HAWAII, February 1, 2012―Hot on the heels of his stunning Florida victory, Mitt Romney took a pundit shellacking today after an interview with CNN's Soledad O'Brien in which he said:
"I'm in this race cause I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there, if it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of America, the ninety, ninety five percent of Americans who right now are struggling, and I'll continue to take that message across the nation."
Pundits chose to hear "I don't care about the poor" but quickly forget that Romney and his wife gave 16.4% of their adjusted gross income - more than $7 million dollars - in the last two years alone to charity, some of which included $2 million in donated shares.
There is a big difference between redistributing money that is taken by government force from taxpayers and giving money from one’s private finances and from the good of one's own heart.
Today's cheap attacks on Romney's otherwise idealistic and heartfelt message is yet another unfortunate example of the increasing incivility of our political process and the combative 24/7 media which perpetuates class warfare.
Carl von Clausewitz reminds us "under all circumstances, War is to be regarded not as an independent thing, but as a political instrument." Class warfare - that is, pitting poor against rich and middle class against them all - is a predictable determinalist ploy in sabotaging reform-minded candidates and a puff of elitist smoke that voters ought not inhale.
America will be great again when Americans are free to produce, save, invest and share of their own free will. When it comes to taking care of the poor and disadvantaged, even the Bible reminds us that "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God delights in blessing a cheerful giver." Government that takes away my wealth by force limits my opportunity to choose to bless others.
Charity is a personal choice, not a government mandate.
We may not agree with his ideas, but we should all respect Romney’s private contributions to charity and his public willingness to serve the American people.
Danny de Gracia is a political scientist, an ordained minister and a former senior adviser to two committee chairs of the Hawaii State House of Representatives. He currently lives in Hawaii.
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