Have you ever noticed a tendency among right-wingers and "moderates" to justify

[Lydia Leftcoast]

harmful policies by claiming that they're advocating them out of sympathy for the poor?

Shipping jobs overseas and lowering American workers' standard of living? =="It's pure altruism, an attempt to help the people of the Third World."

Privatizing Social Security?=="It's so that all those working men who die before the age of 65 will be able to pass their accounts on to their heirs."

Privatizing education?=="It's so poor children will have the same opportunities as rich children." (Never mind that many private schools tacitly assure affluent parents that their little princes and princesses won't have to mingle with poor children.)

Replacing scholarships with loans?=="It's so that low-income students will appreciate their educations more."

Keeping the minimum wage low?=="It's so that there will be more jobs for the poor."

Bringing in big box stores to compete with independent local retailers?=="It's so that the poor won't have to pay such high prices."

Opposition to mass transit projects?=="What poor people need are more buses." (Not that a right-winger would ever be caught dead on a bus.)

Work requirements for welfare recipients with small children?"=="It's so that they'll feel a sense of pride and be a good example for their children." (Note, however, that more affluent women are supposed to stay home with their children.)

Any others? I'm sure I've forgotten some.

[Kalidurga]

1. 1 in 2 adults in the U.S. is poor or low income.

I read that at http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/15/9461848-dismal-prospects-1-in-2-americans-are-now-poor-or-low-income

It is ridiculous that we outspend nearly the entire world in our military budget. And at the same time we have people screaming that a senior citizen, a child, a disabled person, a first responder, a teacher, or a nurse, might get some entitlement, you know money they should have. Money that people should have either because they earned it or because they are unable to earn money and they are human so we should care for them, these eegits scream. Yet, when it comes to corporations outsourcing and using our tax dollars for security, not a peep from them. They would literally rather see a child starve than have the military budget cut by even a small percent.

[Mimosa]

7. That wasn't the case when I was age 10 or 20

We've all been dragged down.

[marasinghe]

2. and there's always the classic: blowing up 3rd world civilians = "freeing the oppressed"

[sabrina 1]

3. That's because our bombs are humanitarian bombs.

And, we are bringing them democracy, whether they want it or not.

[Kath1]

4. Oh, I have noticed it!

That is one of the constant themes on RW hate radio.

I think it is just plain sick.

[saras]

5. The right doesn't care what it MEANS. They see the left say it and get results, so they say it...

...with no particular thought as to whether it logically or emotionally connects to the previous part of their sentence. That's not necessary for their audience - it gets the emotional reaction just by being there.

[Quantess]

6. So true.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. C'mon people, I'm sure you can think of more examples

[MissMarple]

9. Work requierments...

My mother went back to work when I was 13 and the oldest of 8 children in the 60's. Please, do not make that an issue. Mothers have always worked.

I understand what you are meaning, but mothers not needing to work...that's a problem. And I get the maternity leave, nurturing thing. But, historically, mothers have worked. Helping parents out is great, quality child care for working parents we, as a country, are remiss... keeping mothers home on governemnt aid ... was a problem. It was a huge problem. " More affluent mothers" should be in an office, an assembly line, or something... just because? Should we turn their homes into apartments and send them out to gather wood?

I understand, overall, what you mean. But resenting work requirements for people with small children might need some further thought.

And the pride and example thing. Yes. It works.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. Mothers should work or not work as it suits them

It's the hypocrisy that I was pointing out, the idea that low-income women with small children MUST work (the mother of the six-year-old boy in Flint, Michigan who shot and killed a classmate worked two jobs and had no one to leave her son with except her brother, who left a gun lying around the house) and that high-income women MUST stay home or their children will be damaged.

It's an income-based double standard, like saying that rich people won't be motivated to work or invest unless their taxes are low while the working poor are "freeloaders" because they are too poor to pay Federal income tax.

[0rganism]

10. additions

Support for subsidies to record-profit oil companies?== "If we dropped 'em, you'd just pay the difference at the pump."
Opposition to the Affordable Care Act?== "Government ramming unnecessary health care down our throats."
Support for mandatory unnecessary ultrasounds on women considering abortion?== "Women need to see this."
Supporting big tax breaks for the ultra-rich?== "They'll create lots of jobs and invest in our economy."
Opposing temporary payroll tax reductions?== "Irresponsibly jeopardizing the Social Security trust." (which they want to raid anyway)
Opposing education regarding global climate change?== "We need to teach all sides of the controversy!"
Opposing ethnic-oriented education programs?== "Kids won't grow up with the right attitude about America."

So many more... so many more...

[Populist_Prole]

11. The crocodile tears about the debt "our children will have to pay"

By deficit hawk cons who hate every living soul except those just like them.

By deficit hawks who shreik about government spending but thinking spending for perpetual wars is a necessity like bread and water.

[ellisonz]

12. That's because they're secret Satanists. n/t

[el_bryanto]

14. I'm guessing that in your estimation, Republicans and "Moderates" know those policies are flawed

Otherwise this is a bit of a snooze. Nobody from the far right to the far left actually pushes forward policies and then claims their policies will hurt America - the closest you get is certain parts of the Environmental movement but even they usually claim that while there will be some short term problems long term things will be a lot better for everybody.

Bryant

[lumberjack_jeff]

15. They've internalized cynicism so much that now their projection is automatic and invisible.

We need to give tax cuts to the rich because they are the job creators.

Any idiot knows, deep inside, that this argument is bullshit, but they've swallowed so much bullshit in their lives that they are incapable of producing anything else.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

17. That propaganda technique depends on a certain amount of ignorance

I've explained to several people who were NOT Republicans that businesses are taxed on a different basis than individuals.

That is, most individuals are taxed on all their income minus a few paltry deductions. Someone who earns $50,000 a year may have enough deductions to bring their taxable income down to $35,000 a year (I'm just pulling these figures out of the air), but a rise in tax rates will surely increase their taxes unless they have another child or give a lot to charity.

Businesses are taxed on their income minus all the costs of doing business. A company that takes in a million dollars is not taxed on the full amount ...ever. Employee wages and benefits, R&D, office supplies, equipment maintenance and repair, leases on buildings, transport expenses, raw materials, advertising costs, uncollectable accounts--all of these are subtracted from its earnings before taxes are figured. A company that has $1 million in sales and $900,000 in costs of doing business pays income tax only on $100,000.

The reason certain major corporations pay no income taxes is that they have clever accountants who know how to manipulate the rules.

This explanation has been news to every person I've tried it on. Without really thinking about it, they all assumed that businesses are taxed like individuals.

[Zalatix]

16. Have you ever watched the movie "Mars Attacks"?

It's kinda like that.

[lumberjack_jeff]

18. At least the Martians appeared to be aware of their acts.

Republicans? They honestly believe that zapping Jack Nicholson serves a noble purpose.

[Zalatix]

19. The GOP is quite aware. They think they can win.

[Zorra]

20. I think it must be a religious thing.

Like, from the Conservative Bible, or something...

"Thou shalt lie in the Name and the Blood of the Profits"

[Lydia Leftcoast]

21. Probably taking a cue from the Moonies, who have an explicit doctrine of

"heavenly deception."

[cali]

22. I know much of DU disdains moderates nearly as much as wingnuts

but I've never heard a single self-described moderate push the policies you list.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. I have seen "moderates" pushing "free" trade and vouchers for private schools