AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
An American Airlines employee works in the airlines control tower at JFK International airport in New York on Aug. 1, 2012.
One of the things that makes Mitt Romney’s 47 percent comment stand out is that it flies in the face of what we really know about most Americans and our work ethic.
As you probably know, Romney was recently caught telling a group of wealthy donors back in May, "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it."
Romney calls almost half of the American population "dependent," "victims" who "believe that they are entitled" to the basic necessities. Keep that in mind as you read this next statistic:
90 percent of wage and salary workers were offered paid or unpaid leave in 2011, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only 21 percent used that leave. You can see the whole study here.
These are working Americans who were offered some form of time off and didn't take it. And it’s not because they didn’t get paid. During an average week, 57 percent used only their paid leave. 40 percent used unpaid.
Look at it this way, almost 70 percent of workers who had the option to stay home or go on vacation or run errands or whatever just didn’t take it.
None of these statistics can tell us who will vote for President Obama or not. But the numbers do give us some insight into just how misguided and frankly insulting Mitt Romney’s claim about 47 percent really is.
Does a "dependent" "victim" go to work when they could take the day off? How many Americans decide to work instead of calling in sick? How many Americans put a vacation on hold, or switch shifts so they can attend a child’s school event? Does Romney call them "entitled"?
Picture this: while Romney complains about American laziness at a high-dollar fundraiser to fellow multi-millionaires in a vacation hot spot in Florida, a vast majority of American workers are on the job, refusing to take the time-off their bosses give them.
It kind of gives new meaning to Ed’s phrase, "Let’s get to work."
-Jen Brockman, Segment Producer
Leave a Comment:
These guys (Romney, Ryan, Right-wingers) hate the middle class. It is so crazy that the Robber Baron class hates the people that made them wealthy in the first place.
The workers of America ARE MAKERS. The Robber Barons ARE TAKERS.
The 99% and 47% are the backbone of America.
They live IN America while the Robber Baron Right-Wingers live OFF of America.
I agree with you on that because you have to ask the question of why is it easier to get welfare over getting a job that pays a living wage? The top people are so greedy that they just cannot see paying people a living wage instead of a meager minimum wage. It is called the minimum wage because that is the "MINIMUM" that you can pay someone.
Then ask the question, WHY should people work for a minimum wage when they can get more money and services from welfare?
We need to have a living wage standard in this country and we should be calculating what the living wage is for every area in this country.
I am 100% sure that if we had a living wage minimum, then we would have very few people on welfare and our tax base would be very high, then NO MORE PROBLEMS.
Here is a real example:
Why should the CEO of Macy's make $20 million per year and the managers of the stores that bring in the money only get about $40k per year and the people on the floor selling make less than $20k per year? Do not try to tell me that the CEO works harder than the Dock manager, because I know the dock manager and SHE works so hard that her body is always in pain and she cannot get affordable health care on the non-living wage pay. In fact, Macy's does NOT LIKE TO GIVE PAID VACATION DAYS. They make it so hard to get a vacation day that it is close to impossible to get them built up.
I point out Macy's because I have a direct link to an employee there and I can see the BS of these places. There is no way the CEO works as hard as the dock manager, NO WAY!!! I would be willing to bet the CEO could NEVER do that job and be efficient.
We need to start looking at wages and how we can strip some from these bloated CEO's pay and add them to the employees pay to help make the basic employee pay a LIVING WAGE.
Nothing but good can come from this. We would have a much better tax base and people would be happy to get off of some sort of welfare so they can enjoy a better standard of living.
Why should anyone want to get off of welfare when they cannot make enough money with the current minimum wage.
Why is it we do not hear the candidates talking about this rather than CUTTING taxes. Just increase pay and do not touch taxes. When increasing pay, take the extra from the top people and trickle it DOWN to the bottom people instead of raising prices so that the fat cats can still stay FAT. They do not NEED that much fat in their incomes, period. Why is it that these FAT cats seem to think they work so much harder than the people at the bottom helping them make PROFIT so they can get huge bonuses for themselves?
We should no longer have CEO's that have not worked their way up in the company performing almost every job first. How can a CEO relate if he/she has never worked the "grunt" jobs which are the ones that allow the CEO's to make such ridiculous pay?
