Romney: "I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor"

No fan of Romney here but, his comment was taken totally out of context.

Those that are considered "Poor" have: housing, medical, food stamps & welfare. Those that are make $1.00 more of what the "poor standards" are are denied all benefits.

That folks = Middle Class.

I read earlier today where Romeny's campaign has stated that he 'misspoke'....

See, this is the problem. Everyone trying to be so 'politically correct' that we get nothing done because we fear that what we say may offend...

Some things need to be said, and what he said was one of them.

Romney reminds me of one of those guys on tv at 2am selling 'vegamatics'...

reply to post by Rockpuck


Actually it not being tied to inflation is one of the major flaws with the minimum wage. There are two things you can do with it, one is tie it to inflation and the other is tie it to cost of living. But the reality of it is that making the increase automatic to inflation makes it futile to raise prices to offset the new increase. Living in Ohio you should know this because the State minimum wage which is higher than the Federal minimum wage now automatically increases every two years to keep up with the cost of living.

Originally posted by TropicKandie
reply to post by undo

 

I do not know where you live but,most people who are on welfare do not have a house payment they pay for rent, and they do have cars just cheap clunkers. also I never heard of having to pay for soccer pads at school soccer is not mandotory at school. I am sick of argueing with you. You do not know what you are talking about the poor have it hella easy and you sit here defending them. some of them try to better thier life, most don't. and when did this get about them having cars and paying for gas anyway I just said they buy thier kids name brand clothes while using foodstamps to pay for food. I have way better things to do then sit at my computer debating this all day with you that is for sure!!!!!

and anyway if they need a new tire or whatever they can just use their welfare money to buy a new one from the junk yard for only 30 bucks. and if something in thier house breaks just call the landlord and make them deal with it!

edit on 2-2-2012 by TropicKandie because: wanted to add more things

Sorry, but you don't know what you are talking about. Undo does. I definitely know what I'm talking about. One it is extremely hard to get cash from welfare, and if one can it is a measly amount of money. Medical only for the kids. Foodstamps gives you about half of what you need in food.

Most of the things they have are from thrift stores, given to them, or accumulated. They pay out of pocket for repairs. Yes, there are fortunate ones that own a house. I know around here owning a house is a lot less expensive than rent.

Welfare pay for anything? Ha, can I laugh.

Before you go bad mouthing everyone on welfare, go get a clue. You have been highly insulting and everyone else who has gotten welfare honestly, and trying to do their best to make their life as good as possible for them and their kids.

So what if they use their tax return money to buy a gaming system or tv? Welfare requires that money to be used within three months, or it will be counted towards your resources. If one is working, and on welfare, the return will be enough to kick you off the system. Either you use it, or end up applying again later on which is a major hassle. In the mean time you could cover your food expenses, but can't cover the medical for the kids.

Welfare doesn't allow you to save up for anything. Well anything expensive, otherwise I would have had a root canal done by a specialist willing to tackle my teeth. I have had a dentist already tell me that it is too complicated for him, and I need a specialist. I still had to pay for the visit. UGH. Been in pain for two months.

I love to know where the welfare money is that is suppose to pay for that. Please tell me.

Originally posted by Mystery_Lady

Originally posted by TropicKandie
reply to post by undo

 

I do not know where you live but,most people who are on welfare do not have a house payment they pay for rent, and they do have cars just cheap clunkers. also I never heard of having to pay for soccer pads at school soccer is not mandotory at school. I am sick of argueing with you. You do not know what you are talking about the poor have it hella easy and you sit here defending them. some of them try to better thier life, most don't. and when did this get about them having cars and paying for gas anyway I just said they buy thier kids name brand clothes while using foodstamps to pay for food. I have way better things to do then sit at my computer debating this all day with you that is for sure!!!!!

and anyway if they need a new tire or whatever they can just use their welfare money to buy a new one from the junk yard for only 30 bucks. and if something in thier house breaks just call the landlord and make them deal with it!

edit on 2-2-2012 by TropicKandie because: wanted to add more things

Sorry, but you don't know what you are talking about. Undo does. I definitely know what I'm talking about. One it is extremely hard to get cash from welfare, and if one can it is a measly amount of money. Medical only for the kids. Foodstamps gives you about half of what you need in food.

