Gleaning Facebook: Poor Phil

 I heard with my own ears Congressman Phil Gingrey, a multi-millionaire, unctuously explain to eight-, nine-, and ten-year-olds, that he could never be President because he doesn't have enough money to be a serious candidate. I'm sure those middle class (and below) children were inspired by our elected representative to strive to be leaders of the next generation --- well, if they could just luck out in the lottery.

Now our Tea-Party-beloved foot-in-mouth candidate for the US Senate is whining about his $172K salary (He actually receives $174K a year from you and me.)

I say let's help the poor ol' boy out by sending him back to his lucrative career in medicine.

Though how in the world this fellow ever made it through medical school I'll never understand.

Comments:

Jackson Williamson I wish I was "stuck" making 172k...
Sarah Anne I remember, I was there that day . I was shocked he would say that myself. And I'd say, "yep, he's stuck alright, stuck thinking he needs more, more more! What a horrible feeling that must be" I pity.
John Countryman Another beneficiary of Citizens United, an incredible misnomer.
Mary Nisbet Asbury The poor guy! How does he make ends meet?
Terrell Shaw And today the [I'd have to break a solemn promise to myself if I were to appropriately label Cong. Gingrey] voted to hold our entire economy hostage to his desire to change a constitutionally approved law that he does not have the votes to change in an ethical manner. Send Gingrey and Graves a message - The time to reduce spending is before you incur a debt not when its time to pay for what you've already bought!
John Countryman Amen, brother!
Judi Borgo Gingrey could retire and get "unstuck," but let's not up his salary to a senatorial level.
Dan Bevels As a person who generally votes Republican, allow me to say, without pause, that Gingrey is a doofus.
Greg McCary Send them a message. You may as well go out and talk to a cow.
Terrell Shaw True, Greg. But standing around the pasture there may be some folks who, without our voices of reason, will hear nothing but raucous bleating and foamy lowing. It's disheartening to be in a local minority, I admit, but I think we have an obligation to hearten each other and those who may need a prod to move away from the herd. 

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A friend, Christie Boyd, shared this post and 17 more comments happened. I'd like to preserve those here:

Lynn Traylor If he had a lucrative career in medicine, he won't have when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented...
Terrell Shaw Had to look up "SMH", Christie. Lynn, it's a mixed bag for doctors, but they'll do fine overall. More money for Medicaid, incentives for serving in smaller communities, money for services that might have been de facto pro bono. On the other hand if they were getting paid for unnecessary tests and procedures, or for emergency services that can be prevented by earlier intervention, they might have a harder time of it.
D Jonathan Weaver The Democrats are as bad. This is like the pot calling the kettle black.
Chick Harvey Does this mean the surfer in California will loose his food stamps? Dang, he might to have to get a job. Wow, guess the surf is not up in his future. These folks are the trash taking food out of children's mouths and dollars out of the hard working American's paychecks. Wonder why we haven't heard complaints about this fraud from the liberal left?
Jessica Jay To be fair, if you actually read/watched, he was saying that congressmen (LIKE HIMSELF) should not be begging for a raise (as they are) because the country is in a state of despair and no one else is getting raises or even jobs for that matter. he then said, that at least they as congressmen could lean back on lobbying money (although frowned upon) if they got desperate while the American public could not.he then stated that he feels them, as he is stuck here making 172,000 when he could be out practicing medicine making more, but chooses not to because politics are what he feels he needs to be doing. Just like with the bible, we are quick to pull out sentences and phrases and twist them to fit our objectives. We have to be careful about these kind of things.
Jessica Jay I also am not saying I agree or disagree with what he is saying, I am just saying lets not pull one phrase out and twist it =]
D Jonathan Weaver Oh you're asking honesty out of a politician...? Good luck (@ least with the majority of them).
Christie Hufstedler Boyd Chick, the surfer dude is just one example and I know there are many more fraud cases; however, we have hard working people who come to Women of Worth and the Free Clinic of Rome who are beyond the end of desperation. I had a patient at the Free Clinic last week that said her husband was dying. The cost of his treatment for the procedure for his illness (without telling too much) is $400,000. They don't have any insurance because he was the breadwinner. The doctors told them to come home and have fundraisers! Her step-daughter brought her baby for them to keep for a few weeks while she got on her feet in a new job out of state. They haven't heard from her in three years. While she loves that grandbaby with all she has, she can't afford her but is doing the best she can. She has a blood pressure that is at stroke level with medication. She said she felt better just being able to vent to a caring nurse. What do people like her do?
D Jonathan Weaver So government is to be the catch all? Seriously? I'm not being heartless, but where is The Church in all of this? I know where your heart is at, and I get it, I even agree, but the government is inefficient and doesn't do the job and yet people want to fork over more control to the government? Sorry, but no.
Christie Hufstedler Boyd They have a church. It is her saving grace. They help them with some food and that's all. They don't receive any government money. And, yes, David. I do not believe with every fiber of my being that we should be at war or anything else when we have people doing without at home! I am not an isolationist. We have to and should be a part of the world as a government but we need to take care of our own.
D Jonathan Weaver Interesting that you say they have a church. Once again I'll ask the question. Where is The Church? Don't know why you brought war into this. We need to take care of our own, but we want the government to do it? I find it interesting that people would rather let the government tax the crap out of them, rather than actually give the money to the people themselves. I guess it relieves the sense of personal responsibility. And I know you give so this isn't aimed at you personally, but rather the group thought of government "charity" and the governments role in our lives. I'm also not an isolationist, but I'm also not for government going beyond what it should be doing. Most of the problems here in this country are because of the government, and people abdicating their humanity in favor of governmental control of their lives. This area sadly being one of them.
Christie Hufstedler Boyd David, you have no idea of my Christianity. When we had money to share we always did. Now, we don't have extra cash lying around and neither does our church. We are just barely making our budget but by the grace of God we are. Everyone doesn't attend churches that are rolling in cash. It does not prevent me from working in the Community Kitchen, The Free Clinic of Rome or Women of W.O.R.T.H., Inc. There are lots of ways to help...
D Jonathan Weaver I'm not talking about your personal Christianity. Notice the emphasis. THE CHURCH. I understand that there are poor churches out there. I know there are a lot of ways to help. I know you help, I've seen it, and I've heard about it (from others). I'm not singling you out (or at least that wasn't my intent, and I apologize if that is the notion I left with you). There are other methods of charity that should be the leader and predominate force in this arena, which @ the forefront should be THE CHURCH, not the government. Maybe I should clear up what I mean when I say THE CHURCH. I'm not talking about the individual churches that are attended during services. I'm talking about the whole body of believers. Yes, practically speaking the charity would come from a local source, be it church or para-church organization, but I'm talking about the mindset. Christians, as a whole, have forgotten that charity is something that quite literally is required by God of His followers both in the Old and New Testament. It was part of the law, that went above and beyond offerings to Him. It was a separate issue. The further you get away from the problem to provide the answer, the less efficient the answer becomes. Government is very far removed from the problem because 1. it isn't local (@ least not @ the federal level) 2. the bureaucracy is inefficient by nature. THE CHURCH is suppose to be involved with and engaged with community, both local and abroad. And while THE CHURCH may understand it in theory, practical application, on the whole, is lacking.

