Or so this conservative author is proposing with his latest trial balloon, linking the two activities: the Right to Voting and receiving Government assistance.
Food stamp 'reform'
by Steve Benen, maddowblog.msnbc -- Feb 29, 2012
[...] The opinion piece [on the Daily Caller], published by author Brion McClanahan, calls for what he describes as "reform" of the food-stamp program. As McClanahan sees it, low-income Americans who rely on EBT government debit cards to purchase groceries should be forced to shop at "government stores" -- food stamps at private-sector stores would be prohibited -- which would only make available poor-quality food. These consumers would also have to "submit to a monthly tobacco and drug test," imposed by the government, which would cut off aid to those who test positive.
And then the real punishment kicks in.
People on government aid would also lose the privilege of voting. That way they couldn't vote for greater benefits or easier terms (most of them don't vote, but now they couldn't).
[...]
Mr Benen on the maddowblog, wonders
if this was a parody, or was supposed to be funny? But if you read the details of the actual Food Stamps reform plan, it sure sounds like its author Brion McClanahan Ph.D., is quite serious about it. And it makes me wonder what Think Tank he is linked with to supplement his income ...
Really doesn't sound like satire to me. Sounds like the guy is PO'd about the poor.
‘Damn, I just want some jam’
by Brion McClanahan, DailyCaller.com -- 02/28/2012
[...] Why is the average taxpayer both screwed by the system and forced to watch his tax dollars being wasted on people who abuse the system?
I have a solution: Dharma-style food stamp reform. Fans of “Lost” will recognize the reference, but for those who did not watch the show, the Dharma Initiative packaged its own food to supply members of the project on the island. Each item came in a package with a simple black-and-white label and a basic description. Beer cans were marked with the word “Beer.” It probably tasted as bad as it looked. In any case, here is a picture:
Dharma-style food stamp reform would have four basic components. First, the federal government would create a government “brand” of essential food items such as milk, cheese, meat, cereal, vegetables, bread, peanut butter, beans, juice, soup, baby formula, diapers, etc., and would package the items with simple black-and-white labels and basic descriptions. The word “Government” would be stamped across the top in bold letters so everyone would know it was a welfare item. These items could be manufactured by major companies through government contracts, thus not creating a net loss to private industry. Because competition is not an issue, taste and quality, with the exception of the baby formula and baby food, would not be a top priority. Snacks, soda, cigarettes and beer would not be available through the program.
Second, the Government would lease [...]
Fourth, anyone who accepts government aid would have to submit to a monthly tobacco and drug test. Food stamp recipients are, after all, wards of the state. They are slaves to the government and should be reminded of that fact. If a recipient is found to have tobacco or drugs in his system, he would be dropped from the program. People on government aid would also lose the privilege of voting.
[...]
WOW. Is this guy serious?
"Wards of the state", "Slaves to the government"?
Revoking the "privilege of voting"?
It sounds like Mr. McClanahan been taking a few meetings with Frank Luntz, doesn't it?
Brion McClanahan is not a fly-by-night blogger either. He also has a profile page on conservative site Townhall:
Townhall Columnists: Brion McClanahan
Brion McClanahan holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in American history from the University of South Carolina. Born in Virginia, he attended high school in Delaware and received a B.A. in history from Salisbury University in Maryland.
He also has hes own web site too, where he promotes an extensive history of his other far-reaching Conservative ideas.
The Supremacy Clause
by Brion McClanahan -- BrionMcClanahan.com
Brion McClanahan received a B.A. in History from Salisbury University in 1997 and an M.A. in History from the University of South Carolina in 1999. He finished his Ph.D. in History at the University of South Carolina in 2006, and had the privilege of being Clyde Wilson's last doctoral student. He is the author or co-author of four books, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Founding Fathers, (Regnery, 2009), The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution (Regnery History, 2012), Forgotten Conservatives in American History (Pelican, 2012), and The Politically Incorrect Guide to Real American Heroes, (Regnery, 2012). He has written for TheDailyCaller.com, LewRockwell.com, TheTenthAmendmentCenter.com, Townhall.com, and HumanEvents.com. McClanahan is a faculty member at Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom, has appeared on dozens of radio talk shows, and has spoken across the Southeast on the Founding Fathers and the founding principles of the United States.
With that kind of resume, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss as a lark or literary satire, his plan to restrict our
right to Vote in exchange for receiving Food Stamps (or any other "government aid" as Brion puts it).
Could this guy be is paving the way for ALEC's next push to roll back even more of our Vote Rights ... under a different guise entirely from "Voter Fraud" -- under the pretext of simply being "unworthy of the privilege"?
Kind of sounds like it, doesn't it?