family values proud that working people

Family Values: Proud that Working People Can't Make Ends Meet

Family Values: Proud that Working People Can't Make Ends Meet

[Image � Austin Cline

Original Poster: National Archives

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Conservative Christians and Republicans use the rhetoric of "family

values" quite often even though it is a term with no definitive

meaning. Voters can invest it with whatever content they want and

thereby imagine that the politician is on their side. If we want to

know what Republicans think of the term, we should look to what they

do and even say in other contexts. How do they give substance of the

concept of "family values" and what do they really value themselves?

Everyone can see that America is heading into serious economic trouble

which will negatively affect most American families. How do

Republicans think that those families can be helped weather the

consequences of years of Republican mismanagement, corruption, and

lies? By giving even more tax breaks to wealthy corporations! This

might sound crazy, but apparently Republicans think that economic

hardship is good for families -- and even welcomed by them.

This at least was the message from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) when

she said "I am so proud to be from the state of Minnesota. We're the

workingest state in the country, and the reason why we are, we have

more people that are working longer hours, we have people that are

working two jobs." That's right, people who can't get by unless they

work a lot of extra hours or even take on a second job are living the

American dream -- which for them must seem like a nightmare, but it

helps provide more money for people like Bachmann, so I guess it's

still a dream for her.

In case anyone is tempted to think that this is just an isolated

statement, President George W. Bush himself told a divorced mother of

three on Feb. 4, 2005: "You work three jobs? ... Uniquely American,

isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that." I'll bet

he thinks it's fantastic that single parents have to work multiple

jobs in order to provide food and housing to their families -- that

means lower costs for corporations which in turn provide so many

political contributions to Republicans like Bush.

It's also likely that at least some Republicans think that the

hardships suffered by working and middle-class Americans really isn't

all that hard. This would explain why Bill O'Reilly doesn't believe

that there are so many homeless veterans on America's streets. If

people want for food, housing, or health care, it must be because they

are unwilling to work for it all. Those working several jobs just to

survive are "heroes" because they don't expect the government to

provide for the people's well-being. That would be socialism.

People who work too many jobs and hours to eat right, spend time with

their families, or even take a vacation are heroes of the corporate

state. Corporate executives and their paid political whores who do

have health insurance, who do take long vacations, and who spend as

much time with family as they want will toast those heroes with

champaign at the next Republican convention. The next day, candidates

and pundits will promise to protect the same heroes' "interests" by

continuing the culture wars against real equality for anyone who isn't

white, male, heterosexual, and Christian.

Knowing that your kids can pray in school, even in context of

aggressive proselytization, makes it easier to send them to bed

hungry. Knowing that your kids won't be told the truth about birth

control makes it easier to send them to school sick because you can't

afford to take time off to care for them and you don't have health

insurance anyway. Knowing that gays can be fired for any reason or no

reason must make it easier to work longer hours for less money than

your parents or grandparents.

I'm sure it's all just a coincidence that having to work harder and

longer while losing ground and never having time for leisure

activities is one way to prevent people from having the time or energy

to take too close a look at their government or asking too many

questions of their politicians. Granted, European countries manage to

have democratic governments while providing schooling, health