Last Friday in Brookfield, Wisconsin, Eric Hovde, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said he was “sick and tired of reading sad stories about people struggling in the recession,” and that he “wants to see the media focus more on the debt and the larger problems afflicting the country,” according to Amanda Terkel of the Huffington Post. But someone had better tell Hovde that people’s struggles are one of the largest problems afflicting our country, that he wouldn’t only be representing rich people if he took office, and that when he says things like this he looks like an out-of-touch jerk who doesn’t deserve to be elected.
From Amanda Terkel‘s report:
…pointing to a reporter in the audience, Hovde said he would love to see the press stop covering sad stories about low-income individuals who can’t get benefits and start covering issues like the deficit more frequently.
“I see a reporter here,” he said. “I just pray that you start writing about these issues. I just pray. Stop always writing about, ‘Oh, the person couldn’t get, you know, their food stamps or this or that.’ You know, I saw something the other day — it’s like, another sob story, and I’m like, ‘But what about what’s happening to the country and the country as a whole?’ That’s going to devastate everybody.”
Apparently Hovde does not realize how many Wisconsinites are already devastated, as we speak, by financial difficulties.
Like my friend Margaret, a Wisconsin taxpayer. Margaret, an otherwise healthy individual who exercises and eats right, was told by a doctor that she needed an MRI a few weeks ago, but she doesn’t have health insurance. When she told hospital staff that she didn’t have health insurance they asked her, “Don’t you work?”
Margaret explained that, yes, she works two jobs, one full-time, one part-time, but between student loans, regular bills, and the fact that she doesn’t earn a living wage, she can’t afford to pay the $400/month plus a $3,000 deductible required to get the insurance. When told that an MRI costs $2-5,000, Margaret had to decide whether to take on the debt, or take a chance with her health.
Margaret’s story is not the exception, it’s more like the rule, and it’s not a “sob story,” it’s a true story; it is the unfortunate reality for many Wisconsinites.
For Eric Hovde to not know this, or worse, to put his hands over his ears and say he doesn’t want to hear it, is despicable. And it proves that he is not qualified to represent average Wisconsinites.
The more I learn about this guy the more I like him. Its time someone tells the press to start doing their job instead of just pimping for democrats.
Mr. Hovde is right. To obsessively focus on individuals’ woes is to miss the cliff we are ALL careening toward. Free lunches for everyone under 18 this summer in Madison schools…you don’t even have to go to school here! This from today’s news. I’ll bet if I follow those free-loaders home I find they sit in front of T.V.’s bigger than mine! And why not? They get their food for free. Let’s teach them how to make a living instead of teaching them to live off everyone else. Now that would be progress. I’m voting for Hovde. He gets the big picture.
I truly, seriously hope that the previous two commens were satirical, because that’s one big Poe right there. I can’t believe humans can be so heartless.
Did you mean “satirical” or “satanical?”
There comes a time where people need to fend for themselves. Too many people on the dole are living better than those who fend for themselves. It’s morally wrong. Feeding off of the hard working because you choose to live the life of comfort without working for it is just at heartless.
Apparently there aren’t many Christians left among the ranks of our state’s conservatives.
So, Christianity now involves government handing out stuff. Yeah. That’s just a poor play all around. There are some tenets on the Catholic faith that believe in Social Justice. They are now few and far between as they have been embarrassed consistently by their demands. The term has gone through some “renovation”, to say the least. Americans are the most charitable country and conservatives are the most charitable group within America. When liberals start walking the walk, you can attempt to make the Religious play. Until then, request denied.
Yeah, I remember those parts of the Bible where Jesus taught that the meek should get the shaft, and I remember his exhortations that those in need should just hike up their bootstraps and do for themselves.
Again, your statement implies that government giving stuff out is some sort of charity. It isn’t. Taking from some to give to others is not “good works”. Now you giving money is. You know, like conservatives do. Don’t assume that I mean Republicans or Republican politicians, though they generally contribute much more charity than their counterparts.
Jesus did teach a lot. One of them is to hike up your bootstraps. Study up. Start with the Parable of the Talents. I wouldn’t trust your memory…
That Eric Hovde is a threat. He is so warm and human in his soft-focus campaign ads, I’d almost vote for him myself. More stories like this, please, Lisa.
Problem is too many Wisconsinites have voted for the Walker “it’s all about me” BS. Hovde is another “it’s all about me” politician and at least 55% of Wisconsinites relate to him.
Generally speaking,I’m wondering when a lack of empathy for fellow Americans became a quality to be proud of, not ashamed of…it’s sad, and it seems unpatriotic to me.
Generally speaking, most citizens empathize with people like Margaret. The problem is we don’t know everything about her and her finances. In a free society, we all make choices and must accept the consequences of them. If this is not an exception but “the rule”, you need to give us factual evidence like a study. I’d say the rule is a large majority who are on welfare programs are single mothers as their only qualifier which is due to their choices.
Spock, I wish life were that simple. I wish that everyone who made the right choices would be rewarded with wealth.
But that’s not realistic, which is the whole point of this post.
