Chaffetz: Poor people would have health coverage if they didn't spend money on that new iPhone

[Miles Archer]

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/gop-lawmaker-poor-people-would-have-health-coverage-if-they-didnt-spend-money-on-that-new-iphone/

he Republican Party’s proposed Obamacare replacement plan is already facing a storm of criticism, and Republican lawmakers are scrambling to defend it on cable news networks.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) appeared on CNN Tuesday morning to explain why obtaining health care is a matter of personal responsibility for millions of Americans, and not an area that requires government intervention.

In particular, Chaffetz said that, under the new GOP plan, poor Americans would be forced to make wise financial decisions if they really wanted to have access to health care.

“You know what, Americans have choices, and they’ve got to make a choice,” he said. “And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own health care.”

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Each day I loathe them more and more.

[Cracklin Charlie]

32. I am feeling particularly sickened by them today.

When will they show even the tiniest bit of compassion?

I guess never.

[FSogol]

2. This is why I could never be a Republican. This Chaffetz fucker, who has never missed a meal in

his life, is complaining about poor people.

[Drahthaardogs]

16. And what is up with his name. It's Chavez

Really. Be Proud of who you are.

[brush]

74. Are you kidding? He's Latino and is disguising it with the spelling of his name?

If true he is even more of an a-hole.

[Mendocino]

75. I don't like him either,

but he is of Jewish Russian ancestry, AFAIK.

[Hekate]

103. Be serious. If you're going to Anglicize your name, you don't choose Eastern European consonants...

Check his bio if you want -- I don't really care.

[calimary]

127. When he arrives at the Pearly Gates, OY!

He'll probably get a VERY hard lesson in Matthew 25.

That's the one about "the least of these."

Matthew 25:35-45 English Standard Version (ESV)

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A35-45&version=ESV

[vlyons]

3. They never talk about the price gouging and profiteering

of insurance companies, big pharma, med equipment manufacturers, and for-profit hospitals.

[Sherman A1]

12. Precisely

They seem to skip over that

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

4. But wait isn't the Republican mantra

Freedom from government?

Forced?

[Botany]

5. I so want to spend a little time with that little shit.

n/t

[kentuck]

6. He's a real winner, ain't he?

And those poor folks need to trade in that Cadillac that they drive to pick up their food stamps?

[tanyev]

7. Wait, I thought they all had free Obamaphones.

[Hekate]

104. Oooo, good catch

[RedWedge]

8. Yeah, that's not how it works.

“And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own health care.”

A smart phone is actually one of the best things a person in poverty or near poverty can have. It takes the place of a landline, library, and desktop computer. You can bank with it, check kids' grades on it, stay connected with families and friends, search and apply for jobs, make appointments, and always be reachable for callbacks on those jobs, whether you're at home or a shelter. It's a great tool for productivity -- and as Republicans cut public transportation and turn their eyes to libraries and ignore public broadband initiatives, you'd think they'd embrace the individualization and privatization of access to knowledge and bootstrapping.

A smart phone is a gadget that makes my middle-class lifestyle more efficient and convenient. For people in poverty, it's a lifeline. To attack it or offer it up as an either-or is to ignore the realities of other people's experience at best, and to continue the stupid and cruel trope of Cadillac-driving welfare queens.

[phylny]

23. I just kinda fell in love with this post. n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

24. +1000

Well done!

[kcr]

30. This should be an OP

Well said. Of all the things to use as an example of frivolous spending, they often turn to smart-phones, and it shows just how clueless they are.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. Touche

[Dem2]

38. Can I upvote a post?

[dalton99a]

41. Thank you.

[JHan]

45. wish we could rec. posts.

[Raster]

46. Yep, I'd RECOMMEND THIS POST!

[obamanut2012]

47. Please make this an OP

My smartphone is the only phone I have. I have a laptop and tablet, but imagine if I didn't? It is a lifeline.

Too many people snark about smartphones, including some DUetrs. Please make this an OP!

