Starve the children to support the rich

Every day I’m confronted with so much asinine nonsense from the Republican party that it’s almost hard to choose what to write about.

Do I talk about the fact that Tennessee – a state that just approved teaching creationism in school and thinks hand-holding is a gateway sexual activity (if you cross the street holding your child’s hand, is that gateway incest?) – just passed a bill that essentially criminalizes miscarriages because the first time they passed a bill about assault of a pregnant woman, they didn’t know enough about pregnancy to get it right? Do I talk about the fact that homophobia is more important to Republicans than protecting women, as evidenced by the Violence Against Women Act debate?

Or how about the fact that Phil Bryant of Mississippi – he of the MS personhood debacle (props, MS, for voting that one down, sorry about your luck with your nutjob governor though…) – went on a tirade claiming that the sole aim of the Democratic party is to abort children? That doesn’t even make convoluted-Republican sense – doesn’t the Democratic party allegedly want more poor children because more young, poor people = more Democrats? Jesus, Republicans – at least get your hatemongering straight.  

But while I was stumbling through ThinkProgress.org, occasionally banging my head against my desk, I came across this: House GOP Would Kick 280,000 Children Off School Lunch Program To Protect Tax Cut For Millionaires.

This is why I'll never be a Republican.

As a Libertarian, I believe the role of the government is to protect its citizenship. Letting children starve in favor of tax cuts for the wealthy is not protecting anyone.

The Republicans claim to be a party of personal responsibility. I love that concept, but cutting off or restricting access to contraceptives, to basic health care, to abortions, to education and to domestic violence and rape crises hotlines is not encouraging anyone to become more personally responsible - it's denying them the tools to do so.

You want fewer children to receive free lunches? Make sure women have access to education and family planning methods so that they can determine how many children to have. Don’t force them to have more unwanted children, then punish those children for your religiously-based ignorance.

Whether or not you agree it’s the government’s place to feed children when their parents can’t do so, the solution is NOT to both reinforce and worsen the situation. Handouts are bad, so let’s make sure more people need them. What the fuckity-fuck? This is your idea of small government?  I think your logic is missing.