Running? You think I run? I would secretly love to, for all those endorphines one gets, but my poor feet would be screaming at me after the first 50 yards! Anyway, it's not THAT running. It's running for office! Some of my friends have suggested that I should run for office. Never gonna happen! It's too much work, and for someone way smarter than I am. Hmmmm..wait a minute. Romney's running, and how smart can he be?? I mean, come on! He tells his rich friends one thing, and the rest of the voting world something else. How smart is that? "Hey, Mitt!" she whispered, "You're running the wrong way! The road to the presidency is the OTHER way!"
So Jimmy Carter's grandson was really pissed off about remarks Mitt made about his beloved grandfather, and he secretly video taped Mitt speaking to a group of wealthy voters. It seems that Mitt doesn't really care about the votes of the 47% of people who don't pay income taxes, because they won't vote for him anyway. Well, guess what, Mitt? I'm not in that 47%, and I wouldn't vote for you if someone held a gun to my head! What kind of person wants to be president of only 53% of Americans?
To paraphrase Aristotle in his Rhetoric, Book II, Chapter 16, "Rich men also consider themselves worthy to hold public office; for they consider they already have the things that give a claim to office. In a word, the type of character produced by wealth is that of a prosperous fool."
I guess the thing that really angers me is the way people like Mitt, the so-called conservatives, tell some groups what they want to hear, and others, something entirely different. In my book, that's called sociopathy. A sociopath has a way of finding one's weak spot and playing on it. In the case of Mitt's wealthy group, of course that is money. In the case of the average conservative voter, it might be abortion, or same-sex marriage (two things that are NOT going to get this country out of the financial mess it's in because of deregulation). The people who don't pay taxes because they LOST their jobs are not going to vote for Mitt anyway, so he doesn't care about finding their obvious weak spot, since he helped to create it.
Mitt told his wealthy group that he wants to change people's thinking about "entitlements" like Social Security and Medicare and make them stand on their own two feet. I am on Social Security, and yes, I AM entitled to it BECAUSE I PAID into it all my working life. It's MY MONEY, Mitt!!! And I am on Medicare for the SAME REASON.
According to Mitt, middle class income is $200 to $249,000. That is sooooo disheartening to me, because all this time I thought that Rod and I were in the middle class. Mitt goes on to say that the $100,000 income is "below middle class." Somehow, this just doesn't compute with me. Does it compute with you? Is there a new slice on that pie chart? Does it say that $100,001 to $199,999 is "JUST below middle class?" I'm confused, Mitt! Your obfuscation is making my head spin!
When I started this blog, I had intended to write about the arts, but over time, it has morphed into something quite different, so I have decided to post more than twice a week. Starting this Monday, I will begin posting three times a week. Mondays will be devoted to the arts, and artists. Please come back then.
Alphabe-Thursday is the brain-child of Jenny Matlock, Off on My Tangent. I hope you will read the homework of her other students.
POST SCRIPT: For those of you who would like to read the entire transcript of Romney's speech, go here.http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/full-transcript-mitt-romney-secret-video
In addition, it seems that I misspoke regarding Carter's grandson (my hearing is VERY poor, as many of you know), so please read the comment made by Deb at Storybeader. She was kind enough to correct me.
27 comments:
Lots of well said info here ~ great post ~ (A Creative Harbor)
ps ~ thanks for coming by & amazing you saw 7 rainbows ~ Wow!
Mitt definitely needs a better speech writer. ;)
Yes, we do get a LOT of U.S. news up here in Canada, but I didn't realize it was President Carter's grandson who taped that speech.
I pity those who believe in what this clown says !
Have you seen those commercials where a snap and puff (the magic dust) carries away the irritating person well if only someone could do that to ...YOU KNOW (MITT) who?! Not that I like to get political I so love the arts more too...and I did my homework this week too.... I will be back to see your Monday arts as well. Enjoy your weekend....I am going to the Rennfest on Sunday! Oh the lovely arts out there, and hey I can possibly come across some of that good fairy dust....:)
Oh boy, I love reading your blog -- you really tell it like it is! I enjoy Mitt's idiocy but hadn't heard that it was President Carter's grandson who did the taping of that particular idiocy. Good for him!
