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Monday, October 15, 2012

Why Romney's 47% Comment Is Fundamentally Right


In the classic Hans Christian Andersen fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” a beloved but inept emperor is convinced to wear “special” clothes that are invisible. Neither the emperor nor his subjects will admit to not seeing the clothes. Finally, a young boy blurts out the unspeakable truth that the emperor is naked.
Historians may remember Romney’s candid “47 percent” comments as the unspeakable “emperor’s new clothes” moment that forced a long-overdue discussion of the nakedness of our entitlement funding.
Romney has since taken back what he said, calling his comments “completely wrong.” That’s probably the best political move, but I’m not running for president so I can afford to be nonpolitical.
I am of a different mind: Romney’s leaked comments put a spotlight on America’s least discussed but biggest problem: the rapid and unsustainable growth in entitlement spending. Indeed, most of the so-called “entitled,” such as veterans and the disabled, deserve or need these government benefits. But we need to have a national discussion on how to cut entitlement costs before they bankrupt us. Romney’s comments may not only force us to have that discussion, but also force us to examine how we veered from our parents’ ethic of frugality, hard work and self-reliance to an entitlement system that grants largesse more broadly and often undeservedly.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obama is a neoNazi!

Anonymous said...

Mr Romney did not retract his 47% statement, but rather clarified his statement by saying he would not focus his campaign on that 47% since they have largely already made up their minds as to whom they will vote for. Quotes out of context serve no purpose but to deceive and mislead.

Anonymous said...

lol 738, clarifed. Love the spin. He said his true feelings the first time then tried to make a pc answer which was still factually inaccurate. Or maybe he thinks all those elderly retirees and the working poor in southern states aren't going to vote for him.

Anonymous said...

7:38 If the video had been played in it's entirety or full transcripts made available those listening and reading would have known all along what Romney meant.
Unfortunately a percentage of that 47% doesn't have the intelligence to realize when they are being misled and deceived.

Anonymous said...

The multi-generational families on welfare are the exact ones that our hopefully future president was referring to...and the exact ones that are the most prevalent and potent leeches on society. They provide no value and take up precious resources - only to breed for a larger slice of the government cheese!

Anonymous said...

romney was refering to the woman in the "obama phone" video as well as the "obama stash" video and the likes of these people. he was entirely correct and he does not need to apologize for it. what we as acountry need to do is stop being so politically correct and start trying to help these people stand up on there own feet. how about a job.