Most of the things they have are from thrift stores, given to them, or accumulated. They pay out of pocket for repairs. Yes, there are fortunate ones that own a house. I know around here owning a house is a lot less expensive than rent.

Welfare pay for anything? Ha, can I laugh.

Before you go bad mouthing everyone on welfare, go get a clue. You have been highly insulting and everyone else who has gotten welfare honestly, and trying to do their best to make their life as good as possible for them and their kids.

So what if they use their tax return money to buy a gaming system or tv? Welfare requires that money to be used within three months, or it will be counted towards your resources. If one is working, and on welfare, the return will be enough to kick you off the system. Either you use it, or end up applying again later on which is a major hassle. In the mean time you could cover your food expenses, but can't cover the medical for the kids.

Welfare doesn't allow you to save up for anything. Well anything expensive, otherwise I would have had a root canal done by a specialist willing to tackle my teeth. I have had a dentist already tell me that it is too complicated for him, and I need a specialist. I still had to pay for the visit. UGH. Been in pain for two months.

I love to know where the welfare money is that is suppose to pay for that. Please tell me.

Mystery_Lady...
My apologies as I used to be one of those who professed to know how people lived on welfare... not good I thought, not like me, but not terrible and not suffering.
I apologize as my wife and I in the past three years have had the pain of attempting to live on social services. Housing crash and downturn crashed commerical construction market, business partner and I lost EVERYTHING... moved in with daughter as our 850 per month would pay little if anything... would have lost our car but my sister stepping in and paid it off... could not even get food stamps or any sort of cash assistance (as you know cash assistance only applies to very special cases of paying utility bills etc. and doled out in tiny amounts) because we lived with daughter, of course couldn't afford to even rent a tent on 850 a month so couldnt' get food stamps... excuse the typing as I'm not being carefull..
Can't make more than $613 a month or I don't qualify for medicaid assited health care so have no health insurance... teeth, ha, ha... cavities... ha, ha... no luck there... office visits... no health insurance... average 120... I have to tell you M lady... you hit it on the head... those who have never been totally out and down on their luck have no IDEA... what its like... no unemployment insurance to speak of as self employed and part owners of company... I could go on but I mike throw up... best of luck and just ignore anyone who has never been there because they don't have the slightest clue... and don't wait for Romney to fix it... he is so full of crap ... ah well... rich elitist who could give a rats ass whether you, I or anyone else eats tomorrow...

reply to post by OldCurmudgeon


Forgiven, and thanks for the reply. I know I shouldn't let it get under my skin. I know my parents should be on welfare, but they are self-employed. They just lost their van they take their items to antique shows. My mom is now left to try to sell their items on the internet. I'm just thankful that she is having some success. I get foodstamps, and still have to go to the food bank. I still end up giving some to my mom to help her out.

I won't count on any politician. They all lie out their buts. If I would support anyone, it would be Ron Paul. Even if he is honest, he still wouldn't be able to change much of anything, or be dead or shot within a year. As my husband said, all the good presidents have been shot.

Only one lived, and that was Regan. I don't know much, because I didn't keep up with him when I was growing up. From what I do pick up around here was that bullet was a warning shot, and after that he more or less conformed.

I hope one day you and your wife will be able to pull yourselves up out of poverty. We try, but it is hard. I'm glad my mother-in-law gave us money for a down payment on a house. I hated the place we lived in cockroach infested, bad neighbors, cops showing up. We now live in the smallest house on the street, and a little cramped. At least it is a clean place with good neighbors.

I just try to keep my optimism that something will happen were we can break out of poverty, and needing assistance.

Thank you Mystery_Lady...
We are finally doing much better.. my sister rents us a small house and I applied for and now receive my social security early... took a 500 per month loss.. be we're happy... pay rent and utilites and paying my sister off for the loan to save our car... we'll do fine...
I just wanted to support you that we 'now' understand and will never again be critical of anyone trying to make it under or near the poverty level..
Best of luck to you and your family and talk again I'm sure..

reply to post by jjkenobi


I have met people that do get those kinds of benefits.. not one of them have been sitting back like hedonists with their couple hundred once or twice a month, food stamps, and govt housing. Most of them are in a pretty #ty place. I don't think they really have too many safety nets. If they didn't exist we would be in a situation much more dire than the great depression.

