Rep. Blake Farenthold
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.
Rep. Farenthold,
It’s come to my attention that you and some of your fellow Republicans have developed a certain enmity and disdain for those of us who are unemployed. I’m not really certain why this would be the case. Perhaps you’re uninformed. Perhaps you lack understanding. Perhaps you’re lacking in compassion. I’d hate to think that it’s because you just don’t care. Then again, what else could one think about an elected representative who seriously sees nothing amiss about comparing the unemployed to alcoholics and drug addicts:
Drug testing for recipients of various welfare programs, I really think that’s something that needs to be considered. We’ve gotta, you know, nobody wants to starve anybody. Everybody wants to help folks out. But we’ve got a system where you can stay on unemployment for an awfully long time. And I think we need to create a system of decreasing benefits over time to encourage you to get a job. I think anybody who’s had an alcoholic in their life or somebody with a drug problem, realizes that until things get bad enough there’s no incentive to change. I think that we’re so generous in some of our social problems that people are unwilling to get a job outside in the heat. Rather than get 15 dollars to go get roofing they’d rather get 9 or 10 dollars in benefits. I think drug testing is not an unreasonable requirement to get benefits.
Yes, I realize that you’re from Texas and that most Texas Republicans probably think the unemployed should be euthanized. Still, I have to assume that you probably just don’t know anyone who’s unemployed. Surely no elected official could POSSIBLY be so thoroughly and completely thoughtless, insensitive, and completely devoid of anything resembling compassion…right?
You may not realize this, but there are MILLIONS of unemployed Americans. Who are we? Well, we’re a lot like you, Congressman. We have hopes and dreams and aspirations for better things. We want to contribute. We want to do something positive. We’re not alcoholics or drug addicts (Well, OK; perhaps a few of us might be, but the same can be said for the general population, no?). We want to work. We want to make a better life for ourselves, our families, and our loved ones. We don’t want charity, we don’t want pity, and we don’t want to be dependent of the government. Unfortunately, since you and your fellow Congressman allowed Wall Street to gorge themselves on subprime mortgages, almost cratering the economy, millions of Americans lost their jobs. You allowed Wall Street to fatten themselves while Main Street was forced to go on a crash diet of austerity and ballooning deficits.
You may feel as if the unemployed are a drain on scarce public resources. I’m not going to argue with you on that point…except to point out that most Americans are unemployed through no fault of their own. Market forces, ineptitude, greed, avarice, and a shrinking economy have all contributed to this problem. We’re not unemployed because we want more time to watch Jerry Springer and pop OxyContin. We’re not unemployed because we want more time to play golf, drink beer, and barbecue. No, we’re unemployed because of forces largely beyond our control. That doesn’t make us bad or evil, and it doesn’t mean we’re alcoholics or drug addicts.
Before you decide to talk about something you don’t understand, before you decide to smear the unemployed as shiftless, indolent, and chemically-dependent, you might just want to step away from your country club and take a good look around. You might just learn something. In the meantime, it might be good to remember how we got to where we are…and the role your party played in hastening that process.
Demonizing and marginalizing Americans who happen to be unemployed might seem like the easy thing to do, but we’re you’re neighbors…and we vote. Just a thought.
Sincerely,
America