[Ilsa]

49. And you don't have to buy them new.

You can save hundreds buying the previous generation of smartphone. And if you have access to free wifi, you don't need to buy more 4G, just the minimum, so you can save on your plan.

My internet bill is $75/mo. We need it for my husband to work from home. Otherwise, it's unnecessary. There's $75/ month saved right there if a person can get their internet off 4G.

[crazycatlady]

63. this

When I bought my phone in 2014, I bought the previous model (I purposely waited for the S5 to come out because I knew the price would drop on the S4).

My smartphone plan (well my half) is cheaper than my late grandmother's landline was. And I get so much more and don't have to pay for long distance.

[Occulus]

122. Basic plan 4g data caps are usually hell, though

And the overages are outright usurious.

[Mr. Evil]

64. Excellent!

And in case of a medical issue or emergency we need those phones to be able to alert someone.

[Beaverhausen]

72. slow clap

Dayum that is righteous!

[Hortensis]

73. Excellent, RedWedge. And so well put. Thank you!

[brush]

76. Good stuff. Guess Chaffetz is advocating for using pay phones but you'll have health care...

deductibles of $5000 though.

Who elects these dinosaurs?

No one can operate in the world now without a cell phone, especially people job hunting who may not have a stable living situation.

[Bettie]

77. Well, maybe

but the cost of that smart phone that you didn't buy will pay for one month of coverage, maybe two if you get a really bad policy that covers nothing.

So, then, you don't have health coverage or a phone.

Wow, I never believed my capacity to hate was so high, but it grows for these assclowns every single day.

[OnlinePoker]

93. I don't have one and get along fine. n/t

[brush]

99. You don't have a cell phone? Retired?

[OnlinePoker]

111. No cell phone, yes retired...2 years

But even when I wasn't, I never needed one. My last position in the military I had a Blackberry. When they gave it to me, they looked at me like I had two heads when I asked how you turn it on. I kept it charged for that year and a half and then gave it back without ever using it.

[neeksgeek]

82. Wonderful post!

[cemaphonic]

88. Not to mention, the expense scaling between a phone and health care is just ridiculous

We could probably buy a new smart phone every single month with our family plan premiums, and should we actually use it for anything other than a routine checkup, hey there's another phone or two. (and we've been lucky so far to not need any really expensive care)

Why does this shit always seem to come from Senators of poor rural states? It would be one thing if Massachusetts was pulling this sort of "let them eat cake" routine, but it always seems like the people in Congress that are most diligent in fucking over the poor represent some of the poorest states and districts in the US.

[Ms. Toad]

90. And there are smart phones, other than iPhones, that require a one-time expense of $100-$200

And an ongoing expense of $10-$15/month - if you're willing to live with restricting data to public spaces.

[wordpix]

96. not to mention, a $500 iPhone does not equal a $200K operation

like I had.

I also had $250K worth of chemo. And that doesn't include all the doc visits, blood tests, diagnostic imaging, etc. I've had. I figure I'm a $3/4 Million woman by now.

Of course, that is what the inflated fantasy numbers show.

Can I get those medical interventions for $500? Sign me up, Chaffetz.

[Hekate]

100. Excellent post. There was a time that welfare moms weren't supposed to have a phone in the home

I shit you not. Can't remember if reading "Native Son" as a startled teenager had that scene in it or if it was a piece of journalism I read at about the same age, but the child described his mother going off to work at her sub-living wage job, after having secreted the landline in a closet so that if a welfare checker came by and it should happen to ring, the sound of the forbidden item of luxury would be muffled.

Chaffetz has the same mindset as the GOPer about a decade ago who insisted that poor people in America really were not that bad off vis a vis poor people in 3rd World nations, because they have ... wait for it... refrigerators. So they are not really "poor," right?

Things that make me want to

[murielm99]

133. And later, it was a t.v.

If any welfare family had a big color t.v., they were cheaters and did not deserve a scrap of help to keep their apartments, have heat or food for their kids. I heard that crap over and over, even from family members.

[Hekate]

140. Excuse me, lotusaura, have we met before? Because you are being pretty rude in your assumptions ...

...about me.

