# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 54
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1061 "2010-02-06T16:58:02Z")
Honestly. Is it something in the water? A diet of paint chips as a child? How can adults stand before the public and say things like this: > [@](#): > > [Regulation of greenhouse gases] is absolutely – in my mind, this is in fact a conspiracy to limit population not only in this country but across the globe." > **[The Salt Lake Tribune - Utah News, Sports, Religion & Entertainment](https://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14337716/)** > > Utah’s independent news source since 1871, The Salt Lake Tribune covers news, entertainment, sports and faith for Salt Lake City and the state of Utah. As always with these sorts, I don’t know what’s worse: the idea that they know they’re lying but are willing to do so, or the idea that they’re just this stupid. This was good for a laugh, though: > [@](#): > > Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Holladay, questioned Gibson about the “conspiracy” wording in the resolution. “A conspiracy?” he asked. “By whom? To what end?” > > “I’m not sure we’ll ever know the depths of it,” said Gibson, I want to put Gibson and James Inhofe in a sack and poke that sack with a stick. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1062 "2010-02-06T18:39:48Z")
> [@](#): > > S.C. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer during a speech in Fountain Inn, S.C. on Friday – a speech in which he proposed that children should be taken off of free and reduced lunch programs if their parents didn’t pass drug tests and attend parent-teacher conferences. Sounds like a good idea to me. FTR, I do not believe government schools should provide “free” or reduced price lunches to anyone… ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1063 "2010-02-06T18:42:56Z")
If a child’s parents are caught doing drugs, we should starve the child? Is that what they teach in the churches these days? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1064 "2010-02-06T18:53:22Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If a child’s parents are caught doing drugs, we should starve the child? Is that what they teach in the churches these days? If the parents can afford drugs, surly they can afford to pay for their children’s lunches. Any parent can afford to pay for their children’s lunches. Which is why the “free” lunch program is BS. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1065 "2010-02-06T18:53:41Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Well, obviously nobody remembers it. Otherwise he’d be President 9/11 Rudy. > > -Joe No, he could not hide his corruption. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1066 "2010-02-06T18:55:43Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Sounds like a good idea to me. > > FTR, I do not believe government schools should provide “free” or reduced price lunches to anyone… i agree. Kids should be held responsible for who they pick for parents. Pick badly and you ought to go hungry. Perhaps beatings would be in order too. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1067 "2010-02-06T18:55:54Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > If the parents can afford drugs, surly they can afford to pay for their children’s lunches. > > Any parent can afford to pay for their children’s lunches. Which is why the “free” lunch program is BS. Not a word of this is true, but even if it were (which it isn’t), how does it make sense to punish the children? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1068 "2010-02-06T19:00:40Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Sounds like a good idea to me. > > FTR, I do not believe government schools should provide “free” or reduced price lunches to anyone… What if scientists were to discover that children learn better when not hungry? What if, when it were looked at, many, many low income children didn’t have the money to eat lunch? What if, many low income parents didn’t have the education, drive or discipline to make lunches for their children? Are you okay with a child doing worse in school because their parents are poor? Do you support having children of the poor having less opportunity? Do you think that a child of a poor person should have the same chance to make something of themselves that the child of a middle class person would? Do you think America should have a hereditary serf population where upward mobility is much much more difficult than it is today? The most common element in this entire thread is that morons like Crafter\_Man are just too stupid to see beyond their reptilian, knee-jerk responses. Conservatives (in general it seems) snap to judgment without thinking, based on nothing more than a split second of consideration. The willful stupidity of someone like Crafter\_Man is perfectly indicative of how much these ignorant, angry and self-important people are a drag on this country. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1069 "2010-02-06T19:03:03Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > If the parents can afford drugs, surly they can afford to pay for their children’s lunches. > > Any parent can afford to pay for their children’s lunches. Which is why the “free” lunch program is BS. That isn’t true. You’re kinda stupid aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1070 "2010-02-06T19:04:25Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Not a word of this is true, but even if it were (which it isn’t), how does it make sense to punish the children? Of course it’s true. Any parent can afford to provide a P&J sandwich for their kid. What do they do during summer break? Do you honestly think they’re not eating? Parents are responsible for providing the basic necessities for their children. Not the government. