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Wipe Away Your Tears
- Filed under: Ohio
- Date: Jul 19,2008
I assume many of you already saw this, but just in case ill put it up anyways; I think everybody deserves the chance to read it.
NPR, in a campaign mode story titled "For Some Ohioans, Even Meat is Out of Reach":
Things have changed considerably for this Ohio family….Nunez and most of her siblings and their spouses are unemployed and rely on government assistance and food stamps. Some have part-time jobs, but working is made more difficult with no car or public transportation…
Nunez, 40, has never worked and has no high school degree. She says a car accident 17 years ago left her depressed and disabled, incapable of getting a job. Instead, she and her daughter, Angelica Hernandez, survive on a $637 Social Security check and $102 in food stamps.
Hernandez received her high school diploma and has had several jobs in recent years. But now, because fewer restaurants and stores are hiring, she says she finds it hard to find a job. Even if she could, she says it's particularly hard to imagine how she'll keep it. She says she needs someone to give her a lift just to get to an interview. And with gas prices so high, she's not sure she could afford to pay someone to drive her to work every day.
People tell Nunez her daughter could get more money in public assistance if she had a child.
Let me wipe away the tears that fell on to my keyboard. Get them some Obama t-shirts, stat! These women live the way they do because they choose to do so, every day, likely complaining about how it is so unfair along the way.
Of course, NPR meant the story as one to aid Democrats and Barack Obama and make it look like Ohio is in sort of great depression and can never afford to vote Republican ever again in a kind of "Obama would care about these people and not let this ever happen again" way. I don't think the story did it's job.
No savings. No high school diploma. Never worked. Lived off government her whole life. Yet I am supposed to feel bad because now she can't buy meat. Guess what, I don't. Get a job if you can't afford groceries. There is always someone out there hiring for some job. It might not be a great job, but even at age 40, you can start somewhere. But the way our government doles out money, there isn't incentive for a whole lot of people to do so sometimes.
The backbone of the Democratic voting machine is right here in this story. If Democrats had their way, I would live like that. We all would - having to rely on government to get us through every day. They would pay for my housing, food, and whatever else I needed - making sure I knew I was able to do it all because of their glorious political party. Then they would drive me to the polls every election and tell me if they lose power some evil folks might come into office and make me get a job or something like that. These two reside in Fostoria, part of Ohio's 5th Congressional District, meaning blame can be shifted to the Republicans since their district is represented by Bob Latta.
NPR used our tax dollars to produce this story. I would guess that NPR put some effort into locating a family that had this exact situation with these precise problems.
NaugBlog, Taxman, and Invincible Armor hit on this story as well.
15 Responses for "Wipe Away Your Tears"
the article saysthey cant buy ice cream anymore
what a shame
Oh come on now Ben…..NPR did the story to "aid the Democrats"' That's just a bit of a stretch. The fact that these women live as they do because they've made choices that are essentially irresponsible is no doubt a fact. But…NPR doing the story to "aid the Democrats"???? Oh pleeeze….!
It actually does make me sad, because our government has helped place them in a situation where they will have an even smaller chance of getting out of it than should exist.
As I stated on Naugblog, subsidized housing should never exist in places where public transportation does not exist. It creates a scenario where the chances of actually becoming employed is reduced.
Further, for many years now we've known that poverty equals a higher chance of obesity, it's been discussed, studied and we all know what the cause is for most:
"Energy-dense foods rich in starch, sugar, or fat are the cheapest option for the consumer. As long as the healthier lean meats, fish, and fresh produce remain more expensive, obesity will continue to be a problem for the working poor"
There are solutions beyond even what I suggested such as a mandatory dietary class, there are community gardens that could create fresh seasonal produce that could be encouraged, but it's easier to just blame people.
I wonder what the NPR goal was, by including the photo of the two women they had to realize what was going to be said. That the women would face snarky comments and ridicule, and yes they are responsible for their own weight, however it's clear that many believe that they don't have an alternative. They do.
I think you are going to get a lot of shit about posting the picture of those two women. You will not doubt be accused of being prejudiced against Hispanics, fat people and poor, undereducated people. Don't they call that a hat trick?
