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April 15, 2018

Fox News attacks Food Stamp Fraud. Here’s the Truth.

0 Boost Score Waylon Lewis (1,715,090)
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Republican, Democrat, Conservative, Liberal, other—we all agree that partisanship is the problem.

But it’s their problem.

It’s never our problem.

In reality, partisanship—even if you or I happen to be right about something—is always a problem.

Sherlock Holmes, when asked how he was such a genius, replied: I’m not a genius. I just go into a situation with an open mind, gather clues, and put them together. Whatever they tell me is what is, no matter how unlikely. Others do the opposite. They go in with a fixed idea of what is, and arrange the clues to fit their preconception.

That ways lies madness. That way lies fake news. That way lies hate, and prejudice (pre-judging), and even (uncivil) war.

Take fracking. We liberals here in Boulder love to hate it. But we also love our natural gas stoves, we swear by ’em. Where does natural gas come from? Much of it (not all), from fracking.

Take voter or food stamp fraud. Neither really exists (especially voter fraud). Military fraud is far higher, but Fox News doesn’t call for the end of military funding, or outsourcing military work to private contractors, now do they?

 

Recently, Fox News blamed American citizens for Food Stamp fraud. Here’s the truth (and Fox won’t like it):

Fox News, President Trump, and a certain portion of our fellow citizens—have a tendency to blame the weak, the poor, the vulnerable—and give a pass to corruption from the high and mighty, the powerful and already-wealthy. Why is that?

When we look at good-old-fashioned facts, the truth is that, while there is always room for improvement, the way we can work together to fix these problems, and others, isn’t in lying or being lied to. It’s not in broad strokes, blaming millions, when dozens are at fault. And, much of the blame lies in our own cherished idols—fraud in the military, fraud in big business, fraud in politicians taking money via Citizens United and fraud in media, no longer bound by the Fairness Doctrine.

Relephant:

Discussion and links below via Reddit: “While the wealthy cheat the system to the tune of trillions. Get ready for more of this bullshit once the deficit starts hurting. “

From the Washington Post article https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/28/fox-news-wonders-if-we-should-cancel-food-stamps-since-0-09-percent-of-spending-is-fraudulent:

Another example. On Wednesday, we reported about a long-running scam operated by Leonard Francis, a Navy contractor who, over the course of several years, defrauded the government to the tune of $35 million.

As of writing, Fox News has not questioned whether we should disband the Navy.

Because of how much fraud and waste is in the military?

Because Report: U.S. wasted $60 billion in contracting fraud, abuse

” SNAP benefits cost $70.9 billion in fiscal year 2016 and supplied roughly 44.2 million Americans (14% of the population) with an average of $125.51 for each person per month in food assistance.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supplemental_Nutrition_Assistance_Program

If you know Fox is wrong but want data.

http://time.com/4711668/history-food-stamp-fraud/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/12/28/fox-news-wonders-if-we-should-cancel-food-stamps-since-0-09-percent-of-spending-is-fraudulent/?utm_term=.e4f3b6df4688

The Navy is currently investigating one of the largest corruption scandals in U.S. history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat_Leonard_scandal#Individuals_involved

Fat Leonard bribed and entrapped dozens of senior officers in the 7th fleet to provide for information on ship movements.

Work the government to give food stamps for the poor: criminal.

Work the government to give the rich a $1.5 trillion tax cut: smart

Are tax cuts like what we just did needed or smart?

Buffett acknowledged that Berkshire Hathaway made billions from the tax cut:

“A large portion of our gain did not come from anything we accomplished at Berkshire,” Buffett, 87, wrote. Of the $65 billion the company made last year, $36 billion was from its operations.

I.e. $29 billion was from the tax cut.

He was also clear that he thought the tax cut was a bad idea long before it was passed:

“We have a lot of businesses… I don’t think any of them are non-competitive in the world because of the corporate tax rate,” Buffett told CNBC in October.

Fox News really is a scourge in our country. The Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated and Citizen’s United decision should be over ruled. These two are literally societal viruses.

Instead of media educating the public it brainwashed them. Without effective education no democracy can thrive.

~

When the world feels hopeless:

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