Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Mitt Romney: Does America really want him as President?

Keywords or Terms: Republican Convention; Transparency; Ann Romney’s and Chris Christi speeches; Paul Ryan; European-Styled Economy; Swiss Bank Account; Romney’s Taxes; White House.

The Economist Magazine this week did an exposés on a book written about Mrs. Markel, the German Chancellor, saying value is dangerous, and to be vague, advisable. We cannot but mull over that statement, in light of the tax issues that the Republican Party flag bearer has. Many Americans continue to see Mitt Romney’s hold back on tax information as an attempt to remain vague, rather than espouse value that could make Americans proud of his candidacy: TRANSPARENCY. That is why many Americans find it very difficult to accept the pronouncement in Mrs. Romney’s speech at the Republican Convention last night that what America needs is Mitt Romney as their President in 2013.

First, for all the credit of Mrs. Romney’s speech, many Americans see her husband as a wealthy man, who is hard to fall in love with as a Presidential Candidate; not a man derided for his effort to amass all those wealth. Contrary to Ms. Romney’s assertion that her husband worked hard to amass his wealth and thus must be emulated, America sees in Romney, a man who is vague about his personal finances and taxes, policy proposals and budget plan; a man who hardly understands the notion of shared sacrifice; a man full of contemptible secrecy and an aloofness that even makes some Republicans cringe. That is where the love is missing for the 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate!

Americans see in Romney a double standard that is unimaginable and one difficult to draw closer to. Imagine, a Presidential candidate that continues to tout the message that President Obama is turning America to a European-styled economy, while just a few years ago, he was being given reprieve by the Internal Revenue Service to encourage him bring back some financial sovereignty he had surrendered in terms of wealth to a European Country. This is the so much talked about disciplined Mormon that America must turn over the keys to the White House? If indeed the European-styled economy that he finds so contemptuous and criticizing President Obama over, not that Obama has ever done that or wished that for America; why then did Mitt Romney deposit his wealth in at least, one of those European economies in the first place? Not that we cherish a European-styled economy over ours; however, none of us have moved some of our wealth into that styled economy, while at home, we continue to crucify that same haven for Romney’s wealth. None of us is seeking the keys to the White House, while we have been disingenuous to the American Banks and the taxman!

Americans find it difficult to know what the Republican candidate for the 2012 general elections really believes. More importantly, Americans see in Mitt Romney, a politician who will do anything to win the White House. Americans, especially Democrats and liberals like me, see in Mitt Romney, a President that may not be upfront with the public, an opaque candidate, too remote to believe or understand. That is the reason for the title of today’s blog: Does America really need Mitt Romney as their President at this time?

The more we get to unravel the Republican mystery of a candidate before us, the more we tend to believe that Mitt Romney is about to return us to economic policies that nearly grounded and destroyed our lives. America is tired of the military industrial complex, we are in a re-building stage in our economy, not into foreign voyeurism and war mongering. America is at a time, where and when, we need to move away from deregulatory policies that undermine our focus to build a thriving economy. We must tell Republicans to quit fooling us, for we can make use of our heads!

We are hardly interested in vein glory; or an extremely deregulated economy, where anything goes but prudence. We have tried this same road before and we got burnt badly! Look around your neighborhoods, you probably have not seen so many homes foreclosed in your life time. That is what excessive deregulation, unbridled tax cuts and mortgage sales debacle or hypocrisies get you. That is why a few of us are castigating Mitt Romney’s candidacy and calling for him to be more transparent, if he really wants our vote. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice, shame on us! That adage is better left for Mitt Romney, not Barack Obama, as used by Chris Christie, who was more combating with the American workers, as he grapples with his words and paid lip service to Mitt Romney at the Republican Convention. Interestingly, America saw why Mitt Romney moved away from the Governor of New Jersey as his vice, he is more attuned to aggrandize himself in any situation and circumstance. It is Christi for himself and not for Romney! If in doubt, play over Christi's speech at the Republican Convention, once again!

Second, while it seems Mitt Romney is about to re-introduce himself to a larger audience through the Republican Party convention, voters are finding that the color or honor is about to elude him; from the inability of the convention scheduled speakers to arouse excitements in the crowd or espouse worthy coherent conservative message; with most of the speeches falling so flat, except that of Ann Romney. The necessary steam to arouse excitement and edification of the Republican ethos was actually missing in the speeches we have heard so far. Maybe, it is the misfortune or anxiety surrounding the storms and hurricanes that are forecasted to land in nearby states to Florida; however, the Republican Convention seems rather uninviting, unexciting, and probably bogged down in a swamp of vagueness characteristic of the campaign message of the man at the top of the Republican ticket.

