Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) is what we used to call a "social justice Catholic," just like Michael Moore. I can live with her stance against abortion because she fights like hell for every other interest of women, children and working people everywhere. She's one of the most articulate, principled political figures we have.
In this video from last week, she's railing against the inadequate funding ($7 billion less than requested) in the Department of Agriculture funding bill and the effects it will have on the food stamp program and supplemental food programs like WIC.
She was furious because the previous speaker on the House floor talked about Ayn Rand's beloved "rugged individualism."
"Rugged individualism produces a heartless bill like this," Kaptur retorted.
She said if you wanted to know why the nation's "in the dumpster", go back to the 1990s. She calls Alan Greenspan a "great proponent of rugged individualism" and tags Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as "an interesting group of individuals that took America to the cleaners."
The spending bill "takes food away from about 350,000 women and children," she said.
She also challenged House members: "Most of the people here are Christian," she said. "The first Beatitude says 'Feed the hungry,' not 'rugged individualism.' " She bemoaned the "heartlessness" of those who take everything for themselves and turn their backs on the rest of the American people.
In a warning to House Republicans, Kaptur said, "They didn't clean house last November because they thought you were better. They just wanted a change and they'll vote for it again if their lives don't get better."
"This is the most gutless institution. Let them pay their fair share of taxes. We couldn't even do that... They hurt the Republic. They hurt our country, and they have not been held accountable.
..."I don't have enough power to hold them accountable, but I hope God does. Because what they've done is unforgivable. Their rugged individualism is unpatriotic, it's unChristian and it hurts this country."
"There has been no justice to this date.
"I can guarantee you, for all the big shots who have cleaned up at the expense of the American people, most of them have never been to a WIC site and sat with mom...So I think the sad fact of this bill is, rather than big oil paying their fair share of taxes, then rather than us taking those bonuses from those who truly don't deserve them because of what they did to the republic, for all the tax breaks that going to companies that are locating jobs overseas and taking our livelihood, the answer isn't to take food away from those people that are paying the price."
"... There are many people who talk about life - without decent nutrition, the hundreds of thousands of children in this bill, their brains won't grow as fast."