Romney's Company Forces U.S. Flag to Be Lowered in
Illinois
Salem-News.com
It took place as Chinese workers replaced U.S. workers losing
their jobs.
Courtesy:
Politico
(WASHINGTON DC) - If Mitt Romney is elected president, the
American flag itself may actually be restricted from flying in the United
States. That word comes from employees losing their jobs in Freeport,
Illinois.
The Presidential Candidate holds major stock in a company called
Sensata. The company recently made factory officials take down the American flag
when they were forced to train their Chinese replacement workers, according to
Tom Gaulrapp, with the United Steelworkers Union.
Right now in Freeport, Illinois, some 170 workers at an auto
sensor plant are sleeping in tents to protest Bain-owned Sensata Technology’s
decision to ship their jobs to China.
Romney claims he knows nothing about this. But the New York Times explains: “[Mitt Romney] owns about $8 million
worth of Bain funds that hold 51 percent of Sensata’s shares. If Sensata saves
money by closing the Freeport plant, that could add money to Mr. Romney’s trust
accounts, now or after the election.”
This is taking place as Mitt Romney tries to convince people to
believe that he doesn’t know about Bain's shipping American jobs overseas. He is
trying to distance himself from Bain Capital, a pioneer of outsourcing where
Romney made a fortune as CEO.
Another employee losing her job, Mary Jo Kerr, is a young mom of
three. She's heartbroken because she can’t afford dance lessons for her
daughter. Another is Dot Turner, so close to retirement, but will not receive
it. Instead Dot will get just 26 weeks’ severance for 43 years of work in the
plant.
Watch and share the Sensata workers’ story at www.usw.org/election2012.
Again, THE WEALTH OF THE ONE OR THE FEW IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PROSPERITY OF THE MANY!!!!!!
This is not capitalism, it is GREED and it is time to stop this open wound and bring the top down to reality.
Question Ed - Question for the GOP - If the personhood legislation ever becomes law, and the father agrees to an abortion, would he be charged with accessory to murder? This places all the responsibility of not getting pregnant on the woman.
Watch your show all the time. Thanks for keeping it real!
I feel that abortion should be up to the individual and the state in terms of time pregnant. If it is within the first trimester, all abortion should be legal. Once it is beyond the first trimester abortion should be next to impossible unless genotoxic drugs are involved like alcohol, METH, cocaine, LSD, Heroin, and many pharmaceuticals.
I believe there needs to be a reason to have an abortion. The "I cannot afford it" is not a reason. Rape is clearly a REASON. Drugs are clearly a REASON. Serious known genetic abnormalities are a REASON.
The logic is; Why should we allow a child to be born addicted to drugs or genetically inferior or damaged due to drug abuse or pharmaceutical usage for a disease or illness? The result of having a child born that has been "altered" from the normal healthy child is the HUGE costs to raise that child and disappointment when the child cannot be a productive member of society. This may seem insincere or wrong to many, but is it also not wrong to have a child that you "KNOW" will not have the ability to have a good quality of life. Are you even thinking about that or are you so selfish that you do not care? In my opinion it is selfish for us to have a child that we "KNOW" based on genetic tests will have serious problems in being a NORMAL member of society instead of the rapists, child molesters, murderers, or simply crazy people. We have the technology to determine this before the 2nd trimester and we should use it to test all of the fetus's before they are too developed.
Leave GOD out of this and simply look at the logic. In the eyes of a being as intelligent as GOD, we are PRIMITIVE and our survival depends on the many and not the few. Even a being as intelligent as GOD would know that a deformed genome that inhibits the life-form to function and survive as a member of the whole should not survive. It is no different than cancer and we try to prevent and cure cancer, right?
As a scientist that works on friction materials in my "day" job, I know that the dust particles from most brake materials are genotoxic and that the public is not fully aware of this. The introduction of these genotoxic particles through our lungs or our skin is damaging our genes and if we do not solve this problem we are all screwed. We have the technology to make brakes without friction materials, but the powers that be find it more important for the top 2% to keep raking in the money from braking materials. You people ask why autism is climbing, I dare to say that it is the result of genotoxic contaminants in our atmosphere and we need to address this. Oh, you say more regulations, well would you rather have regulations or damaged genetics? The rich who are less exposed to these toxic particles are the only ones saying less regulations.