For mystified inquisitors regarding the message of Romney’s campaign, never mind or worry, you are not alone. Many of us in the left are wondering could Mitt Romney be really serious to want to replace Barack Obama. He is a candidate who would rather damn the demands of those he is seeking votes from simply because he is afraid that the public will find out the truth about his candidacy through the discovery of what he has been up to with his wealth, finances and taxation in the past decade. If Mitt Romney had eluded paying effective tax rate, shouldn’t voters be the first to know, so we may rectify the errors of past legislation regarding taxation loop holes and codes. If Governor Romney had completed his tax filings within the provisions of the law, shouldn’t he be proud to divulge such credit? No one is second guessing the intentions of the Republican flag bearer regarding the refusal to reveal more than one year’s tax filings, he promised to release two years’; even the second year’s filing is still an iffy!

The opinion of taxpayers regarding our current tax codes and the possibility that a few rich Americans have been evading effective tax payment, by taking advantage of the multiple loop holes in the current tax code, is about to dissolve if the nation, ever elects Governor Romney into the White House. We are all aware of Paul Ryan’s plans for tax cuts and what his future boss is already cradling in Ryan’s budget. For all we can tell, Paul Ryan’s budget is Mitt Romney’s by default, although the top ticket of the Republican Party Presidential Candidate continues to deny it.

The denials and counter arguments may soon subsume the reality of the uncharted waters of Romney-Ryan’s ticket, as it attempts to launch the Medicare and Medicaid Programs into a voucher system. The economic punches that is about to delude the elderly, the poor, women and children, if ever the Republican tickets triumphs in November, may just become too unbearable and probably overwhelming. The confusion that would precipitate the Medicare system when turned to a voucher system under Mitt Romney, assuming his administration is able to get the legislation through Democratic-led Senate, would not only be one for the records, it would probably take us back to the depression era experience under FDR that initially led to the enactment of the Social Security Administration Act. We are not being an alarmist; however, we see the current suffering around our neighborhoods and we understand that the only reason, why many of our retirees and elders are staying above the fray of poverty, is because there are Medicare and Medicaid programs taking care of the hugest expense that this group incurs, mostly.

For the snake-oil men, who continue to advertize that those retirees above the age of 55, would not have a change in their benefits, seniors please ask them, what is wrong for your children and grand children to enjoy the same benefits you are currently being served. Why is Paul Ryan attempting to mess with people’s lives? The current opposition to Ryan’s plan is not based on speculation; it is based on data-driven findings that have been evaluated by independent non-parities groups who have indicated that they smell a rat. For those Republicans who are sold on the snake-oil men’s message, it is time the ostrich gets his head out of the sand. If the Republican primary had left a wound in the heart of your choice candidate that may take time to heel, the onslaught of Romney and Ryan’s ticket to ‘voucherize’ Medicare under their administration, would end up being the death knell that will tip you over. The choice between the two candidates and party is very clear, no fence sitting anymore.

With Mitt Romney being the official Republican Party flag bearer, the nation is about to make a real choice between toying with an Obama’s Pay-As-You-Go Budget, where revenue increases will be inevitable in offsetting the cost of new programs, or Romney’s Cut-And-Go Budget, where the plan is forced mandatory decapitation of social programs, while the rich haul extra millions into their bank accounts, as they continue to elude effective taxation under current tax codes and future proposal from Republican Vice-Presidential candidate for the 2012 general elections. As unique as the Ryan’s plan may seem at this time for Medicaid and Medicare, the misery it is about to bring to America, assuming the Republican ticket triumphs, would not be dissimilar from what we see in some of the third world countries. Paul Ryan’s plan for Medicare and Medicaid would not only strangulate the elderly and destroy America’s middle-class, it will afford for potential market forces manipulation that would effectively bankrupt the programs faster than the current apprehension of the sustainability of the social program. Our tax system needs reforms, serious reforms, and it is unlikely to come from these two Republicans seeking the White House in 2012. PPACA has the potential of saving Medicare and Medicaid; let’s give it a chance to work. A prototype of the health care reform law is lauded as working in Massachusetts, why don’t we give it a chance in the whole country?

Finally, for those voters who consider the Romney-Ryan ticket as a panacea to the current economic malaise, it may be wise to recall what happened just as President G.W. Bush was exiting the Whitehouse in 2008. The same excessive deregulation and attempt to privatize the social security benefits that went bunkers when the stock market tanked under President G.W. Bush, is what is being proposed for Medicare and Medicaid under another possible Republican Administration. None of us, who went through the misfortune of this great depression, must entertain excessive tweaking with the only social safety net the elder, women and poor have known for some time now. That is why the 2012 Republican Party ticket is doomed; for it proposes a plan that is more likely to take us from a frying pan to fire!

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