I'm not going to "jump all over your shit" -- but by the same token, I will call you on your shit.

To wit: there most certainly ARE programs designed to help low income people start their own businesses. In my own county there is something called Women's Economic Ventures. What do you think they do? Hand out bundles of cash to anyone who walks in? What "rules" do you imagine "keep people on a leash"? The "rules" that involve group meetings with other grantees in which they learn how to plan a business, set it up, and run it? The "rules" about how to manage money, manage a payroll, and pay taxes?

Dear gods, how cruel of the people who set this up! Pass me my smelling salts! It's all the fault of the Democratic Party!

[Hekate]

141. Goodness, that was quick. Seems the 3-post newbie had but a fleeting stay here.

[3catwoman3]

115. Please send this...

...to Chaffetz.

[calimary]

128. He's a heartless bastard. And yes, this post should be an OP.

For people in poverty, a phone is a lifeline. Absolutely, positively.

[Rhiannon12866]

137. Thank you! That about covers it, well done!

[RobinA]

9. First Of All

what kind of health insurance can you buy for the price of a cell phone, even the most expensive iPhone?

Second, I work with people who need Obamacare, and they pretty much don't have iPhones. The phones they do have are flipphone clunkers and they purchase service by the minute.

[Stonepounder]

59. We bought our smart phone brand new for $99.00.

Our plan gives us unlimited calling and text for $40.00/mo with some amount of data that we don't even think about because we don't download to our phone.

Show me a healthcare plan you can buy for a family for $40.00!!

[NYC Liberal]

68. Right. Even the top-tier, most expensive iPhone sold costs about $40/mo for 24 months.

Is the top-tier, best health insurance plan going to cost $40/mo under the GOP's proposal?

[treestar]

10. cell phone does not cost

as much as health care ; of you had that money it would cover you for a month or two.

[kcr]

39. It reminds me of those commercials that tell you that because you saved money

on their product, you can now afford all these grand things like boats, vacations, etc. GOP logic at work.

[yallerdawg]

11. It's TracPhone, not iPhone, you jackass.

They don't sell iPhone at the dollar store.

[mwooldri]

120. Or it's the Obamaphone...

Some FCC program that gives low income families access to telephone... doesn't have to be a landline, can have mobile.

[sinkingfeeling]

13. I want this Jackass to have to live on about $11,000 a year with zero assets.

[wordpix]

97. and pay for his $200K operations out of pocket

YOU WORK FOR US, Chafe-Fits

[Initech]

14. The GOP should just come out and say they hate people and get it over with.

[bdamomma]

21. they are in political life just for the money.

they do not care about the American people.

[Blue_true]

54. Chaffetz has banked health insurance and a retirement

salary for life. He does not care about everyday people.

[superpatriotman]

29. They hate poor people

They're just fine with donors and aggregators.

[BeckyDem]

15. The Republican Party is literally a threat to the human race. Fuck off Chaffetz. This is the one

who could not support Trump after the video came out and then back tracked later.

[Thrill]

17. Hope people finally start seeing these people

For what they are. Republicans have never cared about regular folks

[Blue_true]

55. Deplorables won't see republicans for what they are.

Even deplorables that will die soon or go bankrupt due to no healthcare will vote for republicans any chance they get.

[Akacia]

18. Everyday I hate these asshats more and more! n/t

[bdamomma]

19. wow, that is rather rude comment isn't it?

apparently these filthy repigs think health care is a choice NO it is a Right.

[Hortensis]

20. The eternal conservative unworthy-poor meme.

It pings like a giant gong with conservatives, however, who in their guts believe in a natural order where worthy people rise, as evidenced by worldly success, and unworthy people refuse to do what is needed to succeed, as evidenced by their lack of healthcare.

No other factors for poverty need to be seriously considered because worthy people overcome them--literally by definition.

Conservatives weren't always this rigid and absolutist in their thinking, btw. Before the development of safety net programs (which helped millions no one knew, including undoubtedly many who didn't "deserve" help and thus caused great anxiety among many conservatives), everyone knew good people devastated by serious reverses that could happen to almost anyone.

