Repugnant republicans think women should be in the home

Friday, February 18, 2011 Politics

House republicans want to cut spending in many areas, but seem to be concentrating on a war against women. It is not, however, just at the federal level that this is happening. States [http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2011/02/16/gop-head-start-marry/] are also getting in on the act.

In yet another example, the Frederick County, Maryland, Board of County Commissioners voted to end the county’s contribution to its Head Start program, cutting overall funding for the program by more than 50 percent. Two of the Republican officials justified their decision to cut Head Start — which provides early childhood education to the children of low-income parents — by saying that women should really be married and home with their kids, thus rendering the program unnecessary:

COMMISSIONER C. PAUL SMITH (R): I think its very significant that we did make this marriage week announcement today, because that is the best long-term way to help our children, as marriage is strengthened in our community. As many of you know, I had a lot of kids, and my wife stayed home, at significant sacrifice, during those early years, because she knew she had to be with those kids at that critical age. I know everybody isn’t able to survive doing that, but clearly, as we can strengthen marriage we can decrease the children that we have to reach.

COMMISSIONER KIRBY DELAUTER (R): My wife, college educated, could go out and get a very good job. She gave that up for 18 years so she could stay home with our kids, we had to give up a lot to do that. I agree again with Commissioner Smith, you know, the marriage thing is very important. I mean, education of your kids starts at home, okay? I never relied on anyone else to guarantee the education of my kids.

These two republicans obviously have no clue how hard it is to be in a low-income family or a single parent family. America is no longer a nation that has two parents in every home, nor can most families survive on one income. Smith and Delauter would rather live in their own little world where everything works just as they imagine it to be.