Government Handouts Turn Recipients into ‘Addicts,’ Former VP Candidate Says

LAS VEGAS–The government’s spending programs are keeping the people who receive the help “addicted” to aid, said Wayne Allyn Root, author of the new book, “The Murder of the Middle Class.”

The problem not only exists with the U.S. government but in states such as California, where heavy government regulation and spending raise the costs of goods and services, said Root, who was the 2008 Libertarian Party vice-presidential nominee. President Obama and many other lawmakers today continue to advocate policies that increase the dependency of people on the government.

“Once you take a government check, you can’t get out of it,” said Root. “It’s like a drug addict.”

Root also compared the situation to “battered-wife’ syndrome in which a spouse will be abused but yet defend her husband when the police arrive to save her from further harm.

Both Democrats and Republicans took verbal barbs from Root during his July 11 speech at FreedomFest here.

“Who would trade five mass murderers for one deserter?” Root said as he began to criticize President Obama., who he described as a “pure communist, Marxist.”

“There is something very wrong with the man in the White House,” Root said.

At this moment, terrorists are entering America and the border is so open that a “four-year-old in diapers” can walk across, Root said.

“All he [Obama] does is party all day long while the world is falling apart,” Root said.

The job market has become so bad that only 31% of Americans work full time, Root said. As a result, 80 million people are carrying the weight of estimated U.S. population of 318.4 million, Root added.

Roughly 60% of the jobs created since Obama has become president are minimum wage, Root said.

“Democrats are evil and out to destroy this country,” Root said.

President Obama has become the “biggest debt creator” in America, Root said.

However, President Obama is “brilliant,” Root said.

“He knows he is selling something,” Root said.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell looks like the guy who died in the movie, “Weekend at Bernie’s,” Root said. Neither McConnell nor House Speaker John Boehner know how to negotiate, Root added.

The time has come to organize “million man marches” in Washington, Root said.

Root said it makes him “sick” to think about happened in Mississippi with Sen. Thad Cochran’s campaign reaching out to Democrats to vote in the Republican Party primary for the incumbent against tea party favorite Chris McDaniel. The incumbent’s campaign workers reportedly paid black voters $15 each to support Sen. Cochran. Root added.

Root’s familiarity with President Obama began when both studied as undergraduates at Columbia University.
“Obama was a pot smoker and slacker,” Root said.

Root also singled out Michigan as “probably the worst place in America.” With an incredulous tone, Root continued that movie makers are willing to go to “freaking Michigan” to make films due to an “income tax” holiday offered by the state.

Rather than just criticize others, Root offered his own economic plan. But it offered nothing he had not proposed previously. He called the plan his “middle class contract” with America.

In harkening back to the days of a previous president, Root said, “I am proposing Reagan on steroids.”

For one year, people will be able to keep 100% of their own income with no taxes paid to fund the operation of the U.S. government, Root said. That policy would create millions of middle class jobs, he added.

“You’ve got to go big,” Root said.

In describing his proposal as the 0-15-0 plan, Root said he would offer a one-year tax holiday for individuals that would be followed in future years by a 15% flat tax, with a zero capital gains tax.

Those tax policies would spur job growth, since 90% of new jobs are created by new businesses, Root said. To further grow jobs, investors will be offered a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of $50,000, he added.

As a way to reduce government spending, an across-the-board 10% cut would be imposed on the budget of each federal agency for three successive years.

Canada proved that such spending cuts can work, since the country was “dying economically” before it slashed its federal budget and restored its economy to economic health.

Paul Dykewicz is the editorial director of Eagle Financial Publications and a columnist for Townhall and Townhall Finance.