Mitt Romney, already infamous for his foot in the mouth cluelessness about regular working folks has chosen ..... another clueless, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, rich, white guy. Yes, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan were both both into wealth. They've never gone a minute without anything they needed - or even wanted.
They've never ever known want or need, never been told "we can't afford that", never missed a meal because there was no food in the house, never had to sacrifice or save to afford something they wanted or needed, never had a Christmas or birthday where the gifts were all necessities like underwear or socks, never wore hand me down or thrift shop clothes, never had to shop at rummage sales, never had to shop with coupons or buy "on sale", never had to budget their money, and never ever worried about a medical bill or car repair or household emergency sending them into financial ruin.
They've never had to contemplate getting an extra job or sending their spouse to work in order to make ends meet, never had to use duct tape to make a repair hoping to stave off the need for a plumber or auto mechanic, never had to repair a torn garment or darn a sock so they could continue to wear it, never had to scrub a stain on their shirt so it would be presentable for many future days, and never had to spend sleepless nights worrying about how they would pay the bills out out of a diminishing paycheck.
They never had to say "no" to their children because there was no money, never had to see their kids go hungry, never had to deny their children the ability to get a drivers license because the increased car insurance premiums would break the family budget, never had to walk to and from school and certainly not with holes in their shoes and no boots for winter or rain, never had to tell their kids they couldn't afford to send them to college, and never had to deny their kids attendance at a school event or class trip for lack of money.
They've never had to consider the choice between going to the doctor when we're sick or dentist when we have a toothache or filling a prescription and buying food for the week. And that's just care when we have a problem. Many people can't even consider paying the cost of a routine visit for preventative care until the Affordable Care Act made that a reality for those fortunate enough to have health insurance (sorry, no dental).
When going out, they wonder what suit to wear. The rest of us wonder if the one suit we have will be good enough for another evening out.
The list could go on longer and I think we could all add more. A lot more.
We've been there, done that, and, for most of us, this is our life. It's through our life experience that we have the empathy and understanding of the need to increase the minimum wage, provide a social safety net, ensure universal health and dental care, helping people go to college or vocational school, etc.
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have hit the trifecta. Rich, male and white. They've never known racial or gender discrimination, unemployment, hunger, financial distress, or deprivation.
Even their admission into college was a purchase - qualifications and admission requirements unnecessary - at the writing of a great big check by Daddy. For them, college was a good time filled with fun and frat parties. They never had to max out credits to squeeze as much bang for the tuition buck as possible each semester while running to a part time job at night, then coming back to study and write term papers. Nope. Not the sons of wealth.
Mitt Romneys advice to our youth: borrow money from your folks for college or to start a business - was met with laughter and ridicule which he couldn't begin to understand. It wasn't his life or experience and he couldn't or wouldn't make to leap to understand why 99% of us were rolling our eyes at his cluelessness.
It's not that they're rich, male and white; it's that they have no concern. Others have an understanding or the empathy to at least try to understand life not only for the non-rich, but for the poor and vulnerable. FDR is a good example of someone born into priviledge who had a comprehension that his life was the exception and not the reality for the rest of his fellow Americans and felt the need to help others.
The real cause of their complete lack of awareness is that they never associate themselves with anyone but the rich, powerful, and white. The only time they see one of us is when we're serving them dinner, cleaning their mansions, or driving next to their luxury automobiles or limos. They sit in a special section of any commercial flight they take when a private jet isn't available to them, live in special neighborhoods where there aren't even regular working people residing for miles and miles around them, drive around or take expressways through urban areas filled with all those poor people, shop at high end stores with prices designed to bar the door to anyone without a gold or platinum credit card, and send their poorly paid staff to purchase groceries at the market.
They don't see us. We're as invisible to them. They only see those of wealth and status at the country club or social gatherings and they look and talk just like them.
Romney and Ryan are unfit to hold high office in this nation because they don't represent the nation. They represent only the wealthiest 1%. In fact, it's worse than that. Even uncaring attitudes might be excused, but the policies they propose and support aren't just lacking care and concern, they're cruel and inhumane. They propose to strip food stamps, health care, health and safety regulations, and even, strip $2000 more in taxes from working families to fund another enormous tax break to those who have everything already.
Americans deserve better than 2 sons of priviledge who can't even buy a clue about us.
Update: My apologies for not making a better point that Paul Ryans upbringing was not in the upper, uber class that Mitt Romney was raised in, but that his family was very well off. After his inheritance, Ryan has continued to increase his wealth. He never had to worry about bills, college tuition, or all those other things that plague the rest of the 99% of us.
Again, sorry to have not made that point stronger in the body of the diary.
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