Mittens Father Was on Welfare.- Page 3

[Plum]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 4:04pm

A hundred years ago when the Gilded Age was getting out of control, President Taft formed a commission that travelled around the country asking people from all walks of life what it was like to work in America - it ended in a report that said things like: "Effective action by Congress is required to check the growth of an hereditary aristocracy, which is foreign to every conception of American Government and menacing to the welfare of the people and the existence of the Nation as a democracy."

We comprehended this stuff in 1912. As far as wealth distribution goes, we're at a similar crisis point now, except the outrage is channeled into the Tea Party and Occupy rather than, you know, anarchists blowing things up.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 4:07pm

Civic responsibility has no place in the (R)omoney and R'Ayn worldview. "Exceptionalism" and "Individuality" are the code words for greed and selfishness. Since the teabaggers don't know what they're supposed to mean, it's easier to get them to be fooled.

[Addison D.]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 4:11pm

Correct. Distract the stoopid and the gullible with Gay Marriage, abortion and the Flag. Get in office and spend 4 years pillaging while the stoopid and gullible go back to watching 'America's Got Dancing' and congratulate themselves on doing their civic duty by having voted for that nice fella who's going to protect us from the Gays and the Feminists and the Commies.

[Plum]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 4:19pm

Right! Yes! Exceptionalism. That's what motivates Mitt Romney say that 47% of our country's population is a bunch of lazy proles who don't want to work and succeed for themselves. Because if nearly everybody wants that, well, he's just not so special, is he, and his exceptional wealth becomes partially the product of luck, privilege, and circumstance rather than only his shiny amazingness.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 9/22/12 at 5:02pm

Plum, going back to your comment, I think that moment was George Bush's biggest failure. He had the time to think about what was best for all Americans - asked for shared sacrifice to do something, I don't know, like... pushing us towards energy independence. At that moment, we would have come together and sacrificed and done things that could have moved the course of this country in a positive direction.

Instead, he asked the few to face the burden for the many, and then cut taxes at the one time people would have been OK paying just a bit more to put us on the right path.

Even if his administration had no forewarning about 9/11 (which is hard to argue, they knew something was coming), after the attacks, when he had a moment to reflect on what was in our nations long-term interest, he walked away from his role as leader, as Commander in Chief, as President, and instead, told us to "charge it."

It really does disgust me.