[Deb]

22. They will choose.. your next opponent

Where does the GOP consistently find these clueless Box 'O Rocks? Purge em

[smirkymonkey]

25. I so hate these mofos!

I really, really hate them with all my heart.

[SticksnStones]

26. Darwinian Governance

Those who can survive are the ones who'll make this country great.

With robots evolving to do the more menial labor.

A modern conservative's view for the future ~


(Though I still can't figure why they're against birth control for the class of people they seek to evolutionally eliminate. That part's a paradox...)

[Hekate]

110. (Answer: cannon fodder. Plus control of women.)

[DinahMoeHum]

27. Hey, Jason C., even with YOUR health insurance. . .

[beachbum bob]

28. the loathing of poor americans and lower middleclass americans has always been a mainstay

of conservative politicians...2018 is coming

[HopeAgain]

34. Yet that's one of their biggest voting blocks... nt

[beachbum bob]

37. conservatives appeal to the racism and bigotry of those in lower end of the spectrum

and its not hard to do....sooner or later, as their lives continue to spin deeper into the pit...some will wake up and others won't

[WinkyDink]

42. I'm stealing that for a political button from zazzle: "2018 Is Coming".

[HughBeaumont]

58. America:

Where the Well-to-Do are SO Insanely Jealous of the Supposed High Life the Less Fortunate Live.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

95. +1

[spanone]

31. this is the fucking republican mindset in a nutshell. they hate the people that elect them.

it's the stupid peoples fault if they don't buy healthcare

[MineralMan]

33. WeDontCare - The Republicans' Answer to Health Insurance

Chaffetz has no idea whatsoever about how much health insurance costs. None.

[LeftInTX]

81. DonTCare

As in Donald Trump Care

[Turbineguy]

36. You're watching a craftman in action.

a genuine, skilled, piece of shit.

[ecstatic]

40. Why do Utahns put up with that evil clown? I'm hoping

people like him will be forced out soon.

[exboyfil]

43. Why do we in Iowa put up with our version

Steve King who is every bit as vile as this man?

Obviously code for Welfare Queens and Caddys and big screen tvs.

[Raster]

44. Just when I think I cannot DESPISE Rep. Jason Chaffetz --R, Liar/Hypocrite/Traitor, UT--...

...any more than I already do, Rep. Chickenshit opens his mouth and I find new reasons to hate his fucking guts and new depths and levels to viscerally despise this weasel-faced piss ant. This guy is rectal cancer on the asshole of humanity.

[procon]

48. Republicans have a specific mental image that a poor person in America

is supposed to look like a photo spread in National Geographic depicting impoverished refugees in Africa or India. It goes without saying that Republicans believe that all poor people are persons of color, and therefor unworthy because they are inherently shiftless, violent and promiscuous. A person who is truly poor would be barefoot, dressed in filthy rags and living on the mean streets and scavenging for food in dumpsters. To qualify as poor means they can't have any possessions whatsoever... OK. maybe a chipped begging bowl is permitted. Yet they must be required to"invest in their own health care"?

How many times have you heard some Republican argue that anyone living in an actual building with electricity and running water cannot really qualify as being poor. They think having a low wage job or doing to school is not a sign of being poor. If people live in a building that includes a stove and fridge, and comes with basic WiFi and cable, that's a sign of affluence. Poor people need to choose between such luxuries and "make wise financial decisions if they really wanted to have access to health care."

[Ilsa]

50. Keep insisting that all Americans deserve the health plan they're getting. NT

[Ilsa]

51. "I couldn't afford insurance, even after using my food stamps for lobster

and ribeyes," is what the gop thinks the problem is.

[JustAnotherGen]

52. Totally misses the point

That we need consumerism to survive as a country. Totally doesn't get 'that'. Always popping off with nonsense. Doesn't the ass wipe get that during the down turn/recession people cut land lines for cell phones? That if you want a job you can take the call regardless of your living situation? I.E. Land line isn't needed for someone in shelter housing or staying with people to get on their feet?

