SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

     

    If you saw this column Tuesday or if you read any newspaper, heard any newcast, you noticed Mitt Romney saying 47% of Americans are "dependent on government."  "My job is not to worry about those people," he said.  He is certainly acting as if that were true.

     The Washington Post, in a column called The Fact Checker notes, among other things, that, yes, about 46% of American households paid no income tax. But it adds that for about three-quarters of working Americans payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare far exceed what they pay in income tax.

     The Post grades Romney's speech at Three Pinocchios ("significant factual error and/or obvious contradictions") and adds:  "Perhaps it is too much to expect a politician to be entirely accurate in a closed-door speech, but one would think he would have even less need to stretch the truth if he thought the cameras were not rolling."  Well said.

    Romney's campaign so far sounds as if he wants to be shocking and wrong. Shocking may appeal to voters, I suppose, but surely he doesn't want to be wrong. What about a small, silver foot? He could wear it around his neck and suck on it quietly when scheduled to talk.

     Just a thought – along with an affectionate nod to Ann Richards.