Little off topic.. but I guess it doesn't matter what Romney said. Based on the internet ads I am seeing, looks like the media has our choices ready:

I took that from haaretz.com article.

Originally posted by NAeagle89
In all honestly I somewhat support what Romney said and this is why:

There are social safety nets such as temporary unemployment and help out there (Ex: Homeless shelters, facilities helping people find work,etc) for people in the lower income brackets. Romney knows that people in this market segmentation will probably not vote for him anyway so why appeal to them; their a small minority for his voting market.

On another note, why should the government have to take care of people who are poor and in the lower tax and income brackets. They generally made poor life choices and its their fault and I dont think we owe them ANYTHING to take care of them. Because I graduated from college, have experience in an industry, built myself into what I am today, and manage my income well I have to pay for these scums who got their GED most likely and work at your local 7-11; that doesnt make sense to me? As an America, its tough seeing people in my generation (people in their 20's) act like they DESERVE something (yes, I am looking at you OWS protestors) when they havent earned it. America needs to wane away from being a welfare state and go back to the old values of the 20th century where taking risk with entrepreneurial adventures paid off and people understood that they had to reap what they sew and that there is no "free lunch". If America doesnt do this, I am scared what it will look like in 30 years....

Agreed.

This is an honest answer; at least Romney is acknowledging the pink elephant is in the room.

reply to post by Desolate Cancer


This just angers me. Why do some ATS continue to put down the poor and the weak? Most of the poor are not worthless. Many are either disabled,(either psychically of mentally), elderly or a victim of the recession, There are only a few people who may take advantage of the systems. No human being is wortheless! What are you tellin the next generation when you are calling a group of people worthless? Haven't we learned enough from history, slavery, discrimination, Hitler etc.
Those "safety nets"are continually cut by republicans or at least they try. I do not come to ATS as often because the judgemental people on here. Maybe you don't know what it is like to be poor. Try living on $720 a month I can guarnetee you even with those so called "safety nets" you will have a hard time just living. The very poor do not qualify for cars, or houses. In this country were money is king the poor are drowning!!!!

Willard, when I put your words in context, I hear someone who at least acknowledges that some people are so poor that they do need a nation's safety net. However, I think if you actually were a Christian man like Pres Jimmy Carter, you would at least have some personal connection with the poor, and you would not seem so detached when you talk about people not in your class, which is most of us.

You don't exude any sense of noblesse oblige, like FDR. That makes me wonder if I were ever to not be politically expedient to you, I would be merely hosed off, like your poor dog you made ride in an "airtight" container and you said he was ok. Or I would be like those illegal workers who worked for you, until they were outed and you knew for cryin' out loud you were running for POTUS so you made sure they disappeared.

Originally posted by Henley
No fan of Romney here but, his comment was taken totally out of context.

Those that are considered "Poor" have: housing, medical, food stamps & welfare. Those that are make $1.00 more of what the "poor standards" are are denied all benefits.

That folks = Middle Class.

Don't forget Obama is the Food Stamp President.

Obama has added more people to the food stamp program than any other president in

the history of the United States.

reply to post by OldCurmudgeon


yep same thing happened to me. to make matters worse, all the enamel on my teeth vanished and they began to fall apart like chalk. we had to get one air force aid loan after another, which contributed to our continuous poverty even though he was working full time. the air force doesn't cover dental for dependents (spouse, children) other than an once a year exam, that you can then take the results of, to your civilian dentist. they would also fill one cavity during that visit for the yearly exam. but only if it wasn't going to require a root canal. if it was root canal work, they'd put a temp filling on it and send you off into the real world. paying cash for dental work when you're already poor is a recipe for disaster.

Originally posted by GogoVicMorrow
Little off topic.. but I guess it doesn't matter what Romney said. Based on the internet ads I am seeing, looks like the media has our choices ready:

I took that from haaretz.com article.

Gogo... the media seems to think they must 'tell us' the outcome of everything...

reply to post by Eurisko2012

Don't forget Obama is the Food Stamp President.

Obama has added more people to the food stamp program than any other president in

the history of the United States.

