Weekend Economists: See the Kittehs! May24-27, 2013

[Demeter]

107. Banner Week for Politicians Trying to Keep Poor People Hungry and Sick

http://gawker.com/banner-week-for-politicians-trying-to-keep-poor-people-509850767

If you're a conservative politician looking to make sure the American underclass eventually dies off either through malnutrition or disease, boy, has it been a pretty great week for you!

First, Louisiana Senator David Vitter, sad little boy and lover of prostitutes, proposed an amendment to the long-delayed farm bill that would make certain ex-cons ineligible from food stamps for life. Senate Democrats working on the bill accepted this amendment, because at this point, why not? The amendment would ban convicted murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from ever receiving the ability to buy food for themselves, even after their release from prison, making life harder for people who have already paid their debt to society.

And life is already pretty easy for ex-cons in America, especially because our justice system never convicts people of crimes they never committed...

To top off this great achievement in American politics, the Times is running a piece today on the courageous Republican governors who are refusing to expand Medicaid to the poorest residents of their states, because their state would have to pay a pittance to do so (the federal government would do the rest under the Affordable Care Act). ....

AND SO ON, AND SO FORTH