Elderly white people in Medicare-paid scooters, railing against government spending..

[HipChick]

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/210904?RS_show_page=0

"The scooters are because of Medicare," he whispers helpfully. "They have these commercials down here: 'You won't even have to pay for your scooter! Medicare will pay!' Practically everyone in Kentucky has one."

A hall full of elderly white people in Medicare-paid scooters, railing against government spending and imagining themselves revolutionaries as they cheer on the vice-presidential puppet hand-picked by the GOP establishment. If there exists a better snapshot of everything the Tea Party represents, I can't imagine it.

[malaise]

1. That always makes me laugh

They are as dumb as rocks

[sonomak]

2. Many of them got into the middle class thanks to the GI Bill

VA loans, etc. Not to mention their Social Security and/or disability checks.

[Bozita]

16. ... and labor unions. Can't tell which they hate more, govt healthcare or unions.

[ZombieHorde]

3. Making this racial makes you as bad as them. nt

[Mike Marble]

5. Yes, the Tea Party is such a multi-racial phenomenon.

[ZombieHorde]

10. The problems with the tea party is not their pigmentation.

The problem with the tea party is their lack of education and their misplaced fears. Once race is unnecessarily brought into the argument, the real problems will be overshadowed. The only time we should be bringing race into the issue is when we have hard evidence of their racism, such as many of their racist signs.

[Leftist Agitator]

39. "...when we have hard evidence of their racism..."

One's self-identification as a teabagger is all the evidence of racism that any sane person requires.

If these assholes aren't racists, why weren't they out protesting Bush pissing away trillions on wars and tax giveaways to millionaires?

[ZombieHorde]

42. I agree the teabaggers have strong racist tones in their group,

but when we engage in racist pokes, such as the subject line in the OP, we overshadow their racism and their other ignorant follies. Mimicking them will only help them win elections.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

43. There are black teabaggers

In fact, they proudly march out in front as if to say SEE, WE HAVE BLACKS TOO.

[Mike Marble]

6. Yes, the Tea Party is such a multi-racial phenomenon.

[11 Bravo]

9. Yeah, because everybody knows race has nothing to do with this phenomenon.

Hell, I bet those tea-baggers don't even notice that Barack Obama is a black man.

[ZombieHorde]

11. See #10. nt

[xxqqqzme]

14. Oops, should have read the article first,

"...A hall full of elderly white people in Medicare-paid scooters, railing against government spending and imagining themselves revolutionaries as they cheer on the vice-presidential puppet hand-picked by the GOP establishment. If there exists a better snapshot of everything the Tea Party represents, I can't imagine it..."

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

26. Good grief.

[ZombieHorde]

31. See post 10. nt

[sakabatou]

4. Oh, the irony!

[femrap]

7. K and R...nt

[hlthe2b]

8. That unmentionable 1% of me... wants to yank them off those scooters...

I come from a family that never suffered fools gladly and it is a struggle every day when there are idiots like that around. :eyes:

[DCKit]

12. You 'n me both. Disney World is terrifying with all those "too lazy to walk" freaks.

And that was over ten years ago.

I had far less fun having to keep an eye on two nephews every second to ensure some fat-ass didn't run them down.

Sure there's a need, but not everyone over 40 (and 280#s) needs to be on one of these things.

[Codeine]

36. +1

Maybe if they'd do some walking they wouldn't be so disgustingly obese.

[RagAss]

13. Hope they enjoy their final years driving a scooter and hating.

TOOOLDE LOOOOO MUTHAFUCKEEEEEERRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSS !!

[truedelphi]

15. I had never thought of that. But right you are.

However those neo cons can never see their own hypocrisy.

[McCamy Taylor]

17. Super Pacs "Jobs and Freedom" ads all say Dems cut Medicare.

The GOP is not attacking Medicare. Far from it. They are acting like they were the party who thought of it.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. I wonder if they were railing against government spending in a publicly funded convention center.

They certainly got there on public roads, and the ones on oxygen are enjoying an awful lot of government regulations requiring that the canisters are safe and operate as they're supposed to.

[emilyg]

19. You really think only

white people get scooters?

[HipChick]

20. did you read the article?

for example...

"I'm anti-spending and anti-government," crows David, as scooter-bound Janice looks on. "The welfare state is out of control."