There is nothing wrong with posting a picture that ran with the original story.
Especially if a great part of the story was the "fact" these women can't afford food. It may be true that unhealthy foods are cheaper, but come on!
Could that 6.6% unemployment rate in Ohio be because Ohioans are too fat to work?
Or could it be that Ohio is losing jobs?
And Ben,….you are mistaken about NPR….as many "liberal media" shouters are.
If it is true that NPR included the photo you posted, then there is no question in my mind that the story was meant to ridicule, not embrace, welfare and social services. Domestic programs are primarily the work of Democrats, as you say. Republicans would never spend one dime of taxes to help people…..they prefer big business.
So the NPR picture and story of the two fatties' experiences in an economic downturn were specifically chosen to "prove" that Democratic programs are ignorant giveaways to those who don't deserve it.
Can't anyone understand that?
You cant actualy think, Mr. reverend, that NPR is not a liberal media arm. can you?
No, Lawrence, he probably actually does think that.
NPR meant us to feel sorry for them and they thought the picture would do that, but they misjudged.
"Republicans would never spend one dime of taxes to help people." Maybe you havent seen how much domestic spending has increased in this administration. One reason being the Medicare bill.
As far as the weight goes, I didnt feel the need to comment on it. It was clear.
I listened to NPR every day for 30 years before I decided I had the playbook down cold. Every day present an in-depth story of a person or a group of well meaning hard working people that because of the system are suffering. Make it clear it is the repsonsibilty of the government to remedy their plight thus allowing them the opportunity to become productive happy citizens. Why hasnt this approach solved th nations problems? Because we havent provided the government the power or funds to complete the task. I am glad to hear they havent changed their tune.
Anon–I like your hat trick statement.
Why do we have the worlds fattest poor? Or are they as poor as they say they are?
Why are they so fat?? For real??
What a drain on everyones tax $
Maybe this is a little rude but these ladies sure don't look like they're starving… Please remember America that people will always fall through the cracks & giving people 'SOCIAL SECURITY' definitely doesn't mean "THE REDS ARE COMING… THE REDS ARE COMING" either… You react in predictable ways that political scientists can easily manipulate…
Most of you really seem to have absolutely zero knowledge or real time understanding that the exact same "WW2-FINANCIER" money-power that has used your fear of non-Americans through all of the Muslim terror they deliberately create using your billion dollar per-week tax hit for CIA under Bush-senior & the Republicans turn your country into something nobody in their right mind in the world really trusts anymore…
You all seem totally oblivious to the thought that 35+ years ago these men thought ahead & built themselves an Obama to step-in & give you the feel-goods WITHOUT you ever coming close to really learning what really got you feeling bad in the first place… Beware… Those in power got there because they ruthlessly planned ahead & they're doing it right now too… Thonk of "OSAMA & AL-QUEADA" & all you've really got is an Australian lookalike man called "VANSTONE" who'se been under CIA control from day one & was merely only replacing the uncooperative Saudi-born original whom CIA quietly assassinated under Whitehouse orders in the 80's…
Obama is destined to be used to ensure you all continue to feel better while knowing nothing about it… You could read more about all of what you're NOT being told at the "Jaqques Le-Tripper" blogsite or at the "supanova-survivor" site at Spaces-Live… & Meanwhile these two fat ladies can both just quietly go-on remaining as fat as they want to be in the best country in the world… (sic) Excuse my sarcasm… One of your government's unacknowledged 'CIA BLACK-OPS' that they say was protecting you from terror has killed some of my children & I'm felling rather negative because if none of you have the heart & soul to ever courageously tell the truth then I-perceive you'll keep-on allowing them to do it & I'm already a walking deadman as I-have no intention of ever shutting-up until I-have 'JUSTICE' or I'm dead… Those ladies are rather fat aren't they… Not starving like Africa & you won't hear this story on NPR either…
These women are just fat,stupid and ignorent.Maybe they need to back to Mexico and eat refried beans instead of beef and pork.They sure ate enough pork, I can tell.Mann I would hate to supply them toilet paper. That would probly break my budget.
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