The reality is that things happen which are out of our control-death in the family, illness, divorce, accidents-and those who seek to represent us in the Senate, as Eric Hovde does, need to understand and accept the realities of life.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
For the most part, everyone who does make the right choices are rewarded with wealth. The only exception is that of health issues unrelated to personal choices and accidents.
For those who have unforeseen health issues, our society has great empathy for them regardless of political ideology. Given the choice, citizens would gladly allow government to help those with incidental financial issues to the fullest extent rather than support those who have chosen poorly. In many cases, those who choose poorly do so consistently and great disregard.
The problem is the handouts and the give away by liberals never end and like everything else they do they have no accountability for any of it. People are getting tired of seeing the rampant abuse of the system and sadly people who REALLY need assistance are being caught in that umbrella because liberals have no understanding of accountability all the care about are feelings, and that is no way to live ones life.
Whenever you’re ready to provide evidence of this “rampant abuse of the system”, then bring it here and we’ll discuss. I’m more inclined to think it’s just the boogeyman du jour.
Dante,
Having empathy and being fiscally responsible are not mutually exclusive.
It’s possible to implement smart economic policies, promote accountability, AND have compassion for others all at the same time.
We gave away more “handouts” to corporations last year buddy. About $40 billion more total (including billions in subsidies and tax breaks to ones already turning billions in profits).
What did that get anyone? More jobs?
Wrong. Corporations are sitting on trillions in cash because of record profits and claiming they haven’t hired a bunch of people yet because “we can’t find qualified people”.
PROOF.
I want proof.
Tad and John have bought wholesale into the wealthy elite’s “let’s you and him fight” strategy. Hungry kids are “freeloaders”? For cripes sake. A breadwinner holding down two jobs but who can’t afford health insurance is a sign of THEIR personal failure? Get real.
I don’t blame the kids. Who said I did? I blame the parents. As a volunteer in my local elementary school I saw first-hand the irresponsible parents whose kids had no desire to be there because the parents didn’t even care enough to show up for conferences. These are the same kids who take the early bus for the hand-out breakfast that makes them fat. Trying to mind my own business at Woodmans last week I overheard a man who looked to be in his 50’s talking to a woman about how he had gotten virtually all the stress out of his life. He spoke with what sounded like a German accent. He announced in a loud-enough voice that he does volunteer work because he can’t make over $1200 or he wouldn’t qualify for disability. There you go. This guy had no apparent physical limitations. His only disability was his Euro-influenced attitude that the State should take care of him. Open your eyes. Open your ears. When did it become fashionable for people to believe in self-reliance? It’s American history and this is America. You don’t do any favors by making people dependent.
Tad, yes, there will always be some people who game the system, unfortunately. But I would argue that those people are not the majority.
(Also, you can’t tell if a person is disabled just by looking at him/her. Disabilities that are not evident can still be debilitating.)
Thanks,
Lisa
Lisa, I’ll give you that there is some possibility that the man had a “hidden” disability. I judged based on his apparent good health and also the tone of his voice that suggested to me that he was “playing the game.” Clearly there are people who are truly in need. I would hope that for most of these people the need would have some kind of temporal limits – unless they are severely disabled. Sadly, once people qualify, they tend to stay on disability whether or not they truly need it. I know a woman who volunteers at a food pantry. She has a heart of gold (better than mine, I will admit). But even she is disgusted by the behavior of a very significant number of her “customers” who would rather make the rounds, going to each pantry once per month so that they can get enough free food that they don’t have to work. I raise my kids to expect that they will have to work for a living. You might think I would be more compassionate if I just told them I would take care of them forever. But somehow I don’t think that would be doing them any favors. I don’t think the situation is any different with adults who would rather someone else took care of them.
By the way, since I’m not a blue-fister, I have a sincere question for those of you on the left. How does an angry blue fist fit with the message of compassion the you seem to espouse? It seems to me quite incongruous. In this last election I think the left came off as angry fist-shakers. Yet that very symbol was often juxtaposed with a peace sign. How do you reconcile these diametrically opposed messages?
You say it’s an angry fist….I say it’s not.
why is it when a person calls for fiscal sanity they are labeled a hater of women & children?
when given a choice do we need a train or free MRI’s?(you cant pay for both by taking all the money from the rich)i would love to see a train but we need to prioritize and stop unneccesary spending before we end up like Greece. The proven waste (see child day care milwaukee)is fuel for fiscal sanity and a reason to look at entitelment programs. The Child care started out as a looked upon needed program and was turned into a boondoggle by just a few
for the man who overheard the line about the $1200, there are many reasons besides laziness that would cause the actions described.
Example: The medications for the mentally ill are extremely expensive. They only get disability if they make less than so much a year. The chances of the mentally ill getting a job where they end up with health care which will help them sufficiently with the cost of the medications is extremely low. I worked at Mendota Mental Health for a number of years, and I worked with the mentally ill at certain jobs. There are quite a number of the higher functioning that would like to apply for better jobs, but the cost of medications makes that option prohibitive.
