Representative Allen West whose political commentary has often veered into the realm of the “controversial” said that Social Security, the government’s guaranteed pension plan, is “a form of modern, 21st century slavery.”
West was responding to a question by a reporter about the increase in Americans applying for and receiving Social Security benefits when he said,
“that is an unfortunate consequence of failing economic policies coming from the president so that now when people are running out of the unemployment benefits, now they are looking toward going on Social Security disability… so once again we are creating the sense of economic dependence, which to me is a form of modern, 21st century slavery.”
West has often taken his ridiculous comments to the next level. Just last week he made his first reference to slavery when he said about social programs and President Obama saying ,
“[President Obama] does not want you to have the self-esteem of getting up and earning, and having that title of American… he’d rather you be his slave.”
While it may appear that West makes these outlandish comments due to his firm commitment to extreme conservative convictions, last week MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry accused West of straight up seeking attention saying West was one of those politicians who “go over the boundary a little bit, in part to get free media coverage.”
West has also been previously ridiculed for suggesting that he had evidence that more than 80 Democratic members of Congress were communists. There is nothing like channeling Joseph McCarthy to get a rise out of the media.
