The Republicans running for president and vice-president talk trash and lies, and from what I see of Republican politicians all around the country, there are few who are willing to stand up to Tea Party politics and call them for the trash and lies that they are. The concept of the common good, that we are all in these tough times together and that we should bear each other's burdens and help those who are most in need is lost in the noise of cries for a balanced budget - a budget that will be balanced on the backs of those who have the least and not by those who are rich in the world's goods.
At least once or twice a week people I know whine to me about undeserving freeloaders who get food stamps and SSI checks. No doubt there are cheaters amongst them, but what kind of high living can you do on food stamps and SSI checks? I think of the rich, like the Republican candidate for president, who pays an average of 14% tax on his vast yearly income, while mid-income people pay a higher percentage. I think of the banks and financial institutions bailed out by the feds that, in turn, gave millions in salaries and bonuses to their top people, and the cheaters for food stamps and SSI checks seem like very small potatoes. Sure, stop the cheaters, but let's set our priorities aright and get the rich guys and the corporations off the dole first.
And why was the Romney tax returns story allowed to die? What about his 2009 tax returns? 2009 was the year of the amnesty when people with secret bank accounts in Switzerland had to own the accounts before their names were revealed to the IRS, whereupon they may have been subject to criminal prosecution for tax avoidance. Did Romney take the amnesty? He made public two years of tax returns, 2010 and 2011, but he asked Ryan for five years of tax returns. What is Romney hiding?
H/T to the goddess at First Draft and others for the picture.
