Wisconsin State Legislators
Representative Jesse Kremer (R)
and Senator Steve Nass (R)
Representative Jesse Kremer (right) and Senator Steve Nass
Representative Jesse Kremer has found a new way to shame those who need public assistance to feed their families. He is being assisted in his efforts by Senator Steve Nass who is sponsoring Mr. Kremer's proposal in the Senate.
In Wisconsin, the food assistance program is called FoodShare. Mr. Kremer's bill would require Wisconsin's Department of Health Services to petition the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approval to make photo IDs mandatory on all FoodShare cards. Current law says food stamps can be used by any member of the household, not just the person whose name is on the card, so the logistics of Mr. Kremer's proposal are a little murky.
Federal law also prohibits food stamp recipients from being treated any differently than other grocery store customers, so carding someone for buying milk and bread would seem to be a flagrant violation of this prohibition.
In an interview with The Cap Times, Mr. Kremer said:
"Realistically, I think it could be a bipartisan bill."what eye thynk: Really, Jesse?
Mr. Kremer would like to go even further in his game of Shame the Poor. Though it is not included in his current bill, he said:
"I would love to see government oversite of privately run food pantries that would be the only places to use the (FoodShare) cards... No junk food, no liquor, no cigarettes, etc. Yes, it may be humbling to go into the pantry to purchase 'needed items,' but as I mentioned earlier, most people understand that this is meant to be a crutch, not a lifestyle."
Think about this idea for a second: Representative Kremer, a member of the gung-ho for small government Republican Party wants the government to establish and run grocery stores stocked only with items on a government-approved grocery list. Then he would require that food stamp recipients be segregated from "real" grocery shoppers by forcing them to shop only at these segregated, government-run stores.
Do you think Mr. Kremer dreams about a day when a he can hang a "No Poor Allowed" sign at his neighborhood IGA?
Scott Ross, director of One Wisconsin Now said Mr. Kremer's ideas make "it clear that it's seething contempt, not legitimate public policy concern driving Kremer and supporters."
That and some kind a repressed admiration for the shameful policies of the Jim Crow era.
and the song said, "I owe my soul to the company store."
ReplyDeleteFor what's worth, 3 people were courteous to me today. All were 'urban dweller types. You know the kind. The kind that two Wisconsin State legislatures: Representative Jesse Kremer (R) and Senator Steve Nass (R) are 'attacking' in newly proposed Bill in Wisconsin.
ReplyDeleteThe three that I speak of were minorities. And anyone who knows anything about right politics knows that these right wingers aren't all that fond of immigrants and minorities.
So here I am, an old white guy using a cane and burdened with packages and I was fortunate to have encountered them. My thanks to them. And to the pompous ass Legislators and their proposed Bill I say, "Who died and made you God?