Mitt Romney: Keeper Of The Lie’s

Thu May 10, 2012    By davej

Is this guy a Presidential candidate from a major party, or a fringe nut?   He sounds like Rush Limbaugh.  HuffPo: Mitt Romney: Obama 'Takes Marching Orders From Union Bosses',

Speaking to a crowd at a campaign stop in Lansing, Mich., on Tuesday, presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney took a swipe at both President Barack Obama and organized labor, saying the president "takes his marching orders" from unions that cost American jobs.

"Liberalism once taught that unions would ensure lasting prosperity for workers," Romney said at Lansing Community College. "Instead, they too often contributed to disappearing companies, disappearing industries and disappearing jobs. But like many politicians of the past, President Obama takes his marching orders from union bosses, rails against right-to-work states, fights to win union elections by eliminating the vote by secret ballot, and even denies an American company the right to build a factory in the American state of its choice."

When People Have A Say

People who follow Romney's line of reasoning think that we need to be more "business friendly" with low wages, low benefits, low environmental protections and low taxes on the rich so we can compete with countries like China.  Here's the thing, in countries like China the people don't have a say.  When people have a say they say that they want higher wages, benefits, good schools, environmental protections and the rest of the prosperity that democracy brings to all the people, instead of huge amounts accumulating in the hands of just a few people.

Unions Drove Wages And Benefits Up

Romney's argument that unions "contributed to disappearing companies, disappearing industries and disappearing jobs" is based on the idea that unions drove wages and benefits up.  He believes that good wages and benefits -- namely US -- are a "cost" instead of the reason that We, the People decided to develop the body of laws that allow corporations to exist, to use our infrastructure and educated people and laws and courts and police and all the other "public structures" as a foundation for doing business.  We, the People did that so that we -- all of us -- could benefit.  All of us, not just a few of us.

In that respect Romney is correct, unions and democracy brought us higher pay, benefits, "the weekend," vacations, 40-hour workweeks and things like that.  Before unions came along to enforce the idea of democracy we didn't, after unions we did.  Before unions we had 12-hours a day workdays, seven days a week.  Before unions we had low pay.  Before unions we had no benefits.  Before unions we didn't get vacations.  Before unions we could be fired for no reason.  Unions are why we have had a middle class. 

Unions enforce the concept of democracy.  Yes, We, the People were supposed to be in charge.  Yes, the economy was supposed to be for our benefit.  Why else would We, the People allow corporations to exist in the first place?  But it was unions that gave people the power to enforce that idea.

Laying People Off, Cutting Wages, Pocketing That Money For Himself

Romney made his fortune buying up companies (not, by the way, using his own money, but using the companies' own assets as collateral for the loans to buy them with).  Then Romney fired many of the workers, making the rest do the extra work. He cut wages and benefits for the rest and then pocketed that money for himself.  This is the guy who says that good wages and benefits is what puts companies out of business.   In other words, Romney is saying that the problem with our economy is that we have a middle class.  Romney wants America to be more "business-friendly."

Romney hates unions. They get in the way of doing business they way business was done "When Mitt Romney Came To Town:

According to the Christian Science Monitor, this is the story of what happened to the workers in one company when the Romney/Bain machine "came to town":

The new owner, American Pad & Paper, owned in turn by [Mitt Romney's] Bain Capital, told all 258 union workers they were fired, in a cost-cutting move. Security guards hustled them out of the building. They would be able to reapply for their jobs, at lesser wages and benefits, but not all would be rehired.

Outsourcing jobs to places where people don't have a say so they can't demand good wages, firing people and making them reapply for their jobs but at half the pay, gutting people's benefits, stripping companies, treating employees like throwaway Kleenex, closing factories, stealing pensions, borrowing and pocketing... Locust capitalism. Chop shops.  That's Mitt Romney's view of how to make money.  Unions are in the way.

What Is Business-Friendly?

Some quick thoughts about what "business-friendly" really means: (add your own thoughts in the comments)

Business-friendly =

Low wages
Longer hours
No health benefits
No pensions
No vacations
No sick pay
Low taxes on the wealthy and their corporations
"Smaller government," -- which means less "We, the People" in charge of things:
   No safety rules
   No privacy rules
   No food inspections
   No environmental protections
   No consumer protections
   No citizen access to courts
      Arbitration
Tort "reform" which means restricted access to courts

So what are your thoughts on this argument that we need to be more "business-friendly?"  What does the phrase even mean?  And what happens to the idea that We, the People have an economy for our own benefit?

This post originally appeared at Campaign for America's Future (CAF) at their Blog for OurFuture.  I am a Fellow with CAF.

Sign up here for the CAF daily summary

Technorati Tags: Mitt Romney,Unions,The Economy,The Middle Class,Democracy,Fair Wages,Current Events,2012 Elections

"The Definition of Insanity", GOP-style

   Let me see if I have this right:

Albert Einstein is credited with: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Now, one MIGHT argue that Einstein may not have been a psychologist, but I doubt anyone could argue with the fact that he was wicked smart!

So, let's explore "Decision 2012" in light of Mr. Einstein's observation.