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1071 "2010-02-06T19:11:12Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Of course it’s true. Any parent can afford to provide a P&J sandwich for their kid. What do they do during summer break? Do you honestly think they’re not eating? > > Parents are responsible for providing the basic necessities for their children. Not the government. So if someone is too preoccupied or lazy to take good care of their children, then in your opinion, their children deserve to have no chance at success? For instance, if your parents had just taught you to be a thinking, logical human being we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. Don’t you wish someone stepped in and saved you from becoming the degenerate lump of shit you are today? ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1072 "2010-02-06T19:14:51Z")
And if parents either can’t (due to poverty or mental disability or whatever), or won’t (due to drug abuse or neglect or lack of motivation), then let the children starve. After all, they’ll just grow up to be more vermin on the body of the nation. ---
**Author:** ![Batfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1073 "2010-02-06T19:21:25Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Parents are responsible for providing the basic necessities for their children. Not the government. Please do tell us what government IS repsonsible for. Should government be providing education at all, let alone a cheap unappetizing breakfast or lunch? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1074 "2010-02-06T20:28:39Z")
> [@Batfish](#): > > Please do tell us what government IS repsonsible for. Should government be providing education at all, let alone a cheap unappetizing breakfast or lunch? What level of government are you referring to? Federal, state, or local? The responsibilities of the federal government are very limited. The federal government should not be in the business of providing education to anyone. IMO, the (federal) Department of Education should be shut down. Personally, I don’t think \*any \*level of government should be involved with education. But if the people desire government involvement, it should be done at the state or local level, not the federal level. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1075 "2010-02-06T20:32:39Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > And if parents either can’t (due to poverty or mental disability or whatever), or won’t (due to drug abuse or neglect or lack of motivation), then let the children starve. IMO, it is not the responsibility of government to provide food, shelter or clothing to anyone, regardless of reason or circumstance. You are responsible for yourself and your family. If you need assistance, you should look to family, charity, and/or church. Not the government. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1076 "2010-02-06T20:35:11Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > What level of government are you referring to? Federal, state, or local? > > The responsibilities of the federal government are very limited. The federal government should not be in the business of providing education to anyone. IMO, the (federal) Department of Education should be shut down. > > Personally, I don’t think \*any \*level of government should be involved with education. But if the people desire government involvement, it should be done at the state or local level, not the federal level. If you allow colleges to accredit at the state level you’ll have colleges that teach Genesis as both cosmology and biology across the south. You’ll have Americans with college degrees that will be seen as worthless in other countries and other states. Education benefits all Americans. Easily as much as the interstate system. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1077 "2010-02-06T20:39:52Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > IMO, it is not the responsibility of government to provide food, shelter or clothing to anyone, regardless of reason or circumstance. > > You are responsible for yourself and your family. If you need assistance, you should look to family, charity, and/or church. Not the government. Right. Like I said, the children starve. Three-year-olds are going to be SO aware of how to contact charity organizations. And then someone can post threads like “why do people think conservatives hate poor people?” ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1078 "2010-02-06T20:45:51Z")
And what’s this bullshit about child labor laws? If a 10 year old wants a teddy bear, get a fucking job, you dead beat! There’s 60 to 80 good work hours a week in any decent coal mine. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1079 "2010-02-06T20:47:13Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > If you allow colleges to accredit at the state level you’ll have colleges that teach Genesis as both cosmology and biology across the south. You’ll have Americans with college degrees that will be seen as worthless in other countries and other states. > > Education benefits all Americans. Easily as much as the interstate system. It doesn’t matter if federal involvement in education is a “good” or “bad” thing. Even if were a good thing, I would still be against it. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/1080 "2010-02-06T20:48:38Z")
Just out of curiosity, is there an example of a first world nation with a government that does not support and fund some type of education for its citizens? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=55)