Some things you just can't make up. The latest comes from Florida Rep. Ted Yoho (R) who claims that Obamacare's 10% tax on tanning bed services is racist against white people because darker-skinned people don’t need to tan.
From Talking Points Memo:
At a recent town hall meeting, Yoho laid out his strategy to an appreciative crowd:
I had a little fun with [John] Boehner and told him about the sun tanning tax. He goes, ‘I didn’t know it was in there,’ and I said, ‘Yes, it’s a ten percent tax.’ He goes, ‘Well, that’s not that big of a deal.’ I said, ‘It’s a racist tax.’ He goes, ‘You know what, it is.’ I had an Indian doctor in our office the other day, very dark skin, with two non-dark skin people, and I asked this to him, I said, ‘Have you ever been to a tanning booth?’ and he goes, ‘No, no need.’ So therefore it’s a racist tax and I thought I might need to get to a sun tanning booth so I can come out and say I’ve been disenfranchised because I got taxed because of the color of my skin.Some of Yoho’s allies have already taken this advice. The claim showed up on Glenn Beck’s radio show as early as 2010, African American former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) made a similar quip — “You want to talk about something that’s really racist? They have a tanning tax. I’m not tanning.”
In the same town hall, Yoho also announced that he would support birther legislation introduced by Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX). Confusingly, Yoho called the birther theory a “distraction” from the economic issues that really matter but also said that he would “get on” Stockman’s bill to investigate issues concerning Obama’s birthplace.
Well... maybe Rep. Yoho will want to feel your hair or ask you what color your blood is. Because generalizing about "darker-skinned" people and there lack of tanning needs seems slightly beneath our congressional members... wouldn't you think?
Thoughts?