to know how gross the recent statement by Rand Paul about extended unemployment insurance really was.
I cannot claim to be that person, although there were brief times where I did not know how I would pay for my next meal. But my rent was paid, I had a job, and I knew I would get through.
Charles M. Blow has experienced poverty, and that is part of the context in which his writes for tomorrow's New York Times in piece titled The Appalling Stance of Rand Paul, which I highly recommend.
Let's be clear that Paul is not alone in his attitude towards aspects of the social safety net. Of greater importance, Blow fully recognizes that the idea of some being "takers" and abusing the system is not limited to the ppor:
Whereas I am sure that some people will abuse any form of help, I’m by no means convinced that this is the exclusive domain of the poor and put-upon. Businesses and the wealthy regularly take advantage of subsidies and tax loopholes without blinking an eye. But somehow, when some poor people, or those who unexpectedly fall on hard times, take advantage of benefits for which they are eligible it’s an indictment of the morality
