This humdinger of a hate rant by Zell Miller strips conservatives of the facade of compassion and lays bare the real motives behind elitist opposition to abortion:
“How could this great land of plenty produce too few people in the last 30 years?” Miller asked. “Here is the brutal truth that no one dares to mention: We’re too few because too many of our babies have been killed.”
Miller claimed that 45 million babies have been “killed” since the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade in 1973.
“If those 45 million children had lived, today they would be defending our country, they would be filling our jobs, they would be paying into Social Security,” he asserted.
One hardly needs a decoder ring to uncover Zell’s objective: he’s carrying on the glorious Southern tradition of railing against people poorer than him for having the gall to try and control their own destiny.
Folks like Zell don’t actually care about the “babies” for the sake of those beings. They only want them to exist as have-nots that can be manipulated, ripped off, and killed at the whim of the haves. To unpack his position a little more, let’s break down Zell’s primary complaints.
“Filling our jobs”
a.k.a.
“Why can’t I pay a janitor $.20/hr, like the good old days?”
Unfortunately for Zell, abortion access prevents people from being saddled with extra mouths to feed, meaning they’re more mobile and can be choosier about their employment options. Abortion access also ruins Zell’s fantasy of a massive underclass packed 20 to a one-room shack and begging for any work at any wage.
“Paying into Social Security”
a.k.a.
“Why aren’t more people filling my gold-lined pockets with their cash?”
Nothing would warm Zell’s heart more than making sure a hefty chunk of that $.20/hr he’s paying his wage slaves winds up back in his pocket. I’m all for Social Security, don’t get me wrong, but Zell isn’t thinking about those who need it; he’s thinking about his own Social Security check and how much he wants to protect it. Social Security may also be code for “goods and services I own, banks I own, 401ks I can bleed dry,” etc. Whatever people are “paying into” in Zell’s mind, you can be certain the ruling class owns it or benefits from it.
“Defending our country”
a.k.a.
“You can’t kill your babies! That’s the president’s job!”
This one really cinches the cold-blooded heartlessness of the conservative mentality on abortion. Zell cares so much about little unborn zygotes that he wants to grow them until they have a whole mess of pain sensors, family and friends that care about them, and the self-awareness to realize they’re being blown to bits for the sake of guarding Halliburton “cheesecake.” Obviously, we aren’t losing in Iraq because of abortion, but even if Zell’s ludicrous fantasy were true, blocking the reproductive choices of others to guarantee yourself a soldier class you can lead to slaughter for your own ends is about the least defensible moral position possible.
Zell Miller flung open the elitist closet and the skeletons are pouring out.
If he has his way, they’re be plenty more piling up.
Where? Where are all the people? Oh god, where? We’re practically out of people!
I actually got the “you smart women owe us some kids” arguement from a guy at school the other day, and I never get how these people don’t see that as long as having a bunch of kids is a worse decision than having a few kids, ain’t no one gonna do it. Kids are freaking expensive, and most people have enough smarts to put their own interests as an aspiring middle-class family ahead of society’s interests in a bunch of wage slave cannon fodder.
“Hmmm, have two kids and enjoy a real vacation every couple of years or have six kids for the fatherland? Hmmm, decisions, decisions.” I especially love the social security argument – I’m in prime breeding years, which also makes me young enough to believe that social security is not going to be around when it’s my turn to cash in. So limiting my overall earning (and saving!) potential by having extra kids in the hopes that, if everyone else does it too! today’s broken system will survive long enough for me to benefit from it seems like the worst possible plan.
“Kids are freaking expensive, and most people have enough smarts to put their own interests as an aspiring middle-class family ahead of society’s interests in a bunch of wage slave cannon fodder.”
That goddamned birth control! It’s ruined everything! That’s why the 19th Century is the model they’re looking for. The 1950′s were just too damn progressive…
Ah, the 1800′s. Think about the beauty of virtually unrestrained Capitalism! The simple strategy of low wages combined with control of the Company Store and the Company Town! Limited travel, clearly defined sexual roles, limited class mobility, little education, few opportunities! Some guy loses his arm in a dangerous machine – no OSHA, no crime, baby! Wrap a handkerchief around the stump and send him home to his family, then hire another cheap and disposable worker. Unlimited pollution! No income taxes! Maybe bring actual slavery back! Cool!
It was a freakin’ paradise on earth!…
Maybe they should consider taking US history out of the required high school curriculum. It appears to breed smartasses.
It appears to breed smartasses.
I have it on good authority that that is merely genetic. 8^D
Kids are freaking expensive
Not if you destroy the public education system past the point of repair and bring back the good ol’ days of child labor they aren’t.
Children: the other cheap labor source