Looking forward to your Monday posts!
oh my goodness what a clown Mitt is, I surely hope that won't be the next president. What a looser. Great post.
perfect.
love running.
I am so glad that you will be going back to posting about the arts ... i miss those posts.
And I do love your political posts as well so to hear you are going to post more often is thrilling!
Now as for Mitt ... I feel so sad for your country if they vote him in ... omg, talk about your town fool ...
Judie, I love you, but anyone can cast aspersions, and anyone can interpret speeches to make a point. It just does not help me. Both sides do it, which is exactly why I am an Independent.
However, your comment,
"I am on Social Security, and yes, I AM entitled to it BECAUSE I PAID into it all my working life. It's MY MONEY..."
is what people should be focued on.
As an Independent, and an open-minded, self-made person, I could care less about where someone is born, what or whom he or she looks like or sleeps with, how much money someone has, or who owns a horse. What I do care about is the re-distribution of assets that would allow a government to take what I earned and give it to someone pro forma. That is not freedom.
I agree with you, but you would have to tell me which candidate is less likely to take what I earned. This is what I struggle with, like apparently you do.
If any of your responders can offer me some help in this regard by supplying credible facts, and refrain from name-calling and labels, I would appreciate and consider it.
.
good for you to state how you feel. You sound like you would make a good candidate. I hate people that lie, and that's one of the biggest things I have against Mitt.
Just want to make a quick note: it wasn't Carter's grandson who taped this, I believe. This video was recorded many months ago, and when Mr. Carter saw it, he brought it to the attention of David Corn and Mother Jones. Good for him, I say! {:-Deb
Thank you, Storybeader! If I stated that incorrectly, it was not purposely. I am deaf in one ear, and I may have heard that story incorrectly. The fact remains that the video is genuine.
Now for YOU, JJ! Of course I have been expecting to hear from you on this issue, and I am so glad that you responded. I hope others will jump into the mix and give their views as well.
You mentioned "taking taxes and giving them to other people pro forma." Many readers do not know the meaning of that term, which is Latin for "as a matter of form." I am not sure exactly what you are asking in that context, but I can give you a rough breakdown about where the bulk of our tax dollars go. Our Federal income taxes go to a number of programs, the first being Defense, then Social Security. Then comes Health and Human Services. The biggest portion of the health care part goes for Medicare. The rest of it goes to Medicaid,to help low-income families, and provide health coverage for children. The majority of our taxes go to those programs. Then we have Education, which is woefully underfunded, as you well know. There are other programs as well, so I am not really sure what exactly you mean by "other people."
One can find the entire Federal budget online, if one is interested. Frankly, that is just a little overwhelming for me with all those numbers, but if you want to check it out, be my guest!
Most of us have been taught to live by the "Golden Rule," i.e., "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." When I hear a candidate state that those less fortunate people should be made to fend for themselves, I have to seriously question his ability to govern ALL the people in this country.
Are my views simplistic? Maybe. But that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
Judie: Simplistic? Not at all.
I don't remember writing "other people," so I am at a loss. Also, I am certain neither candidate ever said "less fortunate people should be made to fend for themselves." That is just partisan interpretation from politically motivated media outlets.
With everything else, I agree. We should live by the Golden Rule. Federal expenditures, which I have seen, are huge. The items you mentioned from Defense to Medicaid are important to the American people. The problem is we have no money. We get money in a capitalist society by generating income, not printing it.
So it boils down to this: Which candidate will lead us out of debt and back into prosperity? That's my guy. People should think about that in private, when they close their eyes at night, without TV, and have honest conversations with themselves.
.
