The Romney-verse

So turns out Mitt Romney's a total asshole.  I think we all knew that, but he really showed his true colors yesterday with that "secret video" that had him condemning almost half of the U.S. population. 

In the video, taken at a fundraiser, Romney says:

"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. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax."

Many things offended me in this statement, but I'll stick to ranting about the top two.

#1. The idea that people want to be totally dependent on the government. Do you know many people who want to be on welfare?  I don't.  Everyone I know who's ever had to take government assistance did so out of sheer necessity.  They were going through a temporary hard time that they were trying to get out of.  The amount of shame tied to taking government assistance is enough to assume that most people on welfare don't want to be in that situation.  Are there exceptions? Sure.  There are exceptions to everything, but that doesn't mean you scrap the whole system for those who truly need it.

#2. The idea that you would only want a social safety net if you yourself were dependant on it.  Am I on welfare?  No.  But for some reason, I still think it should exist.  That reason is called basic human empathy.  I grew up with very little and understand what it's like to scrimp and save.  So therefore, even though I don't need it right now, I want government assistance to be there for those  who do need it, and I'm happy to pay more in taxes to make sure that happens.

So it seems to me that Mitt and the crew really have no understanding of basic human empathy, even though they are the ones  who always claim to be doing whatever Jesus would do.  And although Jesus never spoke about abortion or gay marriage, I'm pretty sure he had something to say about loving your neighbor, caring for your brother, giving away your money and not spreading falsehoods.  But what do I know?  I'm not a Christian.

Business BS

I am sick and tired of hearing people say that because Mitt Romney (or any other politician for that matter) has business experience, they are somehow qualified for public office.  Having business experience really has nothing to do with working for the government.

Businesses in general have one main goal: to make a profit.  And that's a perfectly fine goal.  I'm not saying that businesses shouldn't make a profit.  However, I am saying that the government shouldn't be making a profit.  The main goal of the government should be to look out for the general welfare of its citizens.  Paving roads, running schools, managing Medicare, providing food assistance: none of these things are supposed to be done for a profit.  They are done for the betterment of society as a whole.  If anything, an Executive Director of a non-profit corporation would make a better candidate for office than a business owner.

This seems to be the fundamental thing that Republicans just don't get.  Our country is not a business.  It should not be run like a business, and our citizens are not customers.  Our government, in essence, is us.  It's not some scary outside entity coming to get you.  It is, in fact, meant to be a force for good and a means for us to take care of each other and the things that we all need to use.

Like healthcare for example.