So Romney is in trouble for telling the truth about a lie. Why is everyone so upset? Because Romney dared to mention that about half of Americans don't pay any income tax, and so aren't likely to be tempted by tax cuts? What shocking revelations are we going to hear next? That you can't sell Nicorette to people who don't smoke? That supermodels aren't hugely interested in books on weightlifting?
| Time | Text |
|---|---|
| Ah, so Romney is in trouble for telling the truth about a lie. | |
| Why is everyone so upset? | |
| Because Romney dared to mention that about half of Americans don't pay any income tax and so aren't likely to be tempted by tax cuts? | |
| What shocking revelations are we going to hear next? | |
| That you can't sell Nicorette to people who don't smoke? | |
| Ooh, that supermodels aren't hugely interested in books on weightlifting? | |
| Of course the growth in entitlements is shocking, and of course Republicans focus on the entitlements of the poor, and Democrats focus on the entitlements of the rich. | |
| Ah, but please. | |
| If you can tie your shoelaces by now, you must be aware that these are all just a bunch of shiny, polished sociopaths who will tell you whatever you want to hear, so they can pilfer your pockets and sell off your children. | |
| Sure, entitlement growth is pretty jaw-dropping. | |
| In 1960, the US government transferred about $24 billion to individuals. | |
| By 2010, that total was almost 100 times larger in constant dollars. | |
| Once you adjust for inflation and population growth, entitlement transfers have grown 727% over the last 50 years. | |
| So, yeah, it's a big, increasing, and totally predictable problem. | |
| But why on earth are Republicans talking about it? | |
| Oh, right! | |
| Because Republicans are so against entitlement spending! | |
| Well, except for the inconvenient fact that entitlement spending rises 8% faster when Republicans are in charge. | |
| Did you know that many low-income earners don't even have a clue that they don't pay income tax? | |
| In a recent poll, 50% of people who earn less than $30,000 a year said the amount they pay in income taxes is too high! | |
| But more than 80% of those people didn't pay a penny in income tax. | |
| Of course, the poorer people receiving government handouts tend to be more into the Democrats. | |
| Low-income voters who pay no income tax and probably qualify for rent subsidies, food stamps, and Medicaid voted overwhelmingly for Obama. | |
| Three-quarters of people earning less than $15,000 a year voted for Obama, at least according to exit polls. | |
| So what? | |
| What about the military-industrial complex? | |
| What about fascist-style corporate welfare? | |
| Romney wants to increase the military budget. | |
| But remember, welfare for the rich is just national defense. | |
| If Romney is so against people benefiting from entitlements, then why is he so devoted to seniors, who usually pay no income tax and receive Social Security? | |
| If Obama buys popularity with welfare payments, why are more and more seniors voting Republican? | |
| Is it because government payouts to them have increased? | |
| Oh, come on, people. | |
| It's all nonsense. | |
| It's all theater. | |
| No one is talking about the endless wars, or the fact that the holy Nobel Peace Prize president continues to wage wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, decided unilaterally to bomb Libya, maintains a kill list, and rains down drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen. | |
| Pop quiz, do you think this bothers them more than a YouTube video? | |
| Is anyone talking about the fact that in 2008 the official unemployment rate was 6.5%, now it is over 8%, or the fact that the national debt has risen from $10 to $16 trillion in just four years, or the fact that a gallon of gas has risen from $2.07 to $3.85, or that 47 million Americans are on food stamps, up from $30 million in November 2008? | |
| It's all theatre. | |
| They're just telling you what you want to hear the facts tell the truth. | |
| Four years ago, Obama said, we're going to have to take on entitlements, and I think we've got to do it quickly. | |
| He really, really wanted to do it in his first term as president. | |
| But then he got elected, and he jumped out of our bed, promising to call, while we lay there depressed and soiled and violated. | |
| Romney will be no different. | |
| Step out of the theatre. | |
| It's a great and beautiful world out here. |