Jason Chaffetz really can't stand that some poor people have smartphones.
If you were wondering what he's been up to since he recently left Congress, you need not wonder any further: The former GOP chair of the House Oversight Committee is spending his time shaming homeless people on his Instagram page for using smartphones.
"NYC Times Sq 6:53am streaming video on a phone," the caption on his Instagram post shared on Monday to his nearly 20,000 followers read.
This type of behavior should come as no surprise, considering Chaffetz said in March that poor people need to make the choice between having an iPhone and having health insurance.
In a comment on his post, Chaffetz defended his reasons for publishing the picture:
I posted this pic to make people think. I stated just the facts. It is sad and I want to help, but the decades old "war on poverty" is not working. As a conservative we must address these issues with compassion, open minds, innovative solutions, and a true desire to help. Liberals can yell and scream but they are not working to solve the problem. Conservatives, let's take a deep breath and help those in need help themselves.
Like the modern day Socrates he is, Chaffetz claimed to have posted the picture "to make people think." But what was he hoping to make them think about when the caption — and his previous comments on this topic — already make his motivations for the post quite clear?
Chaffetz said that "it is sad" and that he wants "to help." What's interesting is that if any of this was the least bit truthful, rather than a pathetic defense for a shameful post, Chaffetz could have extended a helping hand by walking over and introducing himself to the person he was quickly eager to expose. Maybe Chaffetz could have learned a thing or two, or even asked the man why he was struggling or how he could do something to help him. Instead, he defended his move by telling others to "take a deep breath and help those in need," even though that was likely never his intention.
Ironically, before he left Congress, Chaffetz invented his own housing crisis and proposed a $2,500 housing stipend "for members of Congress to more easily afford housing at home and in Washington." I wonder if he knows anyone else that could use that sort of help?
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