With less than two months to go before the upcoming presidential election, a video has been released of candidate Mitt Romney at a fundraiser where he stated that 47% of Americans pay no income tax, and that these people will vote for Obama no matter what. He also implied that voting for Obama entailed refusing to take responsibility for one’s own life.
This statistic encompasses Americans from millionaires to the elderly, and around 78% of households that didn’t pay any federal income tax in 2012 had incomes below the poverty line. Romney’s statements have basis in fact, but are inherently misguided in their politics. Romney should know that as a presidential candidate it is unwise to make demeaning comments towards any group, even in a private setting.
