From Rubio's poverty speech: "Raising the minimum wage may poll well, but having a job that pays $10 an hour is not the American Dream"
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) January 8, 2014
Marco Rubio: "Let them eat dreams." http://t.co/93Y6m3tMQc
— billmon (@billmon1) January 8, 2014
We (meaning, of course, Democrats) have officially spent fifty years fighting the War on Poverty. Today’s GOP has decided to drop all pretense and call for a war on the poor — and they’re letting the Token Brown Guy lead the charge. From the Washington Post:
… Among the changes to the system Rubio proposed was a plan to consolidate federal funding for anti-poverty programs into the one agency and give those funds to the states. The key to addressing poverty, Rubio emphasized in his high-profile speech, is decentralizing.
“These Flex Funds would be transferred to the states so they can design and fund creative initiatives that address the factors behind inequality of opportunity” closer to home, Rubio said.
Rubio said his staff was still working through the details of what would be a part of the “Flex Funds” but said programs like food stamps could potentially be included.
He also said he would introduce legislation to replace the earned income tax credit with a “federal wage enhancement for qualifying low-wage jobs.”
Rubio said the federal wage enhancement could serve as a supplement to a lower paying job and deter low-income workers from turning to unemployment insurance to make ends meet…
Because right now we, the taxpayers, are only subsidizing WalMart’s profits indirectly, providing food stamps and medical care to its underpaid workers. Why not live the GOP dream and pay WalMart right up front for their civic generosity in providing three-fifths of a living wage to its serfs? Hey, it’s not as though governors like Scott Walker or Rick Scott would find ways to divert those federal funds into nepotistic boondoggles for their personal fiefdoms…
Complete video of Rubio’s speech at the link, if you’re a glutton for punishment. He may be trying to look earnest, but he comes across as embarrassed — as though he can’t belief even a roomful of Repub syncophants are going to let him finish without throwing their notepads at him.
Rubio’s “Exciting Historic Opportunity”Post + Comments (131)