Romney demonstrating his view on how government should treat rich people.
Yesterday, video emerged of Republican presidential nominee essentially telling donors that 47 percent of Americans are lazy and just want to be dependent upon the governor. In Romney’s world, these are all Obama voters:
ROMNEY:Ai??There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.
Watch the video of Romney’s remarks, obtained by Mother Jones:
But government actually spends a relatively small amount of its budget on assisting the poor. It actually spends an extraordinary amount of money handing the already-rich even more money. Here’s five ways that Republicans like Romney use government to give even more money to the already-rich (who finance the party):
- Supporting The Oil Subsidies: The newest line among Republicans is that they despise “crony capitalism.” But House Republicans have votedAi??unanimouslyAi??Ai??time and time again to give billions of dollars to the oil industry. Paul Ryan’s budget maintains $40 billion in subsidies for Big Oil over ten years. The oil industry is giving approximately ten times as much cash to Republicans this year as it is giving to Democrats.
- Providing Federal Funding For Rip-Off For-Profit Colleges: The for-profit college industry has abused students and veterans while ripping off taxpayers, while getting $32 billion in federal aid every single year. The Obama administration moved to cut off funding to schools with the worst performance, but every single House Republican voted to block these reforms. The industry gives twice as much money to Republicans as Democrats (unfortunately many members of both parties serve the for-profit college agenda).
- Protecting And Subsidizing The Drug Industry: The big pharmaceutical companies have one of the best deals in the country. First, the government lavishly funds the industry’s research. It then artificially boosts prices by banning the re-importation of drugs from Canada while at the same time barring Medicare from negotiating for drug prices. Most Republicans have supported this arrangement (although there are a few dissenters like Senator David Vitter). Slightly more industry money goes to Republicans (far too many Democrats do the drug companies’ bidding as well).
- Boosting The Insurance Industry’s Profits: Romney likes to peddle the misleading claim that Obama severely cut Medicare to finance the Affordable Care Act. But what Obama’s health care law actually does is cut back on private insurance subsidies through the Medicare Advantage program. What’s more, Romney and Ryan also want to hand the entire Medicare program to the health insurance industry, which would cost seniors an extra $60,000 for their health care. The insurance industry has given almost twice the dollars to Republicans this cycle.
- Bailing Out The Big Banks And Then Failing To Regulate Them: Although a number of congressional Republicans did not vote to bail out the banks, Mitt Romney heartily supported the bailout programs. And both Romney and almost all Republicans in Congress opposed the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and are working to repeal large sections of it in the future. In the current campaign cycle, the Big Banks have shifted their giving to the Republicans, and have donated almost twice as much moneyAi??($81 million) to them as compared to the Democrats.
Americans shouldn’t fall for the false dichotomy of one party wanting to use government to help people and the other wanting to rely only on the free market. As bold progressive candidate Elizabeth Warren said, “Republicans say they donai??i??t believe in government. Sure they do. They believe in government to help themselves and their powerful friends.”
“Here’s five ways that Republicans like Romney use government to give even more money to the already-rich”
Here’s a sixth one: Trillions of dollars in military spending. That money doesn’t just “disappear” — It goes into the pockets of the wealthy defense-industry owners.
Here’s a seventh one: “Free-trade” agreements that outsource American jobs to low-wage countries. It isn’t just Republicans doing this: The Obama Administration passed THREE NEW NAFTAs (with Columbia, Panama, and South Korea) (Link: http://www.citizen.org/Page.aspx?pid=4868 )
The Obama Administration is about to pass the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) which is “NAFTA on steroids” (Link: http://www.citizen.org/tpp ).
So what do we do when the two corporate-funded parties have teamed up with business against us citizens? Answer: Vote Green Party!
The Green Party doesn’t accept corporate money, and they represent the 99%. Your Green vote sends the Democrats a message that when they sell us out to the 1%, it’s gonna cost them votes! And this message is sent even if the Green you vote for loses.
True Progressives vote GREEN!
What a dumb article. Romney is sadly correct, The government has almost passed a tipping point in which it will have a majority of citizens dependent on it. Once there, the left will win every election as the people will realize they can vote themselves free benefits. Last I heard, the words; accountability and self reliance were still in the dictionary. It is not the governments job to provide health care, nor is it the right of a citizen to make a career of welfare and food stamps. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there is a moral obligation to assist those less fortunate than myself, but I also think there should be a limit to what, and how much you can collect. If you have 1 child when you start on welfare, you should not be given increased benefits for having additional children, The words, Self control and reppercussions come to mind (also in the dictionary).
As far as saying the Republicans are for big money and exporting jobs, I submit two simple facts to the less learned readers on this site. First, I remind you that it was President Clinton who pushed for and passed NAFTA. At the time, the same liberals who are now crying about US jobs goind out of country, were then saying we have a moral obligation to lift less fortunate countries to the standards enjoyed in the USA. Second, saying Republican bailed out the banks is inredible. We all know about TARP, the Troubled Asset Relief Program. This program was enacted under President Obama, and the total given to banks under this program is close to $700 Billion. Additionally saying republicans failed to regulate them through congress is absurd, Need I remind you that Congress is made up of both the House of Representatives, and the Senate? There is nearly a 50/50 split of Republicans and Democrats making up Congress.