"OK," I say. "And what do you do for a living?"

"Me?" he says proudly. "Oh, I'm a property appraiser. Have been my whole life."

I frown. "Are either of you on Medicare?"

Silence: Then Janice, a nice enough woman, it seems, slowly raises her hand, offering a faint smile, as if to say, You got me!

"Let me get this straight," I say to David. "You've been picking up a check from the government for decades, as a tax assessor, and your wife is on Medicare. How can you complain about the welfare state?"

"Well," he says, "there's a lot of people on welfare who don't deserve it. Too many people are living off the government."

"But," I protest, "you live off the government. And have been your whole life!"

[sonomak]

22. Great article

Long, but a great read.

[uncommon]

33. The point is that these people are taking advantage of a FREE govt program AND

many of them are Teabagger types.

[Codeine]

37. Only white people get scooters and then rail against government healthcare. nt

[applegrove]

21. The psychopaths who have created these hypocrites should be ashamed but they

are being paid too much by the Koch brothers to care about the hypocrisy they create.

[JI7]

23. I overheard a conversation of one of these people talking to someone

they said when white people get benefits it's because they work for it. their daughter got no scholarship and had tow ork her way through college because help is only given to minorities and all the other crap.

[csziggy]

24. Scams like those scooter businesses are one reason Medicare is so over budget

I don't have a link but somewhere I read that usually those scooters would cost $1500-2000 or less. The companies that guarantee that "if we approve you, they will cover the price if Medicare does not" charge $4000 and more for their scooters. How else can they afford to give them away to the few people whose insurance or Medicare won't cover the cost?

[JVS]

28. Actually, the guarantee might cost nothing. If they know how Medicare makes the decision...

all they have to do is evaluate the application before sending it on.

[csziggy]

44. But they are charging Medicare three times as much for the scooters

As those scooters would normally cost. So every time you see one of those people on scooters, think about how much basic health care that money would provide.

[the redcoat]

25. This, my friends,

is called brainwashing.


And it is adorable.

[indy legend]

38. The average tea bagger doesn't have a brain to wash.

The next original thought that fox news or right wing radio doesn't tell them to have will be their first.

[Democat]

27. "imagining themselves revolutionaries"

Says it all.

[OneBlueSky]

29. his working definition of tea baggers is right on . . .

"A loose definition of the Tea Party might be millions of pissed-off white people sent chasing after Mexicans on Medicaid by the handful of banks and investment firms who advertise on Fox and CNBC." . . .

Also . . . "It would be inaccurate to say that the Tea Partiers are racists. What they are, in truth, is narcissists. They're completely blind to how offensive the very nature of their rhetoric is to the rest of the country. . . It's not that Tea Partiers hate black people. It's just that they're shockingly willing to believe the appalling horseshit fantasy about how white people in the age of Obama are some kind of oppressed minority. That may not be racism, but it is incredibly, earth-shatteringly stupid."

[Raine]

30. Interesting article

THANKS for the link!

[NNN0LHI]

32. The others scream they want smaller gubment while saying the gubment should create more jobs

Try figuring that one out.

That comes from the people who do the majority of their thinking from below their waist.

Don

[WinkyDink]

34. They take, but then they vote R. I'm not laughing.

[B Calm]

35. I have a old retired co worker (who works part time) bitching about socialism.

On his pickup rear window he has "Socialism or Freedom You Decide" bumper sticker. This guy is a truck driver making a living driving on the socialist hwy system. He collects social security and medicare. He refuses to work overtime and any Saturdays, but will not fully retire. All he's doing is keeping a younger driver from getting a better job and I despise this right wing fruit cake!

[Leftist Agitator]

40. Here's what you do...

Subtly encourage him to steadily ratchet up his rhetoric until he expresses a desire to do physical harm to an elected official in a public setting.

Then call the FBI on him. Problem solved.

[JVS]

45. LOL

:thumbsup:

[NNN0LHI]

41. When someone reached retirement age and wouldn't retire we used to start ...

... bringing in lots of fried chicken and greasy donuts for them to munch on. Some got the message and retired. Others went out feet first on a stretcher with the big one.

Either way it works. I highly recommend trying it on this fellow.

Don