As reported by our Ellen, Bill O'Reilly and his Fox posse, Megyn Kelly and Brian Kilmeade did themselves proud during their recent fundraiser for schools run by Bill's home parish, St. Mary's in posh Manhasset NY. Distancing themselves from the new "Marxist" Pope, the three Catholic (Kelly's official status is questionable given her divorce and non-Catholic second marriage) amigos whined about how poor rich folks are being maligned by those lazy, filthy "takers." But according to Bill, the benefit was supposed to be for scholarships which, one assumes, would go to the children of these takers. On "The Factor," Bill said that "the show will benefit poor kids." But given O'Reilly's aversion to truthiness and the lack of specifics on the receipts, poor kids might not be benefiting. O'Reilly et al. might have been, literally speaking, preaching to the choir. It's a complex world...
Information about this event, on various St. Mary's sites (Facebook, parish bulletin), doesn't specify where the money is going except for "Schools at St. Mary's." So if it's not going to scholarships, it's helping out kids whose parents are "makers" and can afford the grammar school tuition which ranges from $4700 to $8725 depending on the circumstances and the high school tuition which ranges from $8600 to $9275. So one assumes that there aren't a lot of food stamp grubbing or folks saying "gimme, gimme, gimme," in this crowd - but rather, captains of industry whose tax advantages are due reward for their beneficence to humanity. And when these parents and other makers, willing to shell out the $78 to $303 for the pleasure and edification brought about by Bill's sagacity, roared their approval over the well deserved barbs at those lazy, poor slackers, they did so with the knowledge that they are, like O'Reilly, God's chosen people (Catholic, of course.)
If the money isn't going for scholarships, this wouldn't have been an issue for Bill's presumably Catholic audience who, given their positive response to his gospel of supply side Jesus ignore, like Bill, Jesus' teachings about the poor. But if the money is going to scholarships, it will benefit those whom Bill and his audience feel are unworthy. Bill says the money is for poor kids. But he hates their moocher parents. Go figure.
BOR: "Private schools need money for scholarships and extracurricular activities,” he said. “There are a lot of poor kids who can’t afford the tuition.”
Yet BOR has repeatedly mocked and shown scorn for the poor, ahem, the “takers” (as have his FOX “news” colleagues who rather seem to enjoy taking poke after poke at our nation’s poor; it’s not a “war on the rich” as they would have you believe. The wealthy are doing quite well and will continue to do so. In reality, it’s a war on the poor – and middle class I might add – who help to make the rich so wealthy; it’s not “trickle down”…it’s trickle up and the poor get very little respect for their contributions to the bank accounts of the wealthy).
So, apparently, it’s an acceptable form of needy if you want tuition assistance to put your kid into a private Catholic school but not so much when you need assistance for things like food and health insurance? Gotcha – compassionate conservatism at it’s best (worst).
Right-wing “logic” in action.
It’s the same mindset that leads people to oppose abortion and contraception but turn around and support cuts to social programs which help support the born children living in poverty conditions.