He gets nothing except his cushy job and big fat salary he does nothing to earn.

[Lanius]

130. And some people use their smart phones as their main device for Internet connectivity since they

can't afford a laptop or desktop PC.

[JustAnotherGen]

142. Yep

[Blue_true]

53. So, the top IPhone costs around $700 total.

A shitty health insurance policy costs $500+ per month. Where did that idiot study math?

Asking many Americans to come up with $500+ per month that most don't have insures that many of the are going to die.

[bora13]

57. save save and save some more

come on. they want you to save .50 here and $1 there in a savings account that pays like .5% interest and
not be tempted by those TV commercials you shouldn't be watching on that TV you can't afford while eating that
food you shouldn't be splurging on while being heated by that heat that is probably up to high.

Meanwhile, they have probably contributed to lowering your life expectancy in more ways than most
iphone users can't imagine. They have probably over-charged you in rent or fuel or food somewhere along the line.

But you as the low-income survivor are the one who should remain under a rock w/o ANY modern conveniences or
necessities. You non-discretionary spending fool!

[tclambert]

138. When have Republicans ever done arithmetic right?

Republican math: Mllions of dollars cut from social programs balances billions of dollars added to the defense budget plus billions in tax cuts for the rich.

[eyeofnewt]

56. I missed something

"rather than getting that new iPhone" - would an android be as bad Jason?



And, where's the part of this debacle replacement that reigns in the insurance industry? I'm sure it's in there.



Arrogant out of touch moron. Grrrrrrrrr......

[usedtobedemgurl]

60. Wealthcare.....

That is what this is. Healthcare for those who have money is wealthcare.

[oasis]

61. "Choices" for many may be choosing between prescription drugs and food. nt

[ehrnst]

62. My iPhone cost less than one month's health care coverage.

and I use it a whole lot more often than the health care coverage.

Notice that they will call the poor frivolous for having cable or a refrigerator, but never a car.

That's because their rural base need cars to get to work.

[Mendocino]

66. The cost of an I-phone pays for

about 8 minutes in an ER.

What planet is this guy from...Kolob?

[Blue_Tires]

65. This is the "Lobster-eating, Cadillac-driving welfare queens" for 2017

[dlk]

67. The Latest Iteration of Reagan's Welfare Queen Myth

Make no mistake, Republicans hate people in need and go overboard maligning them. In their minds, this absolves them of any responsibility to help make their lives better because they like to believe difficult circumstances and adversity are a choice.

[moonseller66]

69. Not only iPhones...

Wasn't it just a few years ago Fox and Fiends went totally berserk over poor people with the audacity of having refrigerators and even, gads! TVs?

I seem to recall they were just soooo outraged the poor spent money on those "luxuries" instead of....whatever!

[Miles Archer]

70. "Those darn phones are expensive": Fox News helps GOP rep. save face after comparing health care to

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/those-darn-phones-are-expensive-fox-news-helps-gop-rep-save-face-after-comparing-health-care-to-iphones/

Chaffetz appeared later that morning on Fox News, where tried to clean up his remarks.

“What we’re trying to say, and maybe I didn’t say it as smoothly as I possibly could, but people need to make a conscious choice, and I believe in self-reliance,” Chaffetz said.

He argued that Americans should choose health care over consumer products, especially if they have pre-existing conditions, but he didn’t like forcing them to participate — although the GOP plan penalizes those who allow their coverage to lapse.

“Those are the types of things you need to make a choice and decision in your life,” Chaffetz said. “And as an adult, you get to make those decisions and live by those consequences.”

[BSdetect]

71. I once knew a conservative politician who thought everyone had a cell phone

In the very early days of cell phones.

Hilarious contrast.

[napi21]

78. Has this JA ever priced an Iphone? The damn phone costs LESS than ONE MONTH of health ins!

When my son was paying for ins for him & his wife, he was paying $1,000+ A MONTH! He finally found some ins. outside of the ACA that didn't cover pregnancy so it wasn't ACA compliant, but it cost $350/mo. I don't recommend doing that, but it sure proves what a JA Chaffetz is.

