“I’m Not Concerned About the Very Poor”

[Anthony]

When Romney said he's not concerned about the poor some Americans were offended. I think the main reason so many were offended because they know that two out of three Americans that use to be middle class are now living in poverty. But of course, the politicians will say they know this & that they're not out of touch with the American people.

Here's the thing about knowing, they may know but they can't feel the pain or desperation or taste it. They can only play the part of a concerned politician because it's the politically correct thing to do. It goes with shaking hands & kissing babies. Playing the down to Earth roll by stopping at an average American voters home for dinner & discussion.

What could have been a BOOM! in America middle class has turned out to be more like a BOOM! in America poverty. We can thank Corporate America, Banks & our elected officials for the high hat & their loyalty to America. Thanks for outsourcing jobs, unemployment & foreclosures. Outsourcing America jobs has made Asian middle class stronger while slowly sending Americans to the soup line. I have nothing against China or other Asian countries. It's great that their economy is growing, but I'm sure they know what I'm talking about here. Development Bank (ADB) report said the region's middle class was growing at an exponential rate and poised to become the world's single biggest group of consumers.

China workforce

America new middle class

• 

Here's the article:
Goodbye, Middle Class - Yahoo! Finance

One bedroom for a family of five

Previous pay: $110,000
Current pay: None
Where they live: Staying as guests in a friend's home

Talia Mobley and her husband Adam have been out of work for more than two years. Adam was a lead technician for Comcast and says, "I had it made." Talia worked in customer service.

Collectively, they have sent out 500 resumes but have not gotten one job offer.

Talia went back to school to retrain as a Certified Medical Assistant because she heard health care is where the jobs are. But she still hasn't been able to find work.

Fifty percent of the unemployed in New Jersey have been out of work for more than six months, and it's a similar story in Florida, Illinois and Nevada, according to the Brookings Institute.

From six figures to the poverty line

Previous pay: $130,000
Current pay: $15,000
Where they live: Their foreclosed home, awaiting eviction

This family of 5 represents what it can look like when the bottom falls out of the middle class.

They live in Morris County, N.J., where the median household income is $91,403.

Unwilling to show their faces, they still wanted to share their story. The father used to make over $100,000. But then his 6-figure, telecom job of 20 years went to India.

They haven't paid their mortgage since 2009 and wake up each morning wondering if today will be the day they are evicted.

Not living in poverty but not making it

Previous pay: $40,000 to $50,000
Current pay: $12/hour
Where they live: Family shelter

A mother and her three children in Bergen County, N.J., now call a shelter home. Too ashamed to show their faces, the mother says, "I never thought in a million years I'd be at this point."

But when she lost her customer service job, she could no longer pay the rent in a county where the median household income is $77,000.

The manager of the shelter sees more and more families like this -- stuck in the middle. Not living in poverty but not making it either.

Since we first met her, the mother has been re-hired by her previous employer working in customer service, but only part time.

[Anthony]

Romney said he's not concerned about the rich & no one said anything. To be honest, I think Romney is being ridiculed too much over his statements. I think Romney is being honest, I think most of the people that come from a very well off background or live a very, very comfortable lifestyle don't care about the poor or they care when it suit them. It's not just Republicans who look at their taxes & feel it's enough programs out there to take care of the poor, the poor should learn to take care of themselves. Most of the people that ridiculed Romney over his statement look down on poor people when poor people are in their domain. I'm not sticking up for Romney, but I'm not over sensitive about being poor. As a grown man I never lived off any government assistance. Democrats that's in college or graduated from college living comfortable give you the same look as conservative Republicans & they want respect you unless you look like you have money. They want to know what kind of car you drive & how much your parents make or how much you make are will make. They look down on the poor just like conservative Republicans. I think people should wake-up! Do they want the true from politicians or do they want politicians to say what they want to hear. Folks like Romney have no experience being poor but people always put folks like Romney in charge of the money & decision making when it comes to programs that will best benefit the poor.

Here's the article:

While being interviewed by CNN reporter Soledad O'Brien, Mitt Romney said that "he was not concerned with the very poor", and that created a little bit of an uproar.

In my opinion, Romney expressed an appropriate sentiment when he made that statement. Sure, the liberals and left-wingers can point to it and attempt to label it as a heartless remark and as an abandonment of the poor. But that is not how I interpret it. Listen, he said that the very poor have adequate safety nets in place and his focus is on the middle class. That is what I want to hear. I want a candidate who cares about me.

I truly do not care that he is among the rarefied elite of the infamous 1 percent. The fact that

people of the middle-income may have a champion is gratifying. What is wrong with having policies directed at fostering the growth of the middle-income? Why should American policy not be directed at strengthening what arguably has been the segment most hurt?

Romney did not advocate abolishing the food stamp program, Medicaid or any of the assistance programs in place to help the impoverished. In fact, he publicly stated that if there were holes in them he would fix them.The liberal press may have chosen to focus on the scintillating part of Romney's remark, but anyone who takes the time and makes the effort to view the interview will clearly understand Romney's focus.

I would not be surprised if this does not become a bright yellow line in his campaign. Focus on the middle-income is good, but now he will need to develop cogent strategies on how he will help all of us in the middle. It will take more than repealing the capital gains tax to accomplish this; after all, most middle-income wealth is likely in tax deferred accounts, such as an IRA or 401k, and therefore taxed as ordinary income.


Last week I bought a Mitt Romney pin and I am glad that I did. In my opinion, Romney is a centrist, someone who will appeal to the vast majority of Americans who are disheartened by the antics of the extreme right tea party and extreme left liberals. Hopefully Romney is an example of the wealthy giving back through service and innovation. He does have a record as a "doer", and I would rather have a "doer" than a "talker."