This is the problem with the Republican party right now. Instead of truly looking at situations, they will pick out on bad cherry out of the hat, and assume, since one does it, everyone poor is lazy. Voter Fraud? they found one couple who double-dipped. by accident. It’s rampant! Change the laws! Public servant making over $100,000? Naturally, everyone makes a fortune! Change the law! Oh, I heard a conversation about one welfare example. They’re all welfare cheats! Slam the system! Stop it. Stop it now.
This argument holds as much water as a colander. Pay the deductable. If the MRI costs this much money, organize a payment plan to get it done in reasonable installments. There is a way to do it.
Does Margaret pay state and federal income taxes? What is her annual income? Is she a homeowner or does she rent? How many TVs does she have? Does she have cable or satellite? Does she have a smart phone or iPhone? What kind of car does she drive? Posting a story with this little information is incomplete and disingenuous.
Jeff clearly has no idea what it’s like to be among those who live paycheck to paycheck and who don’t have an extra $50 per month to spend on their MRI payment plan.
Actually, my son lived this life, Zach. He got married right after college and could not find work in his field. He did find work for $7.50 per hour at a retailer that provided reasonable benefits. Yes, he came from a privileged upbringing and my wife and I offered to help them get started, but he refused it. He worked for four years for rather modest means before he finally found work in his field. I have no idea how he paid his bills, but he never owed anyone a dime with the exception of paying for a CT scan after he got a concussion. He even paid back a loan (with interest) my wife and I gave him to buy his wife’s engagement ring while he was still in college.
He is a teacher (private school) now and he and his wife live within their means and I think they learned a lot of valuable lessons from that rough start. He told me while we were watching the U.S. Open on Sunday that they still do not want cable. 🙂
And, FYI, when I started my practice, I slept on a mattress on the floor of a one bedroom rathole of an apartment. I took the bus to work because I could not afford a car when my Gremlin died (I still miss that car). I think I know what it’s like to be of modest means and I don’t feel guilty at all for being comfortable in my advanced age. In fact, it allows me to give more money to my church.
Susan, if you are right that a person would opt not to work because working could never cover the cost of their medication, don’t you think your argument is one for a change in that law? Why would we want to compel a person not to work if we are going to end up (as tax payers) paying for all the medicine AND supporting this mentally ill person? Your argument may be completely valid under current laws (assuming that the man really suffers from some disease that requires expensive meds – which is certainly one possibility). As a conservative, I would not support such a law. I would rather let him work and pay part of the cost of the medication. Sadly, these cases are not isolated. In fact, I live in a nice suburb where not too many people require assistance. But I do have a relative who is on welfare. She’s a horrible person who smokes and drinks, yet claims to not have money to buy protein to feed her daughters. She recently joined a church – not for the love of God, but because she has found that she can evoke sypathy from the other members and get free stuff. She is also trying to get her husband declared disabled so that she can get $500/month for each of her daughters. By the way, her husband was in jail for a year for going after her with a knife. She could work if she wanted to. But her attitude is that she should be the boss and shouldn’t have to do what other people tell her. Is she unusual? Hardly. She may not be a good person to begin with. But the system is the great ENABLER.
Huh, it’s almost like Erik Hovde is from the I-95 corridor and worked for a hedge fund, given how he thinks a paper deficit is more important than the everyday pain and hardship that millions have to face every day.
Oh wait, THAT’S EXACTLY WHO HE IS. Can we just call him Hedge Fund Hovde for the next 2-5 months and remind people of who this doofus really is?
We already tried the “business guy” approach with Ron Johnson, and it’s been an unmitigated disaster. So why would we compound it by picking Hovde and his following of self-absorbed posers? No way.
Jake for the win.
It’s people like Ron Johnson and Eric Hovde that understand the power of compounding numbers, which have been used to create work (JOBS) for people so they can get insurance or whatever their need is. However, they also understand when numbers compound the opposite way as they are right now, our national debt, see the danger. If you remember that when the Pilgrims came and tried the social ideas of government that Jake or Lisa apparently want the people were dying of starvation, so they went back to “if you don’t work you don’t eat”. Loving your neighbor is not giving them free stuff. It’s helping them to help themselves. There are many paraplegics, people with disabilities that still work and give to society. Yes,I agree they need more assistance, but too many taking from the system (broken as it is)can not be sustained. If we keep demanding entitlements from the rich, what happens when there aren’t any rich left? Hello Greece, Spain, Etc.
my problem is not with public assistance, but that they can use the food stamp card for sodas, cookies, junk food. First off it’s not good nutrition, and taxpayers will pay for the medical, and dental costs later. Every time I go to the store lately the person in front of me is buying the junk food, using the green credit card, has piercings and or tattoos and then goes over to buy lottery tickets. I wish they could survey checkout people in the grocery store they would tell the truth.
So what do you propose as a solution to help these folks make better decisions? It’s pretty clear that not everybody is as smart as Dr. Jeff up there to make the right financial decisions to get themselves back on their feet. Perhaps better education as a start? And Jeff, it’s nice you are able to donate to your church. Do you get a full accounting of where that money goes? How much of it goes to those who need the help, both inside and outside your church?