Track Hypocrites Wherever They Try to Hide: Gotcha' GOPers

A Growing Concern: for the GOP Mostly

The SNAP Program (Fact Sheet here) Helps the Needy

Now the hypocrite part from Bloomberg here in this story: A few details that caught my eye, and I hope yours, too.

The irony of the GOP effort:  As our economy recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression, the explosive growth of food stamps remains a lingering legacy. Now the program comes with an irony, as Republicans seek to cut it just as represents vast numbers of recipients, and a lot of them are Republicans themselves. FYI: Among the 254 counties where food stamp recipients doubled between 2007 and 2011, Romney won 213 of them in last year’s presidential election, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data compiled by Bloomberg. For example, in Kentucky, Owsley County, which backed Romney with 81 percent of its vote, has the largest proportion of food stamp recipients among those that he carried. Now that's irony for you. Try topping this GOP hypocrisy ... two GOPers in the House:

WASHINGTON — House Agriculture Committee Republicans who vocally supported billions in cuts to federal food assistance are big-time recipients of government help in the form of farm subsidies.

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN) and Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) both cited the Bible recently to argue that while individual Christians have a responsibility to feed the poor, the federal government does not.

"We're all here on this committee making decisions about other people's money," Fincher said. LaMalfa said that while it's nice for politicians to boast about how they've helped their constituents, "That's all someone else's money."

The hypocritical part: Both men's farms have received millions in federal assistance, according to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that advocates for more conservation and fewer subsidies.

Rep. LaMalfa's family rice farm has received more than $5 million in commodity subsidies since 1995 (cite: analysis of data from the Agriculture Department), and Rep. Fincher's farm has received more than $3 million in that same time. Last year alone, Rep. Fincher's farm received $70,574 and Rep. LaMalfa's got $188,570.

One wonders how many in their districts also use the SNAP (food stamp) program.  

A good place to look that up is here at the U.S. Census page. Check it out here, just click on any state. The column labeled "persons below poverty level, percent, 2007-2011" is most interesting.