I believe I’ve posted this before but since it shows the hypocrisy of the virtue signaling people of Massachusetts, I will post it once again….

Years ago, the organization Citizens for Limited Taxation pushed through an optional higher tax rate for Massachusetts citizens. The reasoning behind this was that they thought it would show how hypocritical the left is, and boy, were they right.

The optional higher tax rate appears as a checkbox on the Mass State Tax form and allows taxpayers to change their tax rate from the default of 5.0% to the higher rate of 5.85%. Since it’s Massachusetts, one of the most liberal states in the country, you would think that all of the leftists would be checking the box.

Not so.

There are roughly 4,000,000 taxpayers in Massachusetts. Of that four million, only 1,083 people have chosen to pay the 5.85% rate. (and knowing the people that live in this state, I’m guessing that most of them checked the box by accident)

So, in the great liberal Mecca called Massachusetts, only 0.0271% of these fine liberals are willing to pay at a higher rate.

What a bunch of hypocrites.

As I posted early this week, I purchased an air fryer in the hopes of having a somewhat healthier diet. I’ve been experimenting with it and so far have cooked some chicken breasts and French fries, both of which were quite good. One of the great features of the air fryer is that it crisps food, giving it a nice texture and adding a great deal of flavor. I was thinking about it and decided that using an air fryer might be a good way to cook shaved steak for a cheese steak (I know, not exactly healthy, but I’m in the experimental phase).

When I was growing up, most of the steak used in cheese steak subs had crisp, well-cooked edges, which gave them great flavor through the Maillard effect. The Maillard effect is a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars that occurs when food is heated, resulting in the browning and development of complex flavors and aromas. It makes a huge difference in the taste of food. For years, I’ve been unable to get a cheese steak with crispy meat; most of the time, it tastes like the steak was steamed rather than grilled. I’m not sure why this is; maybe it’s because they’re using a different type of steak, or maybe it’s a regional thing, and in other areas, good cheese steak is still available.

Anyway, I figured the air fryer’s ability to crisp up foods might be the key to making an old-fashioned cheese steak. Since I didn’t know what type of steak was used, I did a web search, and I found that the meat of choice is ribeye. Then I looked at the price of ribeye. At the local discount store, it sells for a ridiculous $15.49 a pound. I’m in a fairly good financial place; we saved for our retirement and will not starve, but I’m just not willing to spend what I consider excessive amounts on food when there are cheaper alternatives that, while not quite as good, are good enough.

But cheese steak, my new air fryer, and my ability to purchase or not purchase expensive meat are not the point of this post. What is the point, though, is that the advertisement for ribeye states it’s SNAP EBT Eligible. Curious, I dove a little deeper and found that North Atlantic Lobster Tails, which sell for $34.99 a pound, were also SNAP EBT Eligible.

Now, I don’t want to be mean, but this is insane. I don’t want to deny anyone food, and if they legitimately need it and are unable to provide for themselves, I’m willing to see taxpayers’ money used to help them out until they’re back on their feet, but this is ridiculous. What an insult it is to take money from hard-working taxpayers and allow people on the dole to use it to purchase luxury food items. It was bad enough when we were allowing our own citizens to take advantage of this type of thing, but now we’ve opened the door to the third world, and the US taxpayers are expected to pay the bill for them as well.

How about we allow them to purchase things like chicken breasts, $3.29 a pound, pork chops, $2.39 a pound, or ground beef, $6.29 a pound, and save the luxury items for people who have actually earned them?

When you’re getting a handout, you shouldn’t live like a king. Not only is it unfair to those who are giving you the handout, but it’s also unfair to you, since you will have no incentive to better yourself and become a productive citizen rather than a parasite. This sort of thing has to stop.

Maine representative, Cheryl Golek, who sponsored the original legislation, said, “I just started overwhelmingly crying when I found out because this bill takes a step toward tax fairness that people of Maine have been asking for for many years. I am extremely happy for what it will bring to the people of Maine.”

Golek claims that, “A person who’s making $65,000 right now is paying the same effective tax rate as a millionaire. We’re talking nurses, firefighters, lobstermen, EMTs — and that’s just so wrong on so many levels.”

You notice that she says ‘the same effective tax rate as a millionaire’ and not the same amount of money. If I make $50,000 and pay a 10% tax rate, I pay $5000 in taxes. If a millionaire makes $1,000,000 and pays a 10% tax rate, they pay $100,000 in taxes. So the millionaire is already paying $95,000 dollars more in taxes than the lower-income worker. But that’s not good enough. It never is for the Democrats, whose path to power is always paved by dividing people and pitting them against each other. They do it based on income level, race, and sex. They don’t give a damn if the divisiveness is bad for the country as long as it benefits them. They are truly evil.

As with all these bills, the little people will never see any of the money. It will mostly go to government workers, who are the Democrats’ foot soldiers. They’ll get bigger pay increases and better pensions while the average person will continue to get fleeced.

My comment on one of the articles was as follows: ‘If someone stops me in the street and steals my wallet, they can raise $50 dollars in two minutes. It doesn’t make it right.’