(Excerpted with permission from Eddie’s Corner, the blog of Eddie Rose, at www.eddierose.org)
Nearly 15o years ago, in his historic Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln spoke of “…a government of the people, by the people, (and) for the people…”
Sadly, in a 180-degree about-face from its first great President, the Republican Party has become the Party “of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich”. Its 2012 multi-millionaire Presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, has nothing but contempt for the middle class American citizen. Romney even suggests the middle class is to blame for the state of the economy, and that it’s “ungodly” to worry about income disparity. Of course, Romney was born with the proverbial “silver spoon” in his mouth, so he never had to worry about such things.
Little wonder. Romney has millions of dollars of his personal wealth parked in a Cayman Islands tax shelter. And Romney, of course, pays a much lower percentage of taxes than most Americans who earn far less than he does. No wonder the Republican Party today, under the leadership of the likes of Boehner, Cantor, Ryan, et al, wants tax breaks for the richest one percent of Americans at the expense of the rest of us.
Romney’s list of largest donors reads like a “Who’s Who” of the Forbes 500 list of the wealthiest Americans. In fact, at least 24 individuals on that list have contributed to “Restore Our (sic) Future”, a super-PAC formed for the purpose of electing Romney President.
In the words of former U.S. Senator Bob Smith, “I didn’t leave the Republican Party, it left me.” Amen! The Party of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt and Barry Goldwater, the Party which once believed in environmental protection, the Party that once stood for “the little guy”, has become the Party of Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Tobacco, and Big Business in general.
But lest the above be construed as a blanket endorsement of the Democratic Party and President Obama—it isn’t. Obama has pandered to illegal aliens in order to solidify the Hispanic vote; Obama has kept bank interest rates at practically nothing while allowing the banksters to rake in obscene profits and their CEOs to command seven-figure salaries; and Obama continues to keep American troops thousands of miles from our shores where they don’t belong, while refusing to put the necessary troops along the Mexican border where they are needed and where they should be.
So when you come right down to it, “the lesser of evils” is still evil! Therefore, come November, as an independent, I intend to cast my (write-in) vote for President for a fellow independent, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I, VT).
The Honorable Eddie Rose
Former Laguna Niguel (CA) City Councilman
“A Voice—Not an Echo”
You’ve said this before, Eddie, but when and how has Obama ever “pandered to illegal aliens?” They haven’t gotten anything from him yet. I WISH he and the Congress had come up with some sort of immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship, or even just the DREAM Act. But they haven’t.
All he’s done is send more immigrants back home than any President before him, and put a record number of guards on the border. And correspondingly (along with our bad economy) illegal immigration has zeroed out. These are facts. You’ve got some kind of blind spot on that issue.
He doesn’t need to pander to hispanics. They’re all gonna vote for him anyway because the Republicans are ten thousand times worse.
all your wealth belong to us . / i think you got this story mixed up that is he thinknig of our SO CALLED PRES .. who does not like busniness , does not like succesfull people and taxes and takes money form hard working people to give to the so called share the wealth crowd . i still laugh at you people on here who keep pandering to people THAT BROKE OUR LAWS AND KEEP GIVING THEM HANDOUTS . OVER USA CITIZENS .. AKA THE keep on dreaming it will never pass act . unless your in wacked out calif and we know how great this state is doing ..
Grating Juan,
Did President Obama lower taxes on the middle class in the wake of the financial crisis and have those tax cuts been extended?
A simple yes or no will do.
How much money you wanna bet Juan won’t answer your question?
I didn’t think he would. He prefers living in a fact-free spin zone.
i see all you harvard brain surgeons on here dodge the illegal immigration question . oh by the way the same guy who wants to dump the bush tax cuts . the anwser to your questions a simple yes or no will do also i bet vern wont know the anwser to that one because he is zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The answer is YES, dope. SI. Cabron.
And hey – YOU’RE the one to dodge the illegal immigration question, tonto. Mira. The comments thread is right here. What’s your response to all the FACTS I told you and Eddie about immigration?
Unauthorized residents (my term that is more fair and accurate for the entire group than either “illegal aliens” or “undocumented workers”) pay more into the system than they take.
Like Obama, I favor keeping the Bush tax cuts for the middle class, just not for the wealthiest people.
Let me know your reply once you get back from the brain surgeon. (Donating again?)
I knew he wouldn’t answer the question.
And I didn’t dodge your point about illegal immigration…I simply let Vern’s comment (based in reality, by the way, unlike yours) to carry the day.
And I’m not dodging your question about the Bush tax cuts…I’m asking you a simple, straightforward question about SOMETHING OBAMA HAS ACTUALLY DONE…not something he MIGHT do in the future.
Now, would you like to answer my original question?
*Bain Capital is running the American Airlines BK. How many folks do you think will be dismissed in the process? The Transport Worker Union just had to take a $10 dollar an hour cutback – $1600 a month haircut….just to keep their jobs at Alliance Airport to do the repairs. Otherwise, they would have shipped those 1300 jobs to Brazil in their wonderful outsource process.
Guess, we should be glad the TWU even gets to keep their jobs. Can’t wait to see what they plan to do to the Pilots and Flight Attendants now. Meanwhile, no cutbacks on Executive Bonuses and Stock Options……..so far.
Unauthorized residents heck lets call them outstanding law following people and ILLEGALS PAY MORE INTO THE SYSTEM AHHHHHH OK . OH AND ANON I LIKE THE WAY YOU FAR LEFT LIBS TURN QUESTIONS AROUND ..ANWSER A QUESTION WITH A QUESTION .. PAGE 10 IN THE FAR LEFT HANDBOOK WHEN YOUR CORNERED WITH A FACT .
Actually, Great Coward, you never asked a question. Go back and read what you originally wrote. There is no question there. You’ve never asked a single question on this comment thread. Just a slew of statements of your opinion, including an opinion about taxes.
Vern adequately debunked your rhetoric about immigration. And I debunked your statement about taxes by asking a question that you refuse to answer. That’s because the answer to the question I asked will shatter the fact-free zone you live in.