Terrell Shaw Don't want to re-argue stuff that I have said elsewhere and so just a few comments re the discussion above and I'm outa here

- Taxes are way down over the last three decades - As a result we have the greatest discrepancy in income b/t rich and poor of my lifetime. - The lower and middle classes hurting - Our financial problems are not a result of welfare fraud, which is way down from pre-Clinton years. Fraud will always exist in government and business and should be punished vigorously. - Workers deserve a greater share of the fruits of their labors. In real terms and constant money they have lost ground over the last 30 years - The Obama years have resulted in a slowing of debt, despite the unprecedented obstructionism he has faced - The trickle-down theory has been thoroughly disproved - A balance between socialism and capitalism allows liberty and incentive while providing a strong economic base to keep the economy growing. - Too radical socialism and we lose liberty and incentive - Too radical capitalism and we lose liberty and incentive

Terrell Shaw I should always write offline. I often post accidentally before I'm ready. Ill just add: I believe to my soul that all of us should share the burden of providing healthcare. That is most efficient financially. It helps reduce overall healthcare costs. It makes for a healthier more robust workforce and so helps the economy overall. A profit motive in healthcare is NOT what I want when those I love are sick. I have seen the inefficiencies of big and little business and they are certainly akin to those in government and at least I have an equal vote with the billionaires -- well did in theory until Citizens United.
Christie Hufstedler Boyd Ginny, I work in two clinics, one low-cost and one free. The patients at the Free Clinic are, for the most part, I'd say 50% too ill to work and too young for Social Security and 50% working but only make enough to just barely get by. The women at the low-cost clinic, very nearly 90% have jobs but they are minimum wage. They are hard working people and just getting by the best they know how. Probably 25-30% have college degrees but no place to work except fast food. We have had one college professor who only gets enough hours to struggle but not eligible for benefits. You'd be surprised how hard they work for little to just barely enough.

Ringstaff Marilyn What's really hard for us to see Christie are the numbers of women who are trying to work but they have health problems they can't afford to get fixed and can't get any help: like the fast food worker who has to run to the bathroom every few minutes to push her uterus back inside or the day care worker bleeding so much from this huge fibroid she has that she gets dizzy when she bends over to pick up a baby.