It’s a little troubling to me how the political debate is being framed leading up to the November presidential elections.
This country is deeply rooted in the fundamentals of capitalism, but lately the words “rich” or “wealthy” have been carrying a negative sting.
Who doesn’t want to be financially successful?
We all knew Mitt Romney was rolling in the dough, but we learned just how much when he released his 2010 tax returns earlier this week.
But it’s not just Democrats tearing into Romney for being wealthy.
Here’s what Newt Gingrich, his Republican opponent, said about him in Florida on Thursday: “We are not going to beat Barack Obama with some guy who has Swiss bank accounts, Cayman Island accounts, owns shares of Goldman Sachs that forecloses on Floridians and is himself a stockholder in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ...”
Mitt is rich. Mitt is stacking chips.
So what? Good for him.
I’d love a Swiss bank account, a Cayman Island account, stocks paying massive dividends.
I’m a big fan of rap music. One of my favorites is Jay Z. That guy, like many other hip-hop artists, is always talking about how much money he has, and people love it. The kids think it’s “cool.”
Mitt clearly has a “cool” problem. Maybe he should sign with Bad Boy Records and rap about his wealth and turn his money problems around.
I understand issues being made about fairness in the tax code -- which Romney is not responsible for -- that allows the former Massachusetts governor to pay a lower percentage than a schoolteacher.
Make that the issue, because something dangerous could happen to this country when we try to stigmatize people for their wealth.
I’m more inclined to be concerned about a guy driving 12 hours with the family dog in a kennel strapped to the roof than worrying about how much money he has.
Contact Business Editor Harold Goodridge at 744-4382.
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