Maine GOP State Rep says Food Stamps used for Fillet Mignon

Yesterday morning (Tuesday) while appearing on the Maine's own right wing talk show the FOX MORNING NEWS, State Representative Scott Lansley claimed that any time you get behind someone using food stamps at the super market you cannot help but notice that they are buying fillet mignon with the stamps. This was part of the show's ritual morning rant against any government social program. You know the refrain: they are all a bunch of lazy non-contributors who would rather live the high life at taxpayer expense than get a job. Scott is renown for "resounding" his ignorant views on this show with the certainty that once exposed to his ideas they will "resignate" with the public. This is all part of the general neocon strategy of divide and create electoral plurality which in this case involves turning the working poor that are squeaking by without assistance against those working and not who need some assistance.

This crowd loves to claim that Maine has the most generous welfare benefits in the country while not admitting that they have no data to back up the claim. The timing this tirade was interesting because Monday night one of the loyal followers had asked contributors to the right wing forum "As Maine Goes" for a source of hard data that she could use in spreading her vitriol among her neighbors. The best the collective mind of Maine's lunatic fringe could come up with was a 1995 CATO Institute study. Now without considering the objective quality one could expect from CI, the sheer age of the study leads to questions about generalization to the situation today. Assuming that you could somehow generalize to the present, the study: does not identify age or sources of the data it used or its age; identifies only a handful of the "at least 77" programs considered in the analysis; and, it cannot seem to make up its mind whether the unit of analysis is households or individuals. The bottom line is that even with its obvious limitations Maine does not appear even in the top ten of the most generous.

Not let me be clear. I do not know if Maine has the most generous social welfare benefits in the country and I would be proud if it did. My point is that ignoramuses like Lansley make these claims without any data to back them up in order to foment division in the absence of any kind of a vision that is applicable to the real needs of the Maine citizen.

Should the people only eat pigs feet and offals?

Those food stamps have saved us taxpayers money. If it prevents some one from becoming homeless,and their family going on the street i'm for it.
food stamps are a HELLUVA LOT CHEAPER than rent,oil,free med. etc.
I SAY CUT WELFARE OFF AT THE START.LEND A HELPING HAND,i was on my own when see how helpful
food stamps could be. the paper mill some of my family was employed in went on strike.
THEstate stepped in and gave food stamps to the strikers.(their was a republican govenor at the time).
It kept many off the dole,and was greatly appreciated in that small community.
Bet thats one the repukes would not like to reveal

Mainers. However, I have seen people "abusing" the system, they are a minority in the program. But something should be done about it.