[GoCubsGo]

113. It's not that he's never priced an iPhone.

It's that he hasn't got a goddamn clue how much health insurance costs. He has likely had his employer paying for his insurance all of his life. Before he got the gold-plated taxpayer-funded stuff, he was probably paying a few dollars a month for employer-subsidized insurance. No doubt that's what he's thinking.

[annabanana]

79. And the cost of an iphone will cover, what? Triple bypass?

even a little angioplasty?

su-u-u-ure it will

[sarge43]

119. Hubby's triple bypass cost 80K.

The cheapest iphone on Amazon is $130. According to the calculator on my Android, 80K would buy 600+ of that phone.

Yeah, screw a life saving operation when we can have hundreds of iphones.

just in case.

[sarcasmo]

80. Who would Republican Jesus screw?

Everyone but the Uber rich.

[Blue_Tires]

83. Chaffetz is a cockroach

Link to tweet

[3catwoman3]

125. Cockroach is a much better...

...appellation for Chaffetz and his ilk than weasel. We shouldn't be insulting weasels this way.

Liver fluke and tapeworm work too - scum like Chaffetz are parasites in their own way. Living high off the government teat while doing a piss poor job in return.

[neeksgeek]

84. News flash for you, Jason

Dear Mr. Representative:
Most people of limited means (I'll just shorten that to "most people&quot pay for their phones in installments. My iPhone (which I'm posting from) is leased to me and costs about $16 and change each month. This is about 10% of the total cost of our phone/data plan. So, roughly $160 a month. What major illness is that going to cover? What good health insurance can I get for $160 a month?

I share the phone plan with my wife. Her phone is also leased. We don't have cable TV or a landline, but we do have cable internet. These phones and data links are not a luxury. We each use our phones to communicate with work, network, look for jobs, navigate, stay in touch with family and friends, and yes, watch the news, read, and stay informed.

It's not optional. If you weren't a member of the 1% you'd know that.

[Lanius]

152. When I was down on my luck and relocated cities three years ago

all I had for a month was my smart phone. That was invaluable to me for email, keeping in touch with friends, looking for work and reading local and national news.

Now, as I'm looking to relocate this summer, I'm sure I'll rely a lot on my new iPhone, which I'm also paying for in monthly installments.

[Watchfoxheadexplodes]

85. Was this equal to Reagans pink Cadillac slight?

I thought it was.

[liberalmuse]

86. This is what evil looks like...

It is willfully ignorant people devoid of compassion in power.

[videohead5]

87. This Will Be

In ads against the bill coming to your TV very soon.

[Demsrule86]

89. Dear POS Chaffetz

I sincerely hope that you experience something akin to what poor people go through every day...oh and I don't care if you go to church every hour on Sunday...you will be sent straight to hell upon you death.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

91. Proving again

Chaffetz like most other Republicans is a clueless horse's ass.

[lark]

92. Total fucking idiot!

The cost of an I-Phone might cover expenses for 1 primary care visit, labs and x-ray, and a specialist consult, that's it, for the most expensive I-Phone! It would not pay for any treatment, any therapy, any rx costs. He's an ignorant rich congress-critter who obviously doesn't understand a damn thing at all about medicine. He probably pays less than the cost of an I-Phone for his coverage because he's got the Lexus version and we tax payers subsidize his and the rest of Congress' expense. He has no clue that a 3 day hospital stay can be $100,000 in patient costs but the insurance companies only would pay $3000 due to their favorable contracts. So, the consumer forgoes the phone and has the visits that pays for. What would they do to raise the other $100,000 it would cost them for surgery, therapy and drugs, not get them and die?

these folks are total retards, they don't know the facts and totally don't care as long as they help the rich and fuck us.

[mvd]

94. Exactly

They have no idea what it is like. Nor do they even try to think it out. Sometimes their vileness comes out despite efforts to hide it.

[area51]

98. As people have mentioned upthread,

this is the republinazi continuation of their argument that "if people have a car or a tv or a fridge, they're not really poor."

