Colorado City, Utah 2003. In Jon Krakauer's book Under The Banner Of Heaven 1 he takes a close look at the fundamentalist Mormons that used to be based in Colorado City, UT & AZ (city straddles both states for mostly tax reasons.) Most didn't work, officially anyway, because they practice what they term as 'Bleeding the Beast'. Their disdain of big government runs so deep that they try to do everything they can do to bring down big government, by taking advantage of every social program available to them. All while living in air conditioned 16 thousand sq. ft houses.
These pilfered programs include Medicaid or Medicare, Social Security (even though most have never given a dime to Social Security), welfare (for many 'wives' and children), and many others. As of 2003, $6,000,000, yes $6 million dollars was funneled to Colorado City in public funds.
And they were shrewd too. Lawyers were on duty to hide and transfer and allocate and look for every opportunity to bleed the beast. More than $4 million of 'big government' funds went to the Colorado City Public School District, that was so corrupt with administration overhead, they found the need for a Cessna 210 airplane (for over $200,00), to facilitate vacations for the upper echelon of district employees.
Big business...seems to me they were the very definition of big business.
Forward to today. 2011. Now, I know that many of you will say "what better reason to get rid of these social programs". Now, I overheard a man in a doctors office in Orem, Utah wearing a G.O.P. hat emblazoned with red, white and blue talking to his wife on the phone. They were discussing whether or not to hire a lawyer to make sure that they got social security disability payments for, what I assume was a catastrophic event in his ability to work. "Aren't you glad we have safety nets like disability?" I asked after a few minutes. He grumbled a little bit, and said "I better get it, before it's gone"
I often wonder if people REALLY thought about the social and economic value of most (I said most, not all) of the programs, not to mention the emotional value, and you needed them...would you say "no thank you, I'm a Republican"?
These pilfered programs include Medicaid or Medicare, Social Security (even though most have never given a dime to Social Security), welfare (for many 'wives' and children), and many others. As of 2003, $6,000,000, yes $6 million dollars was funneled to Colorado City in public funds.
And they were shrewd too. Lawyers were on duty to hide and transfer and allocate and look for every opportunity to bleed the beast. More than $4 million of 'big government' funds went to the Colorado City Public School District, that was so corrupt with administration overhead, they found the need for a Cessna 210 airplane (for over $200,00), to facilitate vacations for the upper echelon of district employees.
Forward to today. 2011. Now, I know that many of you will say "what better reason to get rid of these social programs". Now, I overheard a man in a doctors office in Orem, Utah wearing a G.O.P. hat emblazoned with red, white and blue talking to his wife on the phone. They were discussing whether or not to hire a lawyer to make sure that they got social security disability payments for, what I assume was a catastrophic event in his ability to work. "Aren't you glad we have safety nets like disability?" I asked after a few minutes. He grumbled a little bit, and said "I better get it, before it's gone"
I often wonder if people REALLY thought about the social and economic value of most (I said most, not all) of the programs, not to mention the emotional value, and you needed them...would you say "no thank you, I'm a Republican"?
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