Rational Nation USA
Liberty -vs- Tyranny
... Yes, the entitlement state has expanded, but America remains one of the hardest-working nations on earth. Americans work longer hours than just about anyone else. Americans believe in work more than almost any other people. Ninety-two percent say that hard work is the key to success, according to a 2009 Pew Research Survey.
It says that Romney doesn’t know much about the political culture. Americans haven’t become childlike worshipers of big government. On the contrary, trust in government has declined. The number of people who think government spending promotes social mobility has fallen.
The people who receive the disproportionate share of government spending are not big-government lovers. They are Republicans. They are senior citizens. They are white men with high school degrees. As Bill Galston of the Brookings Institution has noted, the people who have benefited from the entitlements explosion are middle-class workers, more so than the dependent poor.
Romney’s comments also reveal that he has lost any sense of the social compact. In 1987, during Ronald Reagan’s second term, 62 percent of Republicans believed that the government has a responsibility to help those who can’t help themselves...
The preceding is an excerpt from David Brooks September 17th New York Times article. Most of us are the hard working individualist type that got to where we are by hard work and consistent dedication to the achievement of our goals. And yes, with a little bit of help as opportunities popped up along the way.
Maybe Romney really understands this and is merely suffers from a malady known as "wanting to win so badly you'll say anything you think will get you there" syndrome. Perhaps we'll never known the "real" Mitt Romney. Thanks in part to his own faithful efforts at keeping this knowledge under wraps.
Whatever the case may be David Brooks, in his own unique way, describes the "Romney Problem" quite well. Take the time to read the rest of the article. It will be well worth the couple of minutes it takes.
Via: Memeorandum
