kpete
kpete's JournalThanks To Mitt, I'll Remember I Am A Lazy, Irresponsible 47%er When I'm Cleaning Toilets Tonight
I guess I'm one of the 47% that Romney rails about. I didn't know I was "lazy" when I was six years old picking strawberries, beans and cherries every summer until I was old enough to work on a farm with cattle, pigs, and spearmint. I didn't make enough in a summer to pay federal tax but my paycheck did include payroll taxes. Likewise, working through college and grad school I never made enough to pay fedeal taxes. But many jobs were paid "in kind", such as free meals at the Student Union in exchange for washing dishes or waiting tables at the fraternity for a place to sleep.
If I "mooched" on anyone it was those good people who helped me find jobs like babysitting a computer system all night (so no need to spend money on rent). Or it was my parents who held a single GED and worked four jobs between them but sent five children and four grandchildren to college and beyond. My computer experience led to a charmed career in international marketing of IT, where I traveled the world and got paid for it! Believe me I was not happy to pay A LOT of taxes of all kinds for over 30 years but I certainly understood why it was the right thing to do.
And when after five decades I had to stop working for health reasons, I am thrilled that Obama passed the stimulus, longer UI, subsidized COBRA, ObamaCare, etc. - and even brought my portfolio back to life. Thanks to those lifelines, my wife and I now run a vacation rental in such a way to bring joy to hundreds of our guests. But the business doesn't yet run a profit so we don't pay income taxes yet.
So my count is I paid federal income taxes in just 30 of 53 working years in my nearly six decades of life. Thanks to Mittens I'll remember that I'm a lazy, irresponsible 47-percenter when I clean the toilet bowl in the guesthouse tonight.
End of rant.
more letters:
http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/09/letters-from-the-47.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+andrewsullivan%2FrApM+%28The+Daily+Dish%29
Chick-Fil-A Agrees To Cease Funding To Anti-Gay Organizations, Chicago LGBT Group Claims
Source: Huffington Post
In a press release, http://jointcra.org/ the Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) cites Alderman Moreno as confirming that Chick-fil-A officials declared in an internal document that the company "will treat every person equally, regardless of sexual orientation." TCRA reportedly served as an advisor to Alderman as he negotiated these concessions with Chick-fil-A executives, though details of exactly what those negotiations entailed remain unclear.
"We are very pleased with this outcome and thank Alderman Moreno for his work on this issue,” Anthony Martinez, executive director of TCRA, said in the statement. “I think the most substantive part of this outcome is that Chick-fil-A has ceased donating to organizations that promote discrimination, specifically against LGBT civil rights. It has taken months of discussion, both with our organization and with the Alderman, for Chick-fil-A to come forward with these concessions and we feel this is a strong step forward for Chick-fil-A and the LGBT community, although it is only a step.”
Said to be titled "Chick-fil-A: Who We Are," the fast food chain's "internal memo" reportedly states that they will "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect-regardless of their beliefs, race, creed, sexual orientation and gender."
Among those to praise the document was Rick Garcia, policy advisor for TCRA, though he noted his organization still hoped the company would adopt an anti-discrimination policy at the corporate level. "As we have heard from gay employees that work for Chick-fil-A, there is a culture of discrimination within the company and we would like to ensure that employees can speak out and call attention to those practices without fear of reprisal," Garcia noted. "It takes time to change the culture of any institution and steps like a corporate policy ensure that progress is made."
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/chick-fil-a-anti-gay-organizations-funding-ceased_n_1896580.html
"I'm poor as a church mouse," said Romney
"You're not eating," Romney scolded one attendee during his remarks at the fundraiser.
"I'm mesmerized," the donor said.
"He's bored to tears," Romney said to laughter.
At one point, Romney decided to give the donor a lesson in eating.
"You take this, your fork, and you put it in," Romney said.
When asked about Democrats' criticisms of his tenure as a wealthy executive at Bain Capital, Romney pretended to plead poverty.
