“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” -Representative Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.)

This quote from Republican Rep. Stephen Fincher wowed me for many reasons; it’s catchy, snarky, cunning and cruel baloney. Fincher, along with other GOP members, believes that the only people who depend on food stamps are those who are indolent and choose to mooch off of the government. People who have run into economic problems, children, the disabled, the elderly and low-wage families depend on the social safety net.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has offered no solutions, but he has proposed the Cantor Plan. This plan will ensure that an estimated four to six million people will be cut from the food stamps program in upcoming years. This is a barbaric and inhumane action, when poverty and unemployment rates have been at an ultimate peak since the Great Depression. Cantor has shown that Republicans do not care about the less fortunate. With more budget cuts and efforts to reduce the safety net, more people are likely to fall beneath the poverty line. Republicans seem to harbor very stereotypical visions of who is on food stamps, which angers me because I personally know they are completely wrong.

My single mother worked hard to provide for me, my sister and my brother. But she could not do it all by herself, so she had to accept food stamps as way to allow us to eat and live a decent life. I am not ashamed of using government aid because that help provided me with a happy home, nice clothing and a great childhood.

I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without that help. I hope Republicans can see past their stereotypes and see that cutting food stamps and other government aid only hurts people.