Their version of the ACA is an attempt at genocide.

[Freedomofspeech]

101. Maybe he could go fuck himself.

[Iggo]

102. Live poor, Fuckface.

Try it, or shut the fuck up.

[The Wizard]

105. A just God would have

struck this little weasel with a five million volt lightening bolt by now. The scoundrel Chavettez gives the Jewish people a bad name. He needs foreskin restoration.

[MrScorpio]

106. This is typical winger thinking

[Orsino]

107. We would all have health coverage...

...if tax cuts for the rich didn't turn into private donations that keep zeros like Chaffetz in office.

[stollen]

108. Both his DC and Provo boxes are full.

His office should be taking calls, but they're not. This guy has got to be the next to go in the GOP. What a pimp.

[Solly Mack]

109. The GOP is offering up nothing besides death and misery.

And they are using the same old tired prejudices against the poor as they hide behind the words "personal responsibility" to do so.

Those fat cats sit up there in DC and pretend that no where along the way has anyone ever helped them.

From inherited money to having better choices in life afforded by parents who also had better choices in life because they didn't grow up poor.

Those same fat cats create laws and strip services that make it harder and harder to move out of poverty.

Fat cats slurping up the milk of profit over people, and then telling poor people to go find some powdered milk, and here, have some Flint water to mix it with.

Fuck Chaffetz.

[Beartracks]

112. Rednecks could have teeth if they didn't spend money on new pickup trucks.

Just sayin'. Makes about as much sense as your inane stereotype, Chaffetz.

======================

[Stuart G]

114. Let us hear applause for ...Rep Jason Chaffetz...(R-UT)....yes applause...why?

He said so, in this one sentence.................................

“And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and want to go spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own health care.”...................................

Has defined and clarified what the Republicans are and stand for.....It was what Republicans have always believed about poor people, and to hear it now in a way is totally reassuring. Callous, self-centered, knowing, and hateful. That is who they are.

[Angry Dragon]

116. ASS

[erpowers]

117. Just Stupid

First, low income families are not going out and buying iPhones; they cannot afford them. Second, this guy is claiming that a phone that costs between $600 and $1,000 is the reason low income Americans cannot afford healthcare when one hospital bill can cost more than $1,000. Does this guy realize that there are medicines that cost hundreds and thousands of dollars per pill? His comment makes me think members of Congress should lose their healthcare. If they see what it is like to live like regular people maybe they will no longer say stupid things like Chaffetz said.

[cstanleytech]

118. *shocked* I have a new iphone? Why didnt anyone tell me I had one? Thank goodness though because now

I can get rid of this old +3 year old phone I was using.

[lpbk2713]

121. And if the GOP Cong Critters thought they had more money ...

they would look for new ways to take it away from them.

[Bigredhunk]

123. -

Link to tweet

[RobertDevereaux]

124. Support Chaffetz's potential 2018 opponent...

https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/181376/the-us-congress-needs-a-caring-physician

[calimary]

129. Heads up, guys! HERE! There is an alternative.

I find it so curious that the doctors who've gone into politics all seem to be republi-CONS. I don't understand why. Surely a doctor must have some sense of compassion and empathy. Isn't their most basic creed "First, do no harm"?

As my mother used to say - "heart like a BB."

[muntrv]

126. As if $700 will cover healthcare.

[cstanleytech]

132. Not to mention alot of people get those phones with payment plans that they slowly pay it off as

not everyone has 700 bucks lying around, I know I sure as hell dont but then that probably why my phones so old.

[xor]

144. And not every smart phone is a $700 iPhone

Which seems to be a common thing these sorts of people like to bring up. "How can they be poor if they have $800 iPhone?" Well, idiots, it's a $40 android device that they bought at Walmart three years ago and they have a $25/mo plan so they can exist in the world.


Oh, the other thing is when they mention 32-inch flat screen TVs as some sort sign of wasteful spending. Which means they think that it's unreasonable for someone to be able to save up $100 over time for a TV. That's a new TV too. It's even cheaper if someone buys it used or even gets for free. I'm constantly pointing out their ridiculous and illogical comments, but its like it doesn't register. Not sure if it's willful or if they are simply incapable of it.

