Romney “Built This"

[KeithE]

[William Thornton]

[KeithE]

[Sandy]

The Bush tax cuts would also disappear, since the bulk of the money handed out, over 90% of it, went mostly to the wealthiest people, and are directly responsible for almost 60% of the debt that the government has accumulated since that time, almost half of it directly, and another fourth the interest that has been accrued. You cannot remove the largest consumers from the revenue stream, paying a tax rate that, at the time, didn't cover the expense of making it possible for them to do business, and not expect the debt to mount.

The middle class, BTW, was paying its own way and then some. The expenses of programs which Romney/Ryan contemptibly call "entitlements" were not only completely covered by the taxes paid by the middle class, they were actually showing an increase in revenue. If they'd been left alone, instead of tapped for other things, mostly subsidies to big business, there would not be a problem. But middle class taxpayers have had the taxes they provide tapped to cover the expenses incurred by the government in helping subsidize big business, provide protection, and shelter its income from taxes, so their social security, medicare, and other equitable participation programs have come up short. Now, after paying for them for a lifetime, Paul Ryan wants to cut the programs so he, Romney and their billionaire buddies can continue to accumulate wealth while the middle class pays for it.

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispa ... tholicism/

[William Thornton]

[Hal Eaton]

I haven't seen remarks on this particular subject, so I'll take the chance that they haven't appeared on this thread.

The RNC proudly presented a small business man who had "built it on his own." On the record, the guy received a loan gurantee of $585,000 from the SBA, and was getting the input of two federal entities to improve his product. Further, the lady gov. of New Mexico got her share of cheers when she told how her daddy had made a security business on his own; she further told that she had worked for him in guarding the parking lot of a Catholic church on Bingo night, and that she had carried a .357 Magnum on the job -- to unbelievably vociferous cheers from the cheer-ready audience.

The entire modus operandi was built on a deliberate misapplication and misinterpretation of Obama's words -- and the candidates for the highest honor in the land were shamed by their participation in the fiasco. IMO

[KeithE]

[Tim Bonney]

I don't think that Romney is deluded at all. I believe Romney is one of those politicians who will say he believes anything the party wants him to believe in order to get elected. Given how he has flipped on so many viewpoints from formerly declaring himself a moderate Republican to now claiming he was "severly conservative" when he was the Gov. of Mass in direct oposition to what he said about himself while in Mass. previously.

Any man can change his views. But no one can go back in history and change who he/she used to be. And that is what Mitt tries to do. He re-writes his own history. But now in the age of TV you can't really get away with that if people or watching because someone will just dredge up the old footage.

It reminds me of a saying of my Grandfather's. "You can put any label you want on an empty bottle."

[KeithE]

[Tim Bonney]

Just yesterday Keith I saw a clip on John Stewart (yep, I know he is a comedian but he is where a lot of young people get their political news) which showed earlier Romney declaring himself pro-choice, declaring that he is a moderate Republican, and declaring that he was for certain kinds of gun control. He has now repudiated all of those positions.

It reminds me of the George Bush, Sr. and his wife coming out as pro-choice after they were no longer in office. When this kind of thing happens you have to ask yourself:

1. Has the candidate changed all his views, or
2. Is the candidate just really saying he has changed his views to get elected.

The clue for me that it may be the later is that Romney also claims now that he didn't have the views he previously held. It would be akin to me claiming I never had been a Baptist when all anyone would do would have to look at my resume to tell otherwise. Of course there is an even worse possibility.

3. He is an empty bottle that you can put any label on with no real beliefs of his own that matter to him.

At this point I think I'd rather vote for an empty chair than an empty bottle.

[Haruo]

[Neil Heath]

[KeithE]

[Tim Bonney]

[Tim Bonney]

[Haruo]

When in that house MPs divide,
If they've a brain and cerebellum, too,
They've got to leave their brains outside,
And vote just as their leaders tell 'em to.
But then, the prospect of a lot
Of dull MPs in close proximity,
All thinking for themselves, is what
No man can face with equanimity.
Then let’s rejoice with loud Fal la – Fa la la la, Fa la la la!
That Nature always does contrive – Fa la la la!
That every boy and every gal
That’s born into the world alive
Is either a little Liberal
Or else a little Conservatīve!
Fa la la!
-- W. S. Gilbert, in Iolanthe []

[William Thornton]

[Stephen Fox]

http://www.abpnews.com/culture/politics ... mon-moment