Is It Greed? Innumeracy?? Hatred?? Lost Planet Airmen??

So now our Congress wants to take away food stamps from hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of poor people in order to solve the non problem of "rampant fraud and abuse." They even have the standard "poster child"- some California jerk that uses food stamps to buy sushi when he is not surfing. Just like the so called "welfare queens" of the eighties. There actually was one then, like there is one now. So now we won't feed as many hungry people and too bad for the farmers that actually get money for this program (which is why it used to be part of the Farm Bill).

It reminds me how our legislature in Pennsylvania (the "Land of Giants") decided to require picture IDs to vote because of..."rampant fraud and abuse." When called out, the Republican spokeswoman - lip flapper actually  cited a single case in Philadelphia where some old man was registered twice. But did not bother voting. And spelled his name differently. And may have been two guys, neither of whom voted. So now we are spending millions to get everyone IDs and defend the idiotic statute in court.

What drives these small minded efforts? Are their backers innumerate (that's the same as illiterate, except it involves an ignorance of numbers)? Can we really be electing folks that stupid to Congress? Are these folks greedy?  Do they think their miserable constituents will get the money?

Or is it hatred of everyone not like them? Are all of their constituents rich? Mostly not; they may not be real bright but they are not of the one percent. But they mostly believe in high level abstractions that to simple minds are easier than pesky facts, history or numbers.

And perhaps therein is a clue. Relying on voters too dumb or lazy to learn reality, these legislators can assure themselves that they will never have to return to the crappy places they came from. They can stay in our glittering (well, relatively glittering, depends where you come from) state and national capitols, and stay there by spouting out stuff the yokels back home like to hear.