The two worst periods of oppressive inflation I have experienced were both under Democratic presidents. Jimmy Carter was in office during a stagnant economy and double-digit inflation. Joe Biden was in office during a time of almost double-digit inflation. Both paid the penalty in that they were both one-term presidents. Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump were the beneficiaries of the economic malaise.

Reagan addressed the issue of inflation by attacking unions and cutting taxes, primarily for our plutocrats, declaring that the wealth created would “trickle down” to the rest of us. Trump has gone on a rampage against government itself. The president is removing support from nearly all programs that help the starving and otherwise marginal at home and around the world. Why should we as a people pay for the survival of the disadvantaged? Are they not themselves responsible for their misery?

This, of course, ignores social and cultural structures that impose that misery. In order to make this position palatable, social myths (today, I suppose, memes) have to be created. The most effective being the “welfare queen.” Like any program involving money (The Pension Fund Was Just Sitting There) there will be people willing and able to cheat the system, and our welfare system is not immune, but the cost of fraud has never reached 10% (usually far less) and the vast majority of that fraud is committed by businesses serving the recipients of government benefits. But Reagan created the welfare queen, and she will be with us always.

In Wednesday’s Dispatch, Stan Wheeler declared the meme to be alive and well. In his letter, he wrote that food stamp recipients took two (!) grocery carts of free food and placed them in their “brand new Mercedes Benz, BMW, Cadillac Denali, etc.” I particularly like the et cetera. I am impressed that Mr. Wheeler was willing to invest the time and endure the tedium to both watch all the checkout registers for food stamp use and to follow those who used them to the parking lot and observe luxury car abuses of the SNAP. Whether Mr. Wheeler actually observed this malfeasance, thanks to Mr. Reagan, we all know it happens.

I suppose the solution is to let poor people die. At least there would be no welfare queening going on.

As a footnote, from 1928 to 1935, an average of over 200 people per day were found dead of exposure on the streets of New York City — per day! After the New Deal that number dropped to under 20. I am sure somebody had already figured a way to game the system. I think 180 people per day in one city alone is worth suffering a trivial bit of waste and fraud.

Bill Gillmore

Columbus