If one day we can modify the genome in every fetus to allow it to be the best it can be, then we would never have to have an abortion except for some form of rape involved.
I am pro-choice as long as the reason for the abortion is logical.
Do not get me wrong here, I am in a direct situation where I am raising a grand-child born to a METH addicted mother. She was not using METH to much during the pregnancy, but even one puff of Meth is bad.
As scientists, we hypothesized that if we provide a good stimulating environment that any deficiencies due to the meth can be overcome and so far our data is showing that we are correct. Most people do not have this ability and needs to be taken into consideration.
If you don't print money or tax income then you need to borrow it or rub a magic lamp.
Money has to come from somewhere. Romney says he will get the money by cutting spending. Budget cuts are called austerity, which works like this:
Romney and Ryan both say they can't explain the cuts because "it's complicated".
It's complicated because a lie becomes more obvious as you explain more about the lie.
And they keep bringing up Ronald "Alzheimer's" Reagan as if he is some kind of superhero.
If this is your hero ........ then OMG!!!
Lying sack of Mitt.
Lyin' Ryan.
I soooooo want to see MSNBC put this delusional lunacy in front of the voters before Noremember.
Please PlEaSe PLEASE!
I'm looking for some consistancy and honest in the guy I vote for.
Oh, I already did....Obama/Biden and the rest of the Democratic ticket. Yesterday.
You still have plenty of time to vote again.
The only ones trying to pull voter fraud lately are Republicans.
Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and the republican party have manipulated the minds of so many Americans, causing many of those in the 47%, that heard Romney, in his own words denigrating them, but they think he is talking about only those no good democrats. It is un-believable that red blooded Americans, would let themselves be man-handled by a bunch of radical extremist, who hate them and they think it is just fine that they let the Chinese replace the American flag with their flag in Freeport Il, with the blessing of Mitt Romney and Bain Capitol. That is a shame and a disgrace.
Greatgran I could not agree with you more.
who at this point in the race does not know that Mitt does not like anyone who is not rich!
who does not know by now that Mitt is a puppet and the puppetiers will tell him what he has to say and do and sign!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would love it if someone would please mention the fact that Ryan said at the debate last night that there tax plan is to cut taxes 20% STARTING with the wealthiest Americans. No one is pointing this out!!!
Have you also noticed that no one has mentioned that these are just his suggestions and that any final bill would have to be passed by both the House and the Senate before Romney would ever have a chance to sign it. Last time I checked, the president does not create legislation...only makes suggestions...
just saying..
Right capt re reg just suggestions just like your just saying reality is its all lies.
Show a picture of the single, pregnant, welfare mother leaving the housing project (taxes pay for) to drive her car (taxes paid for) to go down to the grocery store to buy food w/ the EBT card (taxes paid for) then get her lotto tickets and cigarettes with some of her welfare money (taxes paid for) all the while chatting on her "Obama Phone" (taxes paid for) while she makes an appointment for an STD test at the free clinic (taxes pay for) and tell me THAT part of the 47% is going to vote for anyone other than Obama. Romney was right in what he said. You just refuse to see it. Your sad little air traffic controller is not representative. Welfare baby machine woman is.
That Reagan lie no longer flies. Another welfare liar gee who would have thought that a clueless republican believes the old Reagan lies about a welfare system that no longer exists nor did it ever exist anywhere except inside Reagans delusional mind that was diseased.
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-muckrakers/2011/02/what-do-you-really-know-about-welfare-take-our-quiz/
Oh yeah the poor are living off the fat of the land, what a load of malarkey.
The point is, they are not living off their own labor. They are living off other's labor. And stroll down to Booker T. Washington Housing Project in Columbus, GA and tell me what I just described is a delusion.
Your creating a non-existing stereotype for the citizens of this country that exist at poverty levels and are required to work, perform labor, for welfare benefits.
Who consciously wants to exist without any dignity in poverty?
