The Victims

When Mittens speaks dismissively about the 47% who he thinks have their hands out for government help and pay nothing in, he is repeating a widespread myth. While there are people who do take advantage of the system, they are a small minority of those who receive benefits.

The huge group of people in this country who can't find work or a job that pays them enough to cover their basic needs would dearly love to have a job. They want to support themselves and have enough economic freedom that will allow them some relief from the enervating worry about falling into the abyss of the unemployed. Once you have dropped to that level it as a hard climb back to just the subsistence level.

People take money from the government in the form of unemployment benefits, food stamps, and other forms of aid that they hope will be a bridge over that abyss until they can find a job. They try to keep moving on that bridge in order to find work. Unfortunately because of a lack of jobs and other factors, many end up having to use the bridge as a home that becomes more permanent by the day. Living this way is a hard life because hope dims and the spirit begins to fail.

The physical problems such as having enough food are bad enough, but when hope fades away you end up with shadow people. They have faded into the background and are completely ignored by all. There are too many in this group and it's growing. While the 1% believes that ignoring these people is a way to save money, it is in actuality a way that eats away at the fiber of the nation. A stable country and economy cannot be built or sustained with this weak base. There have always been a number of weak links, but there have for the most part, been enough strong basic blocks to hold up the system.

One of the major problems is that the welfare system has for years been a broken promise. In order for a successful system to be built that is efficient and help people more effectively, there has to be an end game. The benefits should be enough to keep people above water until they can support themselves. When jobs disappear for whatever reason, in most cases there are no plans to fill the void by retraining or building other businesses. Those in charge are behind the curve and stay there. Even after the problem occurs and grows worse, those elected to lead sit on their hands and ignore the problems. People in every sector need to quit being satisfied with the status quo and use their position to prepare for the future and the changes that are coming. These changes are coming faster each day.

Mitt lives in a world that floats around and views those that they consider beneath them through a fog of disdain, ignorance, and devoid of empathy. His views are rife among everyone in that world. They never leave their cocoon to face reality and to try to understand what others face. This is why that group sits on their money and refuses to make an investment in the country that supplied their fortunes.

These are the real parasites. They have taken and are taking what they want out of the economy. They do not return anything to replace their gains. Most can afford to stay engaged fully in the economy and use part of their wealth to keep it going. Instead they greedily collect all thy can and ignore everything else.

When Romney talks about victims, he needs to look at the 1%. They are the ones who are playing that card because those that need help need them to participate in the system. That money shouldn't be thrown recklessly, but it should be used in a manner that will help those who need aid and provide the 1% a return on their investment. The 1% want to play the role of victim being forced to hand over a pittance of what they have made. The whining you hear is coming from above, and the hands held out are those who want more money back in the form of less taxes, more tax breaks or special loopholes. They are the true drags on the economy and thus the biggest impediment to a world more favorable or all.