"I'm poor as a church mouse," said Romney, who has an estimated fortune of $250 million.
more hoots:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/19/us-usa-campaign-romney-tape-idUSBRE88I01J20120919
Who are the shiftless moochers Romney isn’t going to worry about?
http://think-progress.tumblr.com/post/31818828645/attention-mitt-romney-whos-part-of-the-47
Americans everywhere assume that there are a bunch of other people in the country on the take. And why not? Most Americans are seeing their own standards of living decline even as the country goes further into debt and even basic governance has become impossible. It's natural for them to assume that someone is on the take. It's just a question of who. And this, of course, is where the failure of the press comes into play. With people confused and seeking answers, it should be the job of the media to supply accurate information about who is benefiting from the suffering of the middle class. But since the press has failed to do its job, Americans have been left to turn to their instincts about how the world works. Liberals rightly assume--and the facts back us up--that the wealthy and the corporate sector have hoovered up all the losses of the middle class. Conservatives, meanwhile, assume that various "others" are to blame.
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/why-romney-revelation-will-matter-by.html
Donors To Mitt: Why Aren’t You More Likable?
Video of a high-dollar Mitt Romney fundraiser posted by Mother Jones reveals that even Romney’s most ardent supporters — the ones who attend $50,000 per plate dinners to help him get elected — are anxious that he’s just not a likable candidate.
In the video, recorded at a May event, the donors can be seen confronting Romney about how he relates to the public, and begging him to improve.
“Individuals in this room obviously are your supporters. I am very concerned about the average American who doesn’t know you,” one woman says to Romney.
Romney’s answer? Help me raise a lot of money.
http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/09/video-shows-donors-lamenting-romneys-likeability-problem.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
JON STEWART: 'OMG...according to Mitt Romney's own logic, Mitt could not win the vote of his dad!'
Oh. My. God. George Romney was on welfare. So according to Mitt Romney's own logic, Mitt Romney could not win the vote of his dad!
....
Let me give you a better example to illustrate the dichotomy between the message Mitt Romney is sending verbally, and the message he's sending visually. Ladies and gentlemen, I take you to a cruise ship somewhere in the North Atlantic.
"Hey, ladies and gentlemen, it's me, your captain. I understand there's been some talk of ice on the starboard side of the ship that's attracted some attention."
"Anyway, I just want to take a moment to reassure everybody we have it under control. Obviously, we all look forward to reaching the other side of the ocean with everybody not in a watery grave."
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/19/1133748/-Jon-Stewart-connects-the-dots-on-the-secret-Romney-video
Watch this video of Americans listening and reacting to Romney's shocking comments
&feature=player_embeddedRomney campaign knows it has screwed the pooch
So, so delicious:
No, victory is not possible, and yes, they long ago entered McCain-Palin territory. But this is the best part:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/a-mood-of-gloom-afflicts-the-romney-campaign/?smid=tw-thecaucus&seid=auto
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/19/1133697/-Romney-campaign-knows-it-has-screwed-the-pooch
Looks like way more than 3 people were waterboarded by Bush/Cheney
Looks like way more than 3 people were waterboarded by Bush/Cheney
For many years, Bush administration officials have said that the CIA waterboarded only three terror suspects. Despite nearly endless revelations and investigations about the U.S.'s treatment of detainees, there has never been evidence contradicting those claims. But that changed earlier this month.
Human Rights Watch recently released a report detailing the accounts of 14 Libyan men who claim they were detained and, in some cases, subject to harsh interrogations by the U.S. before being transferred back to Libyan prisons, where they also faced abuse.
One man, Mohammed Al-Shoreoiya, provided a detailed account of being waterboarded "many times" while in U.S. custody in an Afghan prison between 2003 and 2004. Another man described a similar form of water torture, conducted without a board.
None of the men's accounts could be confirmed, but as the New York Times noted, the detainees did not seek out Human Rights Watch, and their descriptions of their treatment, including waterboarding, are consistent with CIA procedural documents that have been made public. ...Pro Publica
http://www.propublica.org/article/the-bush-administrations-oft-repeated-and-now-challenged-waterboarding-clai
http://prairieweather.typepad.com/big_blue_stem/2012/09/looks-like-way-more-that-3-people-were-waterboarded-by-bushcheney.html
Ryan: Romney "obviously inarticulate.”
Ryan said Romney’s remarks were “obviously inarticulate.” Asked if he thought Mitt Romney regreted his comments, Ryan responded “I think he would have said it differently, that’s for sure.”
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/09/18/871611/ryan-criticizes-romney-comments-at-private-fundraiser-obviously-inarticulate/
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