Why do you people that are not wealthy and have to work for a living believe the propaganda of the wealthy? A lack of critical thinking skills contributes to your caring about the values of these people who don't care about you! They don't care about you! They don't care about you worker! You are obedient workers without a conscience. The Gekkos of the world wants workers just smart enough to run the machines and do the IT, but just dumb enough to ignore or kill a good conscience. Maybe life's road will provide a path for you to learn. Many of us hope so.
What kind of feel-good psyco babble is that? The real world was built by people who get things done. Not starry-eyed dreamers and theoretical sociologists. Columbus didn't sail to the new world as an abstract act of exploratrion. He did it to open a new trade route to India. To make money. He put it all together and got it done. Those who get things done built the world that takers and dreamers feed off of.
Right a housing project smack dab in the middle of the city where business have moved away from and had been since the early 70's because box stores needed more room for their super stores meaning jobs close to the poor are now gone and they have to find a way to get out to where the work is, which is why the inner cities are so depressed everything is gone not because of the poor but because of business loss in the inner cities. Really Columbus was trying to find a shorter trade route to China not India, Columbus was lost and when he stumbled onto the Virgin Islands he thought he was in India which is why whites call native Americans Indians. Sorry but it has been the takers that got wealthy not the dreamers. The takers provided start up cash to dreamers then took their dream and made a fortune off the dream leaving the dreamer often penniless. That is what the real takers like robme do, take other peoples work for a low price then make a fortune for themselves. What the takers have done is found a way to distract stupid people by giving them a scape goat to focus on away from them. They found the perfect person to lie to stupid people, Ronnie Reagan who told stupid people hard work created wealth it was a lie and will always be a lie the real takers are filthy rich.
Obama needs to ask Romney point blank in the next debate, was he lying to the $50,000.00 doners behind closed doors or to the rest of the country after he got caught. Three gueses and the first two does't count. Either way he lied to the voters. If he can lie that easy then what else is he lying about.
I want to show Neo Con Kook something,take a look at your guy the YELLOW one. The one who was carring signs for the DRAFT, when he put his tail between his legs and fled like a YELLOW SCARED Bi---? HE was afarid so he let other AMERICANS die.What a piece of scum,how about you did you ever serve our COUNTRY or are you another BIG BIRD. In case you are wondering YES, I served my COUNTRY proudly from 1964 t0 1966, your so called leader was hiding in France. TRASH. Now from his tough talk it looks like he want to attack Iran, if he does let him start with YOU and his FIVE SONS. One thing about the ROBMES NONE, I REPEAT NONE EVER SERVED OUR COUNTRY. Its about time they put up or shut up.
The messiah repeats endlessly that the rich don't pay their "fair share" in taxes. I'm leaving it up to you liberals on this site to answer a question the messiah has never been asked:
1. What criteria do you use to measure taxes and to define the rich
2. What is the current share based on your answers to #1
3. What share would be "fair".
Your idiotic, sophomoric referencing of President Obama as "the messiah" only reveals who and what you are...and your three "vital" questions are, therefore, not worth answering
in other words...like all other Democrats...POTP cant answer the questions. It is whatever they decide it is whenever they decide it is.
just saying...
One might think a question's worth is independent of it's source. My observation is that the phrase, as used by the left, has no real meaning. Kenneth Clark once observed that authoritarian minds don't like dictionaries.
Here is the URL of a website which chronicles all the messiah like adulation heaped on Obama, by others as well as Obama himself.
obamamessiah.blogspot.com
While the President is undoubtedly a narcissist and ego-maniac, my use of the term "messiah" is intended to mock his supporters more than mock him. "Barock Hussein Obama, ooh, ooh, ooh." (With all due respect to Joe E Ross).
Part of the 47% are going to be umemployed by the end of the year in Freeport Illinois. By indirect orders of the GOP/RNC "Speculator and Chief" of Bain Capital. The Sensata Technologies Plant will be sent to China quickly. Already Chinese Nationals are being trained by the same US Workers that will be losing their jobs. Here is the really GOP/Tea Begger "Economically Evil" thing about this America. They are training Chinese Nationals that are probably here illegally, and will be doing the work that Americans should be doing. It is very clear that the GOP/RNC "Speculator and chief" is still very much calling the shots from behind from one of many quiet rooms. That is fact!