(no subject)

[eirias]

In a poorly-written paper, in an article that seems kind of scattershot in its purpose, is buried this gem of a quote from one Nancy Schaefer, who appears to be a state Senator in Georgia:

Commenting on illegal immigration, Schaefer said 50 million abortions have been performed in this country, causing a shortage of cheap American labor. “We could have used those people,” she said.

I don't know how seriously to take any writer who would construct a sentence like the first one and think it fine English, other than to say that at the very least it's not intentional satire; but I have to say, somewhere along the line, someone involved in that paragraph came up with an argument in the abortion debate that's actually new. Hideously wrong on so many levels, to be sure. But definitely new.

(link courtesy of darlox)

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know how new it is; it's the precise inverse of Stephen Leavitt's "we've happily not used these people" argument.

[eirias.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. Good call!

[zeldajean.livejournal.com]

Horribly wrong? definitely yes.

Incredibly interesting and gutsy to proclaim in any context? DEFINITELY YES!

[mokatz.livejournal.com]

Or at least a corollary to Johnathan Swift's Modest Proposal (http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html).