[Lanius]

131. Conservatives hate the poor and have denigrated and scapegoated them since the 19th century

Back then, the popular sentiment was the poor were poor because they spent all their money on tobacco and booze.

IMO this goes back to the High Middle Ages, when the nobility and wealthy merchant class looked at the lower classes like they weren't human and deserved their poverty and misery.

[47of74]

139. Hey Jason

That is all.

[xor]

143. Ahhhhh soooo that's where that's coming from.

Someone said that to me earlier while discussing healthcare. I laughed and asked them how much they think iPhones cost. It's amazing how people take these ridiculous comments and just run with them without giving much thought to what they are parroting.

If only healthcare cost a few hundred bucks a year (assuming people don't get a new phone every month)

[steve2470]

145. And to add to everyone's comments, Health Savings Accounts are such a stupid idea....

If you're rich, it could work, if you can set aside a huge amount of money for a cancer diagnosis or HIV, etc.

If you're upper middle class, one extended stint in the hospital would eat up ALL of your HSA. Then you'd be shit out of luck.

If you're anyone else, your HSA would go poof with one operation. Again, you'd be SOL.

What he's REALLY saying, is that only the rich, high income and well-employed (those with good insurance plans) deserve health care. Everyone else can fucking die in the streets and be buried in an unmarked grave in his world. Asshole. Shades of the 19th century.

[PatrickforO]

146. OK, aside from the repugnance of this comment, let's look critically at the claim that

people have choices. What if your're priced out of the market and can't afford coverage even if you give up your iPhone and every other thing that makes life in any way worth living - rid yourself of cable, television, everything but basic furniture and by generic everything. You probably STILL won't be able to afford healthcare on the ol' wild-and-wooly wide-open rodeo that is the 'free market'.

So, what's your choice and what is freedom?

Well clearly you are free to die. The GOP just hopes you have the decency to do it out of sight so it isn't awkward for them.

As to choices? Oh, gosh, we have to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps, so you clearly haven't been working hard enough! Get a third job! So no fun, EVER, and work 18 hours a day.

And this is a great country? An EXCEPTIONAL county?

Hey, for the upper echelon, it IS! It's GREAT! And YOU can aspire to that, too! You just have to work really, really, really, really, really, REALLY HARD. Oh, and it would help if your parents were rich so they could send you to get a good college education at a good school, and you wouldn't have to graduate $100K in debt.

Oh, and it would help if you are white.

And it is better if you're not Muslim, or Jewish, or African American or Hispanic.

And it's better if you're not a woman, and if you are, be white and childless, because the 'ol 'free' market is BRUTAL to single moms.

So, you get the idea. The guy is a piece of smug Republican shit.

[nolabels]

147. Why are these (R)'s dumber than a fence post?

And it's been said before, Cell phone tech and Smart-phones have been a game changer in many arenas.

They should stick with something they know about, like how to be full of crap

[lame54]

148. Betcha Apple is loving this guy

[downeastdaniel]

149. That remark is gonna leave a mark...an empty mark of where he used to work, the dumb fuck Chaffetz

[Calculating]

150. I guarantee he'll be re-elected

I mean this IS Utard we're talking about. The state that never gets tired of an 80 year old Orrin Hatch who can barely speak a coherent sentence anymore. All that matters here in Utardia is a candidate having an R by their name.

[Calculating]

151. Chaffetz is a moron

Does he have any idea how much a phone costs vs the cost of health insurance? It's not even close. Apparently the poor aren't supposed to have tv's, cell phones, personal internet or working cars. They should just live in shanty towns and be grateful for the scraps thrown to them by the 1%.

I've come to the inevitable conclusion that Republicans simply HATE the poor with a burning passion. They basically believe that the poor are drags upon society and should just be sterilized, starved, abused etc. After all, if people deserve to be successful they WILL be successful. If you're poor it's because you deserve it in their opinion.