Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN), representing Tennessee’s 8th congressional district.
Amidst the heartwarming congressional debate over just how deeply Jesus wants food stamps to be cut, one man stands out in a way that if he were a Demoncrat, Republicans would be ghazi-ing him nightly: Tennessee Bible-humper Stephen Fincher, an obscure Tennessee backbencher who seeks to slash the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka “food stamps”.
While the Senate passed a farm bill that did as little damage as possible to SNAP, while still aiding farmers, “the House” took a wrecking ball to it. As House members discussed slashing the budget for the Farm Bill, which funds SNAP, Stephen Fincher took umbrage with some Democrats, who cited Jesus Christ’s call to care for “the least of these” when describing the government’s need to assist the hungry.
Instead, Fincher argued against feeding the hungry by quoting by quoting Jesus’s message of love and indifference in Bible verse – 2 Thessalonians 3:10:
“For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.”
(“the poor will always be with us, and they will always be lazy takers and we hates them, we do.”)
2 Thessalonians is a convenient tool for those who want to justify fucking over the poor. As many religious bloggers have pointed out, 2 Thessalonians was actually referring to ancient Christians who had stopped working in anticipation of Jesus’ Second Coming. The verse is concerned with correcting a theological misunderstanding (i.e., don’t just wait around for Jesus, live an active faith), NOT CASTING ASPERSIONS ON THE POOR. The words that Fincher bastardizes are about how certain Christians stopped working because of the imminence of the Second Coming….which was not imminent at all.
Armed with an array of misquoted proverbs and quotes from the Holy Bible, Congressman Fincher is pressing his fight to dramatically curtail funding for SNAP — relied upon by 47 million Americans for some or all of their daily sustenance. NONETHELESS, Stephen Fincher WON his Tennessee district, passing his fat ass off as a Tea Partier who hates big government…..just not when it’s lining his own silken pocket (see Charity Cases*, below). In 2012, this craven thief won re-election with 68.3 percent of the vote. Vecause he is a Maker, not a Taker!
*When Stephen Fincher is not busy saving taxpayers’ money by telling hungry tots to fuck off and die, he is a proud member of the agribusiness community. Fincher’s family agribiz has received $8.9 million in farm subsidies over the past decade. Fincher is one of the largest recipients of federal farm subsidies, according to the Environmental Working Group. In one year alone, he was given nearly $560,000 in commodity subsidies — government cash payments used by farmers to supplement their income that affect the cost and supply of crops.
Fincher receives these millions from the cotton program, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Yep, Stephen Fincher is a cotton farmer…. On the House Agriculture Committee. …And while cutting food assistance, the bill he voted for provides “new subsidies for peanut, cotton and rice farmers”.
That’s one weird trick, Steve!…No, no that’s not right, a “trick” what an honest whore does to make money. This son-of-a-cheney bastard is no honest whore, but a completely craven, satan-worshipping fuckface. Do the poor have to report their hunger gains to the IRSGhazzi on Form 8949?.
Math Break: SNAP benefits of $35/week for 10 years means that Fincher’s farm subsidy could have fed 489 people for that decade.
Stephen Fincher: so accustomed to being on the government dole, he doesn’t even realize that it’s welfare.
Stephen Fincher has been flat-out labeled one of the most corrupt members of congress. He claimed to have almost no assets at the start of his campaign, and has since filed multiple inconsistent financial disclosure forms, revealing significantly greater assets. Naturally, he is among the list of 15 politicians who receive the most money from the NRA. The NRA’s “Political Victory Fund” endorsed Fincher in 2o12. The NRA’s Chairman Chris W. Cox stated:
“Stephen Fincher has brought his life-long support of the Second Amendment to Congress since his election in 2012. He has earned an “A” rating and endorsement from the NRA-PVF.”
Driving Stephen Fincher’s sloppy exegesis is the old conservative trope that only lazy parasites rely on food stamps, fatsos who mooch off the government and refuse to work. Stephen Fincher knows that the majority of the country’s 47 million food stamp recipients are children or the elderly, and many are employed. A 2012 report from the USDA found that 45 percent of SNAP recipients were under 18 years of age, nearly 9 percent were age 60 or older, and more than 40 percent lived in households with earnings.
Fincher’s misguided, scripture-bastardizing, Bible-thumping ignores the plight of America’s 8.9 million“ working poor”, a massive group that includes retail and food service workers who, despite working full-time 40 hours a week for booming industries, often only make around $7.25 an hour, or $15,000 a year -far, far below the federal poverty threshold of $23,550 for a family of four. This leaves many working families with no choice but to apply for food stamps so that their children can subsist. Americans with disabilities, the elderly and military veterans, are burdened with any number of maladies that make full-time work difficult, if not impossible. Far from encouraging freeloading behavior, food stamps and programs like Meals on Wheels help us honor our national commitment — and, for many spiritual Americans, a religious duty — to assist our most vulnerable fellow citizens.
Stephen Fincher’s family. His children/future serial killers certainly look well fed.
Doesn’t Fincher’s heart break, like normal people, thinking of hard working people, the elderly and veterans who have to face the personal indignity of having to use food stamps? Using scripture to accuse millions of Americans of being lazy freeloaders and concocting dehumanizing theology to punish them is spiritually bankrupt. And from a gentleman who is $9 million in the hole off of Federal monies? That is just….words fail me.
The abuse of logic transpiring among denialist takers-vs.-other-takers makes about as much sense as my Mom telling me to finish what’s on my plate while “thinking of all the starving children in Pennsyltucky.” I’m like, “No Mom. If I am to think of all the starving children there, I will take this plate with its Stouffer’s frozen lasagna and canned peas and run it up to that other part of the state, maybe while I’m in horse country I will barter for that pony you won’t buy me in return.”
I just remember something about the sheep and the goats and the camels going through the eyes of needles and there being no room for interpretation in that eternal damnation is what you get if you do not help the poor according Jesus Christ.
Jesus didn’t specifically tell us what the Federal Government’s role in helping the poor is because:
1. The Federal Government is made up of people we elect to represent us and therefore are bound to the same moral constructs as the people who elected them.
2. There is not enough money in private charities and individuals who have enough to help in the world to take care of all the victims of Capitalism’s Diabolical disease. Taxation is the only way to ensure that those who have medical needs get their medicine, and food, before they starve, get sick and die.
Yup, Stephen Fincher of the great state of Tennessee is the guy to talk to Poors about the value of hard work…Armed with his proverbs and quotes from the Holy Bible, and a sack full of government cash. Gummint t is bad – unless you are a private entity gorging oneself at the trough of public money – and it is going to really fuck these assholes when these public monies are no longer available for their brand of welfare. Fuck him and all his ilk with large rusty chain saws.