The Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina, Andre Bauer, recently stirred up controversy and found himself skewered on the Daily Show after comparing poor children on free or reduced lunch plans to stray animals. He stated, at a town hall, ”My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You’re facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don’t think too much further than that.”

In  recession, where millions of Americans are struggling, Mr. Bauer’s comments are insensitive and ignorant. As a public official, he should have a basic understanding of why so many people are struggling. Further, Mr. Bauer ignores the root causes of poverty. Instead, he compares those who in need to animals, and animals who “don’t thing too much further” than getting food and reproducing. Read more…

I adore Jon Stewart for many reasons, but at the top of my list is his expose of hypocrisy in politics and media.  And his willingness to call a spade a spade, with a twist of humor and a punch to the brain.

A few weeks ago, President Obama announced his mortgage plan, a plan to help prevent millions of foreclosures. Quick on his heels was CNBC’s Rick Santelli , a veteran of Wallstreet. The rant was an off-the-cuff response to the Obama plan and became quite famous in the aftermath for capturing the flaring tempers of the billion dollar plan.  Many network and cable news institutions covered the rant, but none better than the feisty and hilarious Jon Stewart. Read more…