Romney: I won't apologize for my dad's wealth
Getty Images/Jeff Swensen
"Well, you know, the president is really taking aim at anybody he can find these days," Romney said on Fox News. "In fact, in my case, I'm certainly not going to apologize for my dad and his success in life. He was born poor. He worked his way to become very successful despite the fact that he didn't have a college degree, and one of the things he wanted to do was provide for me and for my brother and sisters."
"I'm not going to apologize for my dad's success, but I know the president likes to attack fellow Americans," Romney continued. "He's always looking for a scapegoat, particularly those that have been successful like my dad, and I'm not going to rise to that. This is a time for us to solve problems. This is not a time for us to be attacking people, we should be attacking problems. And if I'm president, I will stop the attack on fellow Americans. I'll stop the attack on people and start attacking the problems that have been looming over this country."
George Romney was born in Mexico and was poor as a child, working in fields and becoming a lath and plaster apprentice after his family returned to the United States. (Mitt Romney has discussed how his father sold paint cans from his car to pay for gas and hotels during his honeymoon.) George Romney eventually rose to become a wealthy automobile executive and a three-term governor of Michigan, sending his son Mitt to a prestigious all-boys preparatory school for seventh grade through the end of high school.
Mitt Romney went on to Brigham Young University, Harvard University and success in the private equity world; the Romney campaign estimates Romney's net worth as between $190 and $250 million, though outside estimates have suggested it may be anywhere from $200 million to more than $500 million.
Mr. Obama made what was widely taken as a jab at Romney - who he did not mention by name - during a speech at a community college in Ohio on Wednesday.
"I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Michelle wasn't," he said. "But somebody gave us a chance, just like these folks up here are looking for a chance."
Mr. Obama has made the "silver spoon" comment in past speeches, so it may not have been a direct shot at his likely general election opponent.
Romney says he donated his entire inheritance to Brigham Young, and thus did not inherit money from his parents. George Romney did provide a loan for Romney to buy his first home.
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Mormons think they can get away with anything.
By the way, Mitt went on Fox News complained that president Obama mocked his father, that his father was poor, which is false. Mitt lied again. Is Mitt going to lie all the way to the White House?
I bet you didn't realize that since Obama took office in 2009 a person making a million dollars a year is bringing home $321 a week more where as if that same person was only making 60,000 a year he would only be bring home an extra $29.
So a millionaire needs 11 times the tax cut a person making 60,000 a year does. This is a direct result of Obama's tax policies he has signed into law, primarily the payroll tax cut that he extend to everyone!
Don't believe me here is a payroll calculator that will let you calculate payrolls all the way back to 99.
http://www.surepayroll.com/calculator/calc_paycheck_netpay.asp
Bob1567, mine's 23%...Mitt's is 14%. Mitt makes millions...I make $60K a year. Its not that I care or envy Mitt's money and success...but I would sure feel better if we had the same percentage of our incomes going to support the government we both equally share...
by Obama4more April 19, 2012 11:38 PM EDT
Bob1567, mine's 23%...Mitt's is 14%. Mitt makes millions...I make $60K a year. Its not that I care or envy Mitt's money and success...but I would sure feel better if we had the same percentage of our incomes going to support the government we both equally share...
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I would like to call this poster a liar but he is correct if has no kid's, claims no deductions and basically lives in parents basement he will pay 23% total federal tax on 60,000. When I say total federal I am including SS and Medicare taxes.
I am wondering though; he thinks it isn't fair because Mitt only paid 14%. How does he feel about me and my wife making $120,000 a year and only paying about 12% in total federal taxes? We make twice as much as him and pay half as much as a percentage of our income. Are we now evil rich people?
Are me and my wife the lefts next target for paying our fair share? Are we going to be compared to the minority of tax payers as this poster clearly represents if he is truly paying 23% on 60,000 to demonize us and say we don't pay our fair share?
Amazing how last year Obama made over 3 million and it was 2% needed to pay yet this year he only made 700,000 and now he wants only a million and above to pay more. Yet people say Mitt is all about himself!
If there was a mandatory 38% tax on the 2% as Obama use to want he would have had to pay another 100,000 in taxes. Amazing once Obama looked at his own money he said wait a minute this would work a lot better for me if we go to
http://www.cbsnews.com/8601-503544_162-57416412.html?assetTypeId=41&blogId=503544&tag=postComments;commentWrapper
An American who makes $10M a year and only pays 14% in taxes pays 1.4 million Dollars a year if all her money comes from dividends.
An American who makes $60,000 a year pays $13,800 in taxes a year at a 23% rate.
So the one American who makes $10M per year pays more per year than 100 Americans who make $60K. Oh, and she probably hires an extra five Americans who make $40-60K a year just to run her household. So the idea is to penalize the rich American because she is not paying her fair share? OK, I'm starting to get it...
It's an attempt to spin his unwillingness for the 1% to sacrifice anything into a phantom attack on his father.
Won't work. Everyone knows that George Romney was 10 times the man that Willard the job exporter will ever be.
What did Howard Hughes get out of it?
And yes everyone should have a good job so they can have a good life. That is NOT the same as someone paying for you or giving you something free. The RepubliCONS don't seem to be able to comprehend what our country used to be like with a strong middle class (before fake free market and globalization).