Romney screaming at an OWS activist that if he doesn't approve of Romney's policies for the super-rich he can move to North Korea.We now conclude this brief series because basically, there are no other serious contenders for the Reep nomination. The purpose here is to make sure potential voters in November aren't buying a "pig in the poke". Thus, knowing where both Santorum (covered last month) and Romney stand, ensures you don't cast the wrong vote.
To be quite blunt, Mitt Romney represents the worst of both worlds - the extremist social and wanna make more war conservo, and also the monied elite faction which doesn't even know the cost of a loaf of bread or gallon of milk. No wonder, since he can afford to blow people off with assorted half-assed comments that highlight his rich and entitled life. (Including one remark that he "only earned $340,000 from speeches in one year" - which represents more than most Americans have in net worth). An entitled life and schema that he's determined to bring to the nation, and implement as "CEO".
First of all, if you loved how the country slid downhill in the latter years of BushCo, you're gonna love Romney - because he will make those final months of Bush Jr. in 2008 look like a walk in the park. As noted in a WSJ piece from a month ago ('Romney Taps Bush Hands to Shape Economic Policies') he plans to hire the architect of the original Bush Tax cuts - Glenn Hubbard- to redesign Tax Cuts Two - which will likely be even worse than the first set. As the WSJ piece notes:
"Mr. Hubbard, who helped craft the Bush tax cuts, also is the architect behind Mr. Romney's latest tax initiatives"
For good measure, let us recall again what those tax cuts accomplished (Financial Times, 9/15/2010):
"The 2000s- that is the period immediately following the Bush tax cuts – were the weakest decade in U.S. postwar history for real, non-residential capital investment. Not only were the 2000s by far the weakest period but the tax cuts did not even curtail the secular slowdown in the growth of business structures. Rather the slowdown accelerated to a full decline”
If these things are re-ignited to the extent Romney wants them, with even lower marginal rates than under BushCo, we are likely headed for an economic disaster of epic proportions. Indeed, future generations will likely have to pay for them in terms of denied or sliced benefits, including to Medicare and Social Security - since an atmosphere of austerity on steroids will emerge.
GAO estimates run up to $820 billion in deficits the first year from Romney's re-implementation of these insane tax cuts, and probably more than $3 trillion in deficits by the end of his first 4 years if he gets in. If he also adopts the Ryan budget look for those numbers to triple.
By the end of a Romney first term, therefore, this country will be little better than a third world backwater with millions more out of work, the rich wealthier than ever, crumbling bridges and sewer mains everywhere and the homeless population probably approaching 20 -25 million or more. The Gini coefficient which measures economic inequality and now stands at 0.48 (with 1.00 a perfectly equitable society and 0 a perfectly unequal one) will likely fall to about 0.22 or close to Borneo's. The number of unemployed, because of Romney's planned policies, will plausibly increase to over 12 million after just two years.
And the worst thing? This guy in conjunction with a possible Repuke House, Senate will not permit one more month of unemployment benefits! You will probably have to croak first to be free of your debts, and then....if lucky....ol' Mitt might have some Mormons baptize you into his faith, who knows?
What else is on Mitt's agenda? The Economist (Jan. 14, 2012, p. 25) gives the full list:
His FIRST Five Executive Orders:
1) Dismantle Obama's Patient Affordable Care Act by exempting states from as many requirements as possible. Thus, Mitt plans to use an executive order to do an end around any Supreme Court decision that favors Obama. (Dictator, anyone?)
2) Fast track all Oil drilling permits, especially Keystone pipeline, thereby threatening a critical water aquifer in Nebraska. (But Mitt doesn't care how many thousands get cancer of the breast, liver or pancreas!)
3) Eliminate all Obama regulations that "unduly burden the economy".
So, look for a lot more salmonella and E. Coli. outbreaks in your foods, as well as more mercury pouring from coal-fired plants, and toxic poisons dumped by the mega-ton into water supplies, you know....to save companies money! Look for more campylobacter and other goodies in your H2O too.
4) Eliminate ALL regulations that favor organized labor.
In other words, get set for times even more brutal than under Ronnie Raygun after he fired 12,000 air traffic controllers. No more labor benefits, no more collective bargaining, and a likely return of a new mutation of the old Pinkerton security police that helped break unions (and heads) in the 1930s, 40s. The only historical analog I can recall right now is Germany under the Reich laws, imposed under Adolf Hitler which actually abolished all trade unions.
5) List China as a currency manipulator.
Yeah, real brilliant! Go after the numero uno holder of U.S debt! The nation that could call in some $1.4 trillion in markers any time it wishes, and leave us sucking salt!
Now - Mitt's main bills that he will seek passed:
1) Reduce the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 25% (right now most corps. pay barely 12%)
2) Reinstate the executive power to fast track deals, thereby overriding congress.
3) Speed up leasing of all areas approved for energy exploration.
Just make sure, folks, you have your cancer insurance policies in place when the fracking, oil shale drilling commences.
4) Cut all non-security spending by 5%. (Recall he also wishes to DOUBLE military spending which now eats up 58 cents of each dollar.)
Collapsing bridges, schools, sewer and water lines, anyone?
Mitt's Further Ambitions as listed in the article:(ibid.)
1) Block grant Medicaid funds to the states and cap spending on the program.
Translation: Unless you have 5 kids and earn only $200/month you're mostly out of luck! Look for kids with MS, other disabilities to be literally tossed onto the streets and at the mercy of the goodwill of strangers. This will be "Mitt's world" as it dawns in January of 2013 if the American people are stupid enough to allow it.
2) Raising Social Security eligiblity age to 70 or higher.
3) Privatize Medicare.
Probably using a "premium support" system like Ryan suggests which I already noted can't possibly work, e.g.:
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/03/premium-support-medicare-still-terrible.html
4) Repeal the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law.
Translation: Get set for another financial meltdown like we saw with credit default swaps in 2007-08, except this will be 100 times worse, and may end up in a Great Depression not a recession.
Beyond all the above is the documented fact: i.e.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/rachel-maddow-mitt-romney-lies_n_1372408.html
That Mitt Romney is a congenital liar. See the above video on the extent to which this turd lies, then ask yourself if you really want a president who will be less than forthcoming about everything from what poisons are in your food, to how many extra troops he's sending to the Middle East without telling you, to how many additional fracking wells he's ordered.
Bottom line: we don't need a Mitt Romney any more than a Rick Santorum. Both would send us backwards in time to relive the financial disaster we're only now emerging from! American women, invested in their families' economic futures as much as their social-health futures (and who polls show support Romney by 40% to 49% for Obama), must seriously reconsider their support for this feckless, truthless creature of corporate, rentier privilege and ask themselves if this is truly the future they desire for themselves and their children. Including all those unemployed college grads now returning home to live under their roof - because, believe me, under Romney the new grad unemployment and college debt situation will be five times more dire.
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