Judie I want all the money I paid into SS too! I don't need a Moron, I mean, Mormon, telling me what I can't have! I am anti politics but this election frightens me! I do vote and I agree with so much you have pointed out to us! I have always been for the right to life and my sis and I rarely agree politically but she and I agree here! Same sex marriage and abortion will not get us out of this grave America is lying in! These candidates play on your weaknesses and they feel most Americans are so dumb they will fall for what these idiots tell us! There is an old country song that says "You Have To Stand For Something, Or You Will Fall For Anything". I wish more Americans would rise up instead of sitting back and letting their candidate tell them how it is!
I know we all have gotten incorrect info but recently I got an e mail I likes until I read the final lines. The author, whoever they are, snopes or someone else who dictates the world, claims Obama is the antiChrist and the bible says he will be a Muslim man in his 40s. Where ever that info came from, evidently, when the 2008 election was in progress, they ought to read their bible because there is nothing so cut and dry to reveal the anti Christ, such silliness!
Oh I just wanted to tell you that I love your writing and often I get so frustrated by all the stuff going around I lose track of my thoughts! Forgive me! I read your thoughts to my sweet hubby and we often agree with you here. I think sometime even when we don't always agree with those we care about we can always agree to disagree but when it comes to political stuff we rely on each other to sort this stuff out. The candidates tell us tales! A common political problem!
Good stuff Judie!
And I was excited about you and I running together sometime! LOL! I wish I were a runner like my son! Sigh!
Have a terrific weekend, Anne
My take on this whole political scene is that the media is constantly out for RATINGS and we will never get the info we truly need to make good decisions...our only alternative is to pray constantly for our leaders to make decisions with the guide of the Holy Spirit, knowing that God will use either candidate for His purposes in this age of grace♫
I can understand why you're angry! I am on disability, and yes, I am entitled to it too because I paid tax for all those working years of mine also.
Ha..stop taking out our money for taxes, and we will stand on our own two feet!
Actually, JJ, you said "someone" and not "other people" so I stand corrected. And when I used the words "less fortunate" I was being kind. What he said is that there are 47% of the people in this country who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are entitled to healthcare, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. He also goes on to say that those 47% pay no taxes. That's huge number, JJ.
If you would like to read the entire transcript, I will put a link in the body of my post.
I think it is time to channel your fine brain and get into politics. Start local. You will be a great asset to your city.
Meanwhile -- love your cover photograph.
Thanks, Sue, but I'm an artist, and art and politics just don't mix! As you can see by some of the comments, I am easily confused, and sometimes don't get my facts straight. Stating the true facts is essential for a dedicated public servant, in my opinion. So I will just stick with my muse. It has served me pretty well over the years. I can't say as much for some politicians!!
Judie: Forget semantics. If over 40% of the nation is dependent on the government, we are in trouble, and no amount of rhetoric or name calling will fix it. This has happened to many nations over many centuries, and we are on the same path.
JJ, just because a politician running for president says that's true, it doesn't mean that it is. He may be including all those on Medicare for all we know. My point is that he says one thing to his wealthy contributors, and something different to the average voter. When one is elected president of America, that includes all Americans, and not just special interest groups.
It does sound like you are ready to run for office.
Wonderful rant, Judie! You make sense!
I would love to see you mixing it up in the political arena. That would be a hoot. I'd do it myself, but I have to make an honest living instead.
Maybe if I win the lottery, I can throw my hat in a ring somewhere and dabble in politics. You can be my campaign manager. Book us a tour bus and let the good times roll!
Yikes! You as the politician, which I can actually see, and me, as a campaign manager? The other candidates would be soooo screwed!
We would be having way too much fun to be serious!!!
hmmmm, very interesting. as a canadian, it was intriguing to see how someone who's actually in the us is reacting to their elections!
Zia
singing-blue.blogspot.ca
Is "honest" an accurate modifier for "politician?"
Oh Judie!
You are always so brilliant.
I fall further behind each week but soon I will be back to feeling sassy and energetic.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I feel sad that Steve and I are below middle class and still can't afford (or qualify) for insurance.
Darn. You'd think since we're at poverty level ... sigh...
Cute post!
Doing garage sale one of these days...don't plan a trip to Europe on the proceeds, though. ha!
Hugs and A+
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