Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said the quiet part out loud during an interview back in his home state, where’s he’s seeking another six-year term in the U.S. Senate: Society has a responsibility to help people find jobs, but not to help care for children.

Speaking at the headquarters of Kwik Trip convenience stores in LaCrosse, Johnson said he fully supports cutting unemployment benefits as a way to reduce the shortage of workers in the country, but he’s opposed to helping parents find child care:

“People decide to have families and become parents, that’s something they need to consider when they make that choice. I’ve never really felt it was society’s responsibility to take care of other people’s children.”

So we should insist that people work, but if those workers are unable to find or afford child care for their children, that’s their problem? Isn’t that sort of cutting off your nose to spite your face?

It would be interesting to hear Johnson’s thoughts on whether or not orphaned children should be taken care of. Perhaps he’d prefer if we just dumped them alongside the nearest highway and let them fend for themselves in the wild. At least that way we’d have a cost-effective solution to homeless children.

Also, if a child is unable to afford a school lunch, would Johnson be in favor of making that kid sit by him or herself at a table marked “Too poor to eat”? Or would he just make them scrounge in the garbage cans after the more fortunate children had thrown away their scraps?

Based on the reaction Johnson’s comments received online, he may want to start walking them back ASAP. Take a look:

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