Jason Chaffetz Shames Homeless Man for Having Smartphone

In a Tuesday Instagram post, former House Oversight Committee chair Jason Chaffetz took it upon himself to publicly shame a homeless man on the streets of New York City for the great crime of having a smartphone.

Chaffetz is, FYI, the same GOP lawmaker who suggested poor Americans would be able to afford health care if they’d just lay off the iPhones. He’s also the same guy who cheerfully rolled into Congress on a scooter to vote away Obamacare, after having an operation that he was, in part, able to receive because of Obamacare.

It’s great to see he’s moved on to bigger and better things.

Here’s the post in question:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BW81_lug3dC/

The photo is obviously an appalling invasion of a homeless man’s privacy, but frankly, that’s the only surprising aspect of the post. Republicans have a long history of being outraged by poor people and those darned welfare queens having the audacity to own possessions or not lead completely, utterly miserable lives.

The logic is that the whole reason poor people are poor and struggling is that they’ve actively made bad money and lifestyle choices, factors beyond their control as individuals be damned. In either case, much like Chaffetz probably believes not buying a $600 iPhone could allow someone to afford the tens of thousands of dollars for quality health care, he probably also believes refraining from buying said $600 iPhone could allow someone to buy a house.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.

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