In closing, I would like to say you are right, Repulicans see the way to stimulate the economy is through the private sector, Democrats through government. The Republicans support business, (both big and small) and figure that the money given to them will trickle down through new hires, business spending on internal infrastructer (computers, desks, paper, etc), and services required (tech support, phone service, shipping, receiving, billing, transportation). The Democrats, want to control who and how much an individual gets. They want to stimulate the economy by hiring more government workers [teachers, department workers for newly created agencies, military (Yes military, spending has increased under Obama), and social workers], government programs, and government healthcare. These idea’s are nobel, and it is easier to directly effect the economy by dumping large amounts of newly printed cash into an area, but it is not sustainable. When you get to many people dependent on a government check, you lose the people who pay into the government, and as we all know, you can not keep spending more than you take in indefinately. I give you the current situation in Greece and Italy as perfect examples of where the current administration and his supporters are taking the USA.
“The government has almost passed a tipping point in which it will have a majority of citizens dependent on it.”
Don’t like it? Then YOUR CLASS shouldn’t have pushed to pass all those “free-trade” agreements that outsource American jobs to low-wage countries.
“Once there, the left will win every election as the people will realize they can vote themselves free benefits.”
If only it were true. First, the Democrats ARE NOT THE LEFT! Real leftists would have given us the single-payer health care that all the modern countries. have. Real leftists wouldn’t be pushing austerity, and would raise taxes on the rich. Real leftists wouldn’t be assaulting Occupy demonstrators exercising their First-Amendment rights.
” Last I heard, the words; accountability and self reliance were still in the dictionary.”
All the “accountability” in the world won’t help you if there are no companies hiring in your area. You’re delusional.
” It is not the governments job to provide health care, nor is it the right of a citizen to make a career of welfare and food stamps.”
The government has a duty to provide for the “general welfare”. You teabaggers read the Constitution, don’t you? Or is it just the Second Amendment?
“I remind you that it was President Clinton who pushed for and passed NAFTA.”
You are correct. The Democratic Party is also owned by the 1%, but their scam to appeal to voters is that they’re selling us out to a corporate dictatorship at a slower rate. But Obama is picking up the pace, since most liberals have fallen for the “lesser-of-two-evils” scam.
“Repulicans see the way to stimulate the economy is through the private sector…”
Bullshit! The Republicans and their business want to increase profits at all costs. Did they “stimulate” the economy 2000-2008?
“Republicans support business, (both big and small) and figure that the money given to them will trickle down through new hires, business spending…”
More bullshit! We figured out “trickle down” didn’t work under Reagan. Bush II confirmed it. It’s just another SCAM to cut taxes on the rich.
“…and as we all know, you can not keep spending more than you take in indefinately.”
But it IS the right thing to do in a recession. Republican resistance to stimulus spending is economic treason. I think enough people are getting it to hurt the Republicans next election.
Dear BKu,
First, I do not know where Romney obtained his 47 per cent figure of people on “government aid” but I do not believe that it is true. Usually, anyone who does get some type of aid does NOT get any other type: for example, if a student gets a Pell Grant to pay for education, they usually do not get Food Stamps or Medicaid or anything else. If an elderly individual is on Social Security, for which they paid during their working years, they may also have Medicare, but it is very doubtful they receive Food Stamps. A great majority of young people who are unemployed because they simply cannot find work receive NOTHING from the government. Nada. Other young people who ARE employed work two to three jobs just to make ends meet. One girl, Kirsten, was working three jobs and fell unconscious at one of them from exhaustion and lack of food. Do not begin to tell me that a “majority” of Americans are lazy. How come American productivity (output per hour worked) increased each year for the last five decades and we work 100 more hours on average than the British, 400 hours more than the Germans, etc. ?
The 47% number is not people on government aid, it’s people that haven’t pay “federal income tax.” People they consider are living off the government since they get their federal tax money back. They time and time again, refused to mention that they still pay taxes for things like social security and medicare, which you do not get back. They also fail to mention the thousands and thousands of families and individuals that make more than $250k a year and pay no federal taxes either. It’s just a huge pandering of misinformation and lies. And sadly it works. It’s stunning to see how many people support and are going to vote for the republican party, even after decades of being screwed by them. Yet they still think they have their best interests at heart, because the are under the guise of being “conservative.”
3 jobs as a hooker? maybe she’s not good enuff to do one guy a night and get $1000.00? LOL!
Romney just said what most super-rich republicans beleive. These people live in a fantasy world. Wall St., big business, big Pharma, Walmart, the Koch Brothers and all the rest are simply GREEDY. I gave 20 + years seving in the U S Air Force defending the U S Constitution and I worked before and after my Air Force career!! I paid income taxes and all the other taxes, I’m retired and I’m hardly rich. Romney couldn”t even acknowledge those serving in Afghanistan during the republican convention!!! Romney only cares about military contractors getting richer; the troops don’t count they are simply expendable parts in the military machine!! Speaking to the American Legion Convention is like preaching to the chior. (I belong to the American Legion too.). Simply put; republicans, including Romney and Ryan, only care about super-rich white guys!! The rest of America can “GO TO HELL!” I’m tired of republican lies an tea-baggers sabotaging the economy and America. I see ANARCHY in America’s near future if things don’t change!!!
I heard the other day about Romney responded to a reporters question with ‘Id have to talk to the congress about that hey look at those clouds, aren’t they beautiful’. Please forgive if I’ve misremembered but it sounded so much like he is totally disconnected from reality. Plus soon afterward on a political interview show. Where Romney was described as feeling “entitled” to the presidency.
Apparently Romney feels he is wasting his precious time going through the motions of actually having to “run” a campaign against Obama. Maybe he’s so entitled to whstever it is he wants that he cannot imagine not getting it. Although if you’ve got that much money there’s not much you can’t buy.
stuff it Marge! you old bag
Dear Sally. You really are as intelligent as the nail treatments you’re named at.
After. Not at. iPhones may be able to spell but they don’t think and often don’t translate a typo appropriately.