Well, the NOT great state of Mississippi’s Governor has announced rejection of taking part in a federally funded program to provide a little extra food assistance for poor kids in his state over the summer. He might as well have said Starve you little bastards and see it I care. I’ve got RICH people to give welfare to. Maybe they make a men’s version of Melania’s famous “I Don’t Really Care Do U?” coat.
Well, it’s official now as this article by GistFist reports. The summer EBT program funded by the feds provides families who quality $40 per month (per child) for the three month summer break since kids aren’t in school and therefore able to take part in subsidized school nutrition meal programs. It’s not much but every bit helps for the poor and working poor. Of course some Governors, Republicans of course reject the federal funds for the usual reasons. Regardless of what they say at best they simply don’t give a sh*t about poor kids, and for some they probably like being able to prove conservative bona fides by inflicting suffering.
In past reporting as this was pending Reeves said his state could pick up any slack if his state chose to reject federal funds. His own department that would administer the program said otherwise but given the vast amounts of money from social welfare programs that have been diverted for other uses as in pet projects for the well-connected it doesn’t pass the smell test. So Tate Reeves (Tate? As in “taters for brains?) stood up and made a thing out of rejecting help for poor kids. According to the linked article he framed his decision as rejecting what he feels are “attempts to expand the welfare state.”
Nikole Hannah Jones of the 1619 project was blunt in her criticism of Reeves, calling his decision “cruel.” I agree. It’s cruel and more than a rejecting of federal help for poor children, it’s also a rejection of the teaching of the Jeebus Reeves will sit in church and pretend to worship on Sunday. Another critic was more expansive, noting where Reeves and Mississippi conservatives priorities actually are. Helping out rich cronies and friends and the states social services budget is an easy target for them. Millions, sometimes tens and even hundred of millions have been diverted in the state for pet projects conservatives want to fund. For example:
Keith Boykin, author, and co-founder of the National Black Justice Coalition, pointed out that funds allocated for welfare in Mississippi have been directed towards extraneous projects, such as the construction of a sports stadium.
“Mississippi gave millions of dollars of welfare funds to former NFL quarterback Brett Favre to build a volleyball facility for his daughter’s school, but they won’t take federal funds to feed hungry children. Because helping poor kids is the kind of welfare that Republicans hate,” stated Keith Boykin on X, formerly known as Twitter.
So if your rich and or connected the state of Mississippi will find you all the money you need. By taking it from poor and working class people. Even if you’re a hungry child. For much of my life I’ve heard that folks in Alabama say “Thank god for Mississippi” because “We might be almost at the bottom, but Mississippi is worse. THEY are last.”
Once again thanks to Mississippi’s Governor good ole Alabama has someone to point at instead of having to justify electing a goober like Tommy Tuberville to the Senate.
He reminds me of the well to do white folks depicted in the book, and movie The Help. It took place in Jackson Mississippi. Entitled racists with their fictional Jesus up their ass while ignoring his message and ministry to the poor. I wish someone would serve him a piece of pie made with shit.
As Hunter S Thompson said about Nixon…if there were any true justice in the world, he’d be in the belly of a hammerhead shark headed south of Easter Island.
He’s the type of person I’d have no sympathy for if Karma pays him a visit.
Now why would anyone want to deliberately poison a shark?
It’s like they go out of their way and bend over backwards to be azzholes…..
…….but I guess in a state full of filthy, redneck azzholes, it’s a winning strategy.
It’s in their DNA.
It’s the difference between good and evil. Us good people simply can’t envision the “thought process” behind their cruelty. Perhaps because there is none. My wife and I often discuss this and we’ve concluded: “We don’t get it. They have no simplicity or empathy. None.”
they believe that rich people are rich because they are morally superior. if you aren’t rich it’s because you are morally deficient. somehow this is the message they get from the new testament. they actually believe this crap.
The Deep South sure seems to raise some cold-hearted rat bas-turds. (Apologies to turds everywhere.) (yeah do know how to spell bastards… but some how never liked that term. A descriptor, sure, but kiddos really had no choice. ). The GQP, unofficial (as in to cheap to pay their dues, probably…) members of the klan and aholes extraordinaire.
Idaho did the exact same thing, and we border on Canada. Republicans have ceased to believe in the concept of “the public good”.
Darn forgot to add for Repubes… esp the govs (Abbott comes to mind for damn sure): no valen a pura pinche desgraciada berga!!!! Sad to say so after Easter. But still needs to be said.
The torture party!