Whenever Republicans talk about “The American People,” they’re pretty much always talking about some imaginary The American People who want more tax cuts for millionaires and corporations, more unregulated pollution, less consumer protections, cuts to education, healthcare, and the social safety net– all manner of rejected and detestable policies. But when confronted by actual American people, Republicans usually run– either from the facts, or to some safe elevator where they can put the whole traumatizing experience behind them and get back to work for “the American people.”
And so it was, when Tennessee state Senator Stacy Campfield and human dunce cap was confronted by 8 year old Aamira Fetuga, who was there with a group of kids and parents to protest in person the state Senator’s big idea for education and welfare reform that ties the federal supplemental food program(TANF)to grades, or Food for Grades!
It’s a two-for-one thing!
Via Rawstory:
A Tennessee lawmaker has relented and agreed to drop his bill linking academic performance to the family’s welfare benefits after an 8-year-old girl shamed him by following him around the state Capitol.
On his way to vote on Thursday, state Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) was confronted by 8-year-old homeschooler Aamira Fetuga, who presented him with a petition signed by people opposing his welfare bill.
Under Campfield’s bill,
families could have lost up to 30 percent of welfare benefits from the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program if a child did not attend school regularly and make “satisfactory academic progress.”
In championing his bill earlier this year, Campfield stated, “We need to do something to motivate these parents to see how important an education is, and unfortunately, the only tool we have left is this cash payment that we make to these families.”
Yeah, the only way to get these kids’ parents to understand the value of education is to take away their supplemental food allotment!
After running away from little Aamira, offering a few condescending words in disagreement, Campfield complained several times about using kids as props to protest his policy of using kids as props.
A choir of 60 activists were there singing, “Jesus Loves The Little Children.”
No word from the Republican state Senator on whether or not using Jesus as a prop was still okay. I guess it depends on your version and interpretation of the teachings of Jesus.
But just to reassure all of you unmotivated parents with deadbeat kids out there, Campfield has determined that “this is not a dead issue at all!” and, “this may be a slight detour, but honestly I think this could hopefully make it even better.”
If you can’t teach kids the critical thinking skills they need to faithfully accept these sadistic policies, just starve them out. Done and done.