 

   It's generally acknowledged that after 12 years of inept Republican presidencies (Reagan (8), Bush 41 (4)) the Clinton administration left the USA with a budget SURPLUS, and the healthiest economy since 1980.

link here

Republican policies enacted since Reagan (1980) have had a disastrous effect on our economy; income inequality has surged to levels unheard of since the "Gilded age", while wages for ordinary workers has stalled, or even declined.

It is also generally acknowledged that the economic policies followed during the 8 years of George W. Bush's so-called "Compassionate Conservative" Republican administration completely squandered the budget surplus left by Clinton. Bush 43 embroiled the USA in at least two wars (Afghanistan, then Iraq) while his administration cut taxes on the wealthiest citizens, and furthered deregulation that led directly to the financial crisis of 2007-2008, which he dumped in the lap of incoming President Obama.

In addition, Bush 43 appointed two overtly Conservative Judges, Roberts and Alito, to the Supreme court, leading directly to the totally irrational Citizens United decision in January 2010, which has since unleashed billions of dollars in negative Republican Super PAC campaign advertising paid for by well-heeled Republican donors who remain, for the most part, anonymous.

The first election cycle to be impacted by the unfortunate Citizens United decision was the 2010 mid-term election, during which enough Tea Party-backed Republican candidates were elected to the House to change the Majority to the GOP.

The second election cycle in which the Citizens United money flood was apparent was the 2012 recall election for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

The third, and arguably MOST critical election cycle is currently underway - the 2012 Presidential Election. We;re already seeing the disastrous effect that Citizens United has had on the honesty of the GOP campaign - there IS no honestly. Millions of dollars of GOP ads have been promoting outright lies about the administration's accomplishments, attempting to keep the electorate confused, or misdirected. 

On the Senate side, we have seen Mitch McConnell's "campaign to make Obama a one-term President" pursued with such a vengeance that it has disrupted Senate proceedings through the unprecedented use of the Fillibuster. Literally EVERY Senate proceeding (with rare exception) has become a 60-vote contect to break a GOP fillibuster!

Now we find out that the Republicans met on Inauguration Night to plan this organized revolt strategy - their Congressional behavior has been part of a premeditated plan to oppose EVERYTHING the President has proposed, so as to deny him ANY economic improvement which could benefit his re-election campaign!

And since the Tea Party-driven mid-term election of 2010, John Boenher's GOP House has done ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to pass legislation to aid the economic recovery of the nation, instead, seeking to pass endless bills against abortion and birth control, while petulantly "refuse to cooperate" with the jobs agenda President Obama has been pursuing to restart the American economy.

So here is where the Insanity comes in:

Republicans are adamant that a return to the policies of Bush 43 are what will save this country from the horror of President Obama (you know - the horror of millions of jobs added since he came into office) and that we really should give the GOP back the keys to the vehicle of state after Bush 43 and his GOP Congress drove it to the edge of the financial cliff...

The Romney campaign (and ALL of the Republican-affiliated Pacs and talking heads) have been chattering NON STOP about how President Obama is "wrong for America", and has "done nothing to help" and how the only path to survival is to return to (wait for it)...  their proposals  for tax cuts for the rich, and deregulation of the industries owned by the so-called "job creators" (meaning, rich folks and corporations). 

they are hoping that Americans have forgotten that these are EXACTLY the Republican policies that originally got us INTO this mess... Oh, and their current policy proposals will also KILL Medicare, and shred what's left of the social safety net enacted during President Roosevelt's terms. These policies have kept many Americans out of abject poverty in their old age.

Anyone with half a brain can see from what's currently happening in Europe, the "austerity" measures being proposed by the GOP as their "growth plan" for America, will do NOTHING to help grow the economy, but will only sink our economy deeper into recession, and slow whatever small growth we have been able to achieve so far.

Europe has TRIED the policies the GOP is espousing - and they are FAILING there!

The Republican and Tea Party headwind created in Congress and the Senate has been entirely detrimental to our economic growth, and this blockade is THE BIGGEST reason that NO Republican majority should to be re-elected to either the House OR the Senate.

As to the putative GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, we are, for whatever reason, NOT supposed to do our due diligence on his qualifications for the office of President, but just blindly accept his "Success in Business" (i.e. killing companies and causing massive job loss while raking in million in profits for Bain Capital) and his "Experience in Government" which, apparently, he gained while as Governor of Massachusetts he made that state the 47th worst in overall job creation.

This much is clear:

It is long past time to JUST SAY NO to the GOP! they can campaign well, but tey CANNOT govern worth a damn.

History has shows that America prospers when Democrats are in the White House, and suffers when Republicans govern.

It is time this fall to remove the Republican Majority in the House, and reduce the number of Republican Senators, as well as repudiating the candidacy of Mitt Romney.

If we do not do these things in this election cycle, I'm not sure what future lies in store for America, but I'm pretty certain many citizens will be looking to emigrate somewhere else...

Originally posted to dagnome on Thu Jun 14, 2012

Technorati Tags: Political Insanity,Politics,Citizens United,The Economy,Republican Lies,Mitt Romney,Current Events,DKos