South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer apologized on an interview with CNN for his comment Friday that needy people are like "stray animals" because "they breed" and "don't know any better." Said Bauer "I wish I had used a different metaphor...I never intended to tie people to animals." The important part of this story is not necessarily what Bauer said, but rather his opinions on welfare and other programs that assist the needy. Bauer wants to end what he terms the "culture of dependency" by requiring people on welfare to undergo drug testing or be mandated to attend parent-teacher conferences. Bauer claims that many voters in his state agree with him that government assistance needs to be modified. If you are a particularly overachieving student or teacher, you will read more at http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/25/south-carolina-republican-regrets-stray-animal-metaphor/?hpt=Sbin. This is a typical Republican view regarding social issues. While I agree that the government shouldn't be fostering a "culture of dependency," the fact of the matter is that there are millions of people throughout the country who legitimately need some help, especially in these times when the economy is down. I sense that Bauer wants to cut some of the programs that help the needy and the elderly, but I think that just isn't appropriate for the situation our country is in now. Maybe once the recession ends we can discuss making governmental aid programs more efficient, but cutting them should not be an option. Hey, stray animals need your help.
That was probably not the best comment to make. Times are bad and because they are bad government has to find ways to save money. I agree james that people need help but the government is overwhelemd right now. Those prgrams should not be cut but stricter regulations should be put into place so people arnt getting a easy ticket.
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