Romney owes his soul to billionaire backers
By Roderick Padilla September 20, 2012 10:14PM
Updated: October 22, 2012 6:12AM
Fifty thousand dollars a plate — that’s the annual wage of a family of five that meets the criterion for the 47 percent of citizens for which Mitt Romney said he had no concern. Included in this group are senior citizens, military in combat, disabled, orphans, etc. About half pay payroll taxes — income paid regularly with prompt deductions, given to the government instead of being sent off to the Cayman Islands.
No wonder Republicans are beginning to back away from Romney. He is far from their first choice. After witnessing the “clown show” leading up to the Republican primaries, it is evident he was last on the list.
How could the GOP fail to come up with just one viable candidate? Who financed these losers in this era of big-moneyed PACs calling all the shots? Thanks to Citizens United, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed the huge amounts of money to buy the front-runners, we have ballots showing the results of the highest bidders.
Let’s start with Newt. He was vociferous during the Clinton witch-hunt, during which he cheated on then dumped is very ill wife — the epitome of a hypocrite. Few liked him for the next candidate. How could he get even a dime other than promising favor to his backers?
The big money comes from a variety of robber barons. They hedged their bets and the money is being channeled to Romney. At the top of the list is William Koch, of the infamous Koch brothers. He runs Oxbow Carbon, a dealer in coke used in cement making that produces mass quantities of carbon dioxide. He seeks to pollute for free by fettering the EPA.
Then there’s Harold Simmons, who deals in toxic chemicals and hazardous waste. He’s a principal contributor to Karl Rove’s American Crossroads. He is looking for underground storage of radioactive waste from 36 states in an underground facility in Texas.
A Texas mega-developer, Bob Perry, an old friend of Rove, dropped millions to thwart John Kerry in 2004 and now $80 million more to secure a tort reform, which would limit the awards a jury can give to homeowners who win against his work. He deals in high-end construction, with plenty of big buyers in Texas.
Jim Davis of New Balance shoes seeks a lucrative defense contract wherein soldiers get New Balance sneakers, instead of the present cash allowance to buy sneakers of any brand.
The Marriott brothers of the hotels of that name donate and expect in return a legal provision to keep now illegals in a pool of hotel workers.
Romney’s Bain-Buddy, Ed Conard, a Romney fellow hedge-fund manager, enjoys paying only half the tax rate as others from the same source of income due to the “carried interest” loophole, which would be cut off by the Obama-backed Buffett Rule.
The list goes on. These mega-buck contributors fund much of the negative advertising and lobbying that have crippled meaningful legislation and reform, and that has eliminated the voters’ choice of reasonable, public-minded candidates.
Their efforts have so tainted the knowledge-base from which voters decide that the have pitted us against one another. They have blatantly contradicted themselves, lied and defended lying. They care not one wit about us. This financial crisis will cost us taxpayers — make no mistake about that. Let’s see that it serves to turn it around.
Email Roderick Padilla
of Shorewood at rcpfxrt@att.net.