And who put those people on food stamps? The worst president in US history, GW Bush, along with his GOP cohorts who gave use the Great Recession of 2008. That alone ensured more people would wind up on food stamps for the next generation than any other factor.

Obama did more to END that recession than the GOP will ever acknowledge, and he did that in spite of their constant obstruction. And now the GOP wants to run on the plank of 'cutting spending' - by gutting the safety nets of the poor, and embracing the same policies that put us in the recession in the first place. The GOP is so subservient to their billionaire bankrollers they would rather destroy the fabric of middle America and ensure we remain mired an upside-down fiscal policy of robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

Originally posted by Blackmarketeer
reply to post by Eurisko2012

 

Don't forget Obama is the Food Stamp President.

Obama has added more people to the food stamp program than any other president in

the history of the United States.

And who put those people on food stamps? The worst president in US history, GW Bush, along with his GOP cohorts who gave use the Great Recession of 2008. That alone ensured more people would wind up on food stamps for the next generation than any other factor.

Obama did more to END that recession than the GOP will ever acknowledge, and he did that in spite of their constant obstruction. And now the GOP wants to run on the plank of 'cutting spending' - by gutting the safety nets of the poor, and embracing the same policies that put us in the recession in the first place. The GOP is so subservient to their billionaire bankrollers they would rather destroy the fabric of middle America and ensure we remain mired an upside-down fiscal policy of robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

President George W. Bush added 14.7 million people to the food stamp program over 8 years.

President Obama has added over 15 million people to the food stamp program in only 3 years!

Obama has added more people to the food stamp program than any other president in the

history of the united states.

Originally posted by dreamseeker
reply to post by Desolate Cancer

 

This just angers me. Why do some ATS continue to put down the poor and the weak?

Most of the poor are not worthless. Many are either disabled,(either psychically of mentally), elderly or a victim of the recession, There are only a few people who may take advantage of the systems. No human being is wortheless! What are you tellin the next generation when you are calling a group of people worthless? Haven't we learned enough from history, slavery, discrimination, Hitler etc.
Those "safety nets"are continually cut by republicans or at least they try. I do not come to ATS as often because the judgemental people on here. Maybe you don't know what it is like to be poor. Try living on $720 a month I can guarnetee you even with those so called "safety nets" you will have a hard time just living. The very poor do not qualify for cars, or houses. In this country were money is king the poor are drowning!!!!

Well said desolate c... well said...
I would acknowledge as I have personally witnessed and met some, a few, who appear to for whatever reason live on the bottom...
I even participated thru our company in a program where several business owners combined and attempted to contact homeless people sitting along freeways and the down and out and offer them jobs to help pull themselves up by the bootstraps.
I must admit, there was a small percentage who when offered a job said, nah, work, I'm not interested... I'm doing ok panhandling and I dont mind the way I live...
But, the remainder were so grateful it made you hug them and cry openly along with them. The little children looking up at you with suprise, love and hunger in their eyes makes me cry now...
Moving on, as I described earlier, after losing everything (due to the collapse of the construction market) my wife and I lived with our children for almost three years... fortunately for us we did not have to live on the street, in a car or under a bridge, but just the same, crashing to earth from a nice house and car, a high six figure income with thousands in the bank for retirement, we hit bottom hard.
The disinformation published by the government, media and other prejudiced sources regarding the 'poor' is primarily and diametrically opposite the truth.
Sadly so many, who have not experienced personally or thru friends or acquaintances the plight of poverty do not know about what they speak, and more sadly, likely do not care.
The America I grew up in as a child took care of their neighbors.
The America I live in now, one could likely lay on a sidewalk and bleed to death while a ring of people stand around afraid to touch you for fear of disease or insurance liability. This is not to say there are those who will not jump in and help, but sadly today is so disproportionate with yesterday.

reply to post by Eurisko2012


The economy hit rock bottom thanks to the GOP and their policies, millions of people were thrown out of work then and ended up on food stamps or unemployment. Credit goes to Bush/GOP for every person who went on public assistance in 2009/2010 and even 2011.

Blaming Obama for the people put on food stamps thanks to the Bush Recession of 2008 is like blaming a firefighter for the water he used putting out a fire started by an arsonist.