I was accused of that last evening during a public forum at University of Memphis by another person in the audience. This was after I challenged the founder of ACORN, Wade Rathke, to explain his views on the Federal Income Tax deduction called the Earned Income Credit and why he thinks that it actually helps the poor out of poverty.

My position was that it really held people in their current impoverished state. This is because it encourages many who receive it to work up to the point of maximum benefits and then begin slacking off on working. Working past that point actually causes them to begin losing ground. I sited a specific case.

Here is the truth. I detest this:

“…Rathke’s talk, “Common Wealth: The Campaign to Save Working Families,” will examine state and federal policies designed to strengthen the economic position of poor and working-class Americans during tough economic times. He will discuss how policy makers can improve the nation’s economic productivity and encourage a more equitable distribution of income, wealth and power within our society.”

Bolding mine.

The Commercial Appeal said this morning that the Republican Party of Shelby County was outraged.

Rathke’s appearance at U of M was derided in a statement by the Republican Party of Shelby County.

“It is outrageous that the U of M has invited a parade of radicals to speak at events, and totally unacceptable to welcome such a character as Wade Rathke,” the statement read in part.

I can hardly think they were all that outraged. I did not find anyone who said that the Republican Party of Shelby County notified them of this forum and that was the reason they showed up. The way I found out was through the MidSouth TEA Party email alert.

I don’t get the emails from the “Party of NO” so it could be that they sent something out. Maybe there weren’t any bona fide Shelby County Republicans who cared enough to challenge the founder of a Marxist organization such as ACORN being given a forum on the University Of Memphis campus. Correction: Mr. Wiseman from the Shelby County GOP has set me straight on this. They did send one out.

A Republican Congressional candidate from District 8, Don Janes, did show up. During the question and answer part of the forum, he challenged Mr. Rathke at length about a few of Rathke’s odd comments. Janes politely disagreed with Rathke’s assertion that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to search out all the poor people in America and send them entitlement checks whether they wanted the checks or not. The two men sparred on a few more topics related to personal responsibility.

Meanwhile, outside the building where the forum was being held, police had insisted that the hand full of sign holders move to the sidewalk on Central Ave. The protesters complied.

Mark Herr was one of the more boisterous protesters. He let his sense of humor run wild on the corner of Central and Innovation. Waving a sign that read “I’m Allergic to Nuts”, he broadcast from his megaphone an invitation for all within earshot to “Come get your Commie-nuts” while wearing a vintage cold war era Communist Russia military hat.

I think we all had a pretty good time. Well, except for the guest speaker. The majority of the questions he had to answer had little to do with community organization. They had more to do with defending the corrupt organization he founded in the early 70’s.

Maybe Mr. Rathke should learn from us on how to be organized in our community without using tax dollars to do it.

P.S.
Adding this:
ABC News coverage