CROSSVILLE —
Like most folks, I have no hatred for the "wealthy." Jealousy, maybe, especially for those whose only contribution was being born in the right families, like Mitt Romney. Families like Romney’s have never had a "poor" day in their lives. With numerous houses, servants, secretaries, etc., they have no need of Social Security, Medicare and especially, Medicaid! No health care insurance necessary and private entrances to doctors.
Romney is running to replace President Obama. This contender constantly criticizes our president, especially for the economy that corporations like Mitt's "Bain Capital" damaged severely by eliminating jobs in America for many years in their drive for personal profits. Romney is now promising "millions of jobs in the next four years," but most likely, even if he could do so, the jobs would continue to be in China or elsewhere, not here in America.
Romney is also eager to keep this country involved with wars, so Iran is a current, ongoing target. This from a man who has never been to war, will never see his five sons in uniform nor any grandchildren. (Rich politicians send poor kids to fight their wars, just in case no one has noticed!) Military are the jobs rich folks provide while they make huge profits from war materials and robbing countries of their oil and other assets.
Currently, Mr. Romney is accusing 47% of Americans with lower incomes of being moochers, leeches, freeloaders and drags on society because their incomes are too low to pay federal income taxes! 10.3% of these folks are "seniors citizens" and another 6.9% are workers who make less than $20,000 a year (ouch, Crossville)! Although some do not pay "federal" taxes, all pay sales tax (9.75% here), excise taxes, property taxes, payroll taxes including Social Security/Medicare taxes ("earned" future benefits, NOT "entitlements") and state income taxes. These workers also provide incomes for businesses who do pay federal income taxes.
Mr. Romney's disrespect towards seniors, the working class and the actual poor is very apparent. Meanwhile, Mr. Romney paid only 13.9% federal income tax in 2010, not including the 0% he paid on his tax avoiding American accounts in Geneva, the Caymans and elsewhere. Who knows how little he has paid for the ten years before, as he refuses to show the rest!
The "working poor" would love to make enough money to pay federal income taxes, but the promised "trickle down" jobs theory has definitely not happened! Since many of the 47% are in nine "red states" (mostly the South), many that Romney has insulted are still expected to vote for him, but doesn't his lack of compassion and common sense warn you of things to come if he is elected in November?
Opinion
WE THE PEOPLE: The arrogance of privilege
- Opinion
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LION AND THE LAMB: Ten years in captivity
Traditionally male violence against women has been delivered by fist or gun. On May 6, however, another delivery system was brought to light: chains and rope.
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WE THE PEOPLE: Crashing those Pearly Gates
Too often when one of our “public servants” dies, even if he is a blot on the human race, he is elevated to sainthood before they can get a tag on his toe. Then the press eulogizes him right into heaven before St. Peter can check his credentials. Even those who are a bit skeptical of this revision of history tend to adopt a “forgive and forget” attitude. Margaret Thatcher’s recent death seems to indicate that the British are less forgiving and have a better memory.
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TIDBITS: Practical advice for new grads
Another graduation season is upon us, and soon a new crop of young adults will head out into the world, full of hopes and dreams for the future.
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STUMPTALK: The right to bear arms
The anti-gun activists are wacky as a June bug for their solutions to eliminate gun-violence. They have it backwards. Instead of going after those that perpetrate these despicable acts, they are mounting attacks on law-abiding citizens, restriction of access to firearms, limiting magazine size and universal background checks.
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Small Town Girl: Britain's missing royalty
Last week, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, after a 33-year-reign, abdicated in favor of her son, the now-King Willem-Alexander. He is now the youngest monarch in Europe and is the first Dutch king in more than 120 years. One has to wonder how Prince Charles of England felt while attending the coronation ceremonies. After all, he has been waiting to inherit the English throne from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, for over 60 years.
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We the People: Minimum wage is not enough to live on
For folks too young or too unaware what has happened to our economy the past 30 years, here is an answer. Ronald Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and the Republican Party are responsible for what we know as "Reaganomics," an economy that continues today resulting in few "labor unions” and the resulting low wages and lack of worker benefits.
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Lion and the Lamb: In the eye of the beholder
The May 5 issue of People magazine appeared with an astonishing cover. It proclaimed in big letters "World's Most Beautiful Woman!" and featured 40-year-old actress Gwyneth Paltrow. The issue also included the facial pictures of over a hundred other American beauties from age 15 to 70.
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Tidbits: The value of a community newspaper
I'll be the first to agree the life of a reporter isn't glamorous, especially when you work at a small town newspaper.
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Stumptalk: Blowback — for every action...
Blowback (1) — the escape to the rear of a gun of gases formed by the discharge of a projectile (Funk & Wagnalls, 1963). In 1967 I knew a Marine sergeant at the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, who had lost his arm in Vietnam when a 105 mm Howitzer “blew back” on him.
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GARY'S WORLD: Sexual preferences are not breaking news
Sometimes when I think about how much the world and society and the media have changed over the past 20 years, it makes me cringe.
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