Sunday, January 24, 2010

An email from Andre Bauer and an open letter back

Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer emailed me. Of course, I know that he sent thousands of these out, after he compared the poor to animals who should be starved rather than allowed to "breed." I have reproduced it below, along with an open response back to him. 

from        andre@andrebauer.com
date         Sat, Jan 23 2010 at 6:20 PM
subject     Andre Bauer offers additional comments  on "breeding a culture of dependency"
mailed-by server300.com

At a forum this week, I spoke out in favor of finding ways to break the government's cycle of handouts and dependency.
Yes, I believe government is "breeding a culture of dependency" which has grown out of control, and frankly, amounts to little more than socialism, paid for by hard-working, tax-paying families… against their wishes.
 At the same time, I feel strongly that we can and should help our neighbors who are truly needy. In fact, I've spent much of my last seven years helping those in need… traveling the state to help provide blankets, shoes, food and health care to those who need it most.
However, there's a big difference between being truly needy and truly lazy.
My suggestion to require parents of children who receive free lunches to attend parent-teacher conferences is simply a common-sense idea to help break the cycle of dependency, while at the same time providing a better education and a brighter future for the children affected.
Requiring drug testing for adults receiving tax-funded benefits is also just good, plain, common-sense.
Yes, I am speaking out for such requirements, even though they may be "politically incorrect" in the eyes of the news media. It's better for the children, it's better for the taxpayers, and, in the end, offering a hand up instead of a hand out will be better for those who have become taxpayer dependents.
Americans are a compassionate people who will always help their brothers who are truly in need. But we cannot and will not allow those who are simply "riding the system" to continue to do so without consequence.
Warren Buffet once said, "No one washes a rental car."
He's right. We must find ways to instill some sense of responsibility or consequence into those who are now a part of the cycle of automatic hand-outs.
Generational welfare is bad for the people on it and bad for the state of South Carolina. Also, please CLICK HERE to hear the audio file from my speech last night.

 *************************************************************************************
Dear Lieutenant Governor Bauer:


Thanks for the further comments. I think it's important for our elected leaders to be clear about where they stand, and you have spoken with an unusual candor and clarity.Your comments will certainly help me as I decide who to vote for this November in the South Carolina Governor's race.
It won't be you.
You see, I have a different ethic than you do. Mine is based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who fed and healed people, regardless of whether they were "truly needy." He once preached a sermon in his hometown, in which he said that his message "was good news to the poor." He told his followers that they would be judged based on how they treated the poor, the naked, the sick, and those imprisoned. He once told a rich young ruler to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor, no questions asked. Jesus didn't have a very good opinion of the political leaders of his day--because they were always willing to manipulate religious people to gain power. You remind me of one of them. You were quick to put up thousands of dollars of your personal funds for that "I Believe" license tag. You remember: the one with the cross and the stained glass window.  The one that was clearly an unconstitutional establishment of religion. You knew that the courts would forbid it to be produced, but you didn't care. Your actions were not about faith, they were about your political power.
I'm going to put it as plainly as I can. You stand condemned by your own words as someone whose public pronouncements of faith in Jesus Christ are as phony as your home-spun wisdom. You are in serious need of repentance and I would suggest that, right now, you get down on your knees and tell God that you are sorry that you compared the poor to stray dogs, that they are mentally impaired and capable only of having sex, that they are lazy and "riding the system." Your photo-op philanthropy is only a thin veneer over your naked lust for power. 
 I don't need a Governor who is a Christian--I need one who will exercise the office wisely and justly and work for all South Carolina's citizens. You have borne ample witness to your inability to do that.

In Jesus' Service,
Deacon Tim
P.S. What would your grandmother think about you returning a filthy rental car? Just saying.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great response, Tim. I wonder if the Lt. Gov. has thought about those working poor who cannot attend a parent-teacher conference or PTA meeting without putting their subsistence wage at risk. Has he paid attention to the "Corridor of Shame" or to the on-going litigation on our antiquated and failing educational financing system. Would he classify those who receive farm subsidies for not growing crops (and not providing jobs) as "riding the system" or as "lazy"? When will the people of SC stand up and recognize that most of our leaders (and I use that term loosely) don't care a whit about them, only that they vote conservative and don't burden the good, hard-working well-to-do South Carolinians with more taxes. I will pray for the Lt. Gov. and that SC will find true leadership one day.

M and M said...

Well said. Thanks for sharing.

Alan T. said...

Well said Tim, I think the best thing Mr. Bauer could do at this point is to step aside and stay out of public office. It is without a doubt that he has no desire or ability to represent the people of this state.

Alan T.

Anonymous said...

Ya' know he's gonna quote Paul's "those who will not work shall not eat" verse (written for a different time and in wholly different circumstances). Why won't he honestly address subsistance wages, mental health, and child care? The devil quoting scripture for his own purposes?

M. Williams said...

Sir, I couldn't have said it better. The hard headedness of people like the Lt. Governor who think hungry children should go without the one meager meal they may get in the day is astonishing. Jesus would weep to see his purported followers advocate treating the poor so callously.

Nicholas Beasley said...

What a vile thing he said. I think it was also thinly veiled racial code. He was not talking about poor white people. Get him, Deacon Tim, in the Name of Jesus. Nicholas Beasley