“Doing Just Fine”

When President Obama said “the private sector is doing just fine” the republicans jumped on this statement like it was their key to victory in 2012. Unfortunately, what the President omitted from his statement is two words, "comparatively speaking” because he was trying to compare the job growth in the private sector to the lack of job growth in the public sector and was trying to urge Congress to pass legislation that would funnel more money to state and local governments to hire teachers, police, fire, and others who have been on the losing end of jobs once federal stimulus money to those governments ran out. Romney, on the other hand, seems to think that teachers, police, and fire personnel are not “the American people”. According to Romney, "He (Obama) wants to add more to government. He says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message in Wisconsin? American people did. It's time for us to cut back on government and help the American people." Apparently in the world inhabited by Romney, Ryan, Cantor, Boehner, and McConnell, teachers, police, and fire personnel and other "not American people" are over-paid anchors that are standing in the way of economic progress. In their world, only millionaires and billionaires deserve increased earnings. Only the rich deserve jobs. According to Romney, he is “not worried about the rich, they can take care of themselves” (neglecting to point to the help from government tax largess) and he also is “not worried about the poor” since there are safety nets already in place to help them. Somehow, in the world of Romney and company, teachers, police, and fire personnel are not part of the middle class about whom he voices concern. Teachers, police, and fire personnel work for the government and in the world of Romney and company, working for the government is bad. Only when the government can give various largess and tax consideration to venture capitalists and hedge fund managers is government good. When government can issue contracts to be filled by millionaires, government is good so we must provide more funding for defense. It is only when government helps those in need or those who actually do the work of government that government is too large and the size of government must be reduced. This is the hypocrisy of the right and this hypocrisy must be defeated in November 2012.