of the Donaldson Station which states the U.S. Postal Service does not receive taxpayer funds.  News to me)

"gotcha" or not you didn't run for office using sales points exactly opposite of what you and your family have done for years.  I say get money where you can but don't take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed.

I don't pretend that any politician is trustworthy.  They should at least try to run with some of the values they've lived in the past not what sells them to the believers.  I know, I know...

[Teatownclown]

Where has Alan Simpson been coming from? Has he been on the dims tea leafs?

I never cared much for him for years but after his work on budget recommendations, and now this from Mathews, he might as well go full on against the Right Wingnuts. So much for the Tea Party not being the Religious Right. Even old-school Republicans are starting to admit it.

[Conan71]

Where has Alan Simpson been coming from? Has he been on the dims tea leafs?

I never cared much for him for years but after his work on budget recommendations, and now this from Mathews, he might as well go full on against the Right Wingnuts. So much for the Tea Party not being the Religious Right. Even old-school Republicans are starting to admit it.

I don't think the Tea Party is the religious right, but it's where most of them are finding their political home within the GOP these days. 

[Teatownclown]

Sorry, you must not be old school.... 

[nathanm]

I don't think the Tea Party is the religious right, but it's where most of them are finding their political home within the GOP these days. 

You don't have to think. They're mainly white male boomers who were anti-government countercultural hippies in the 60s. Seriously. You'd think they'd be mainly former Reaganites, but no.

[Red Arrow]

You don't have to think. They're mainly white male boomers who were anti-government countercultural hippies in the 60s. Seriously. You'd think they'd be mainly former Reaganites, but no.

I think the 60s hippies didn't even know that the word Republican existed.  Remember, I was there.

[Conan71]

You don't have to think. They're mainly white male boomers who were anti-government countercultural hippies in the 60s. Seriously. You'd think they'd be mainly former Reaganites, but no.

Huh?  All those cats either worked for Clinton or Obama or voted for both of them.