Mitt Helping Others

On August 28, 2012 Ann said “Mitt doesn’t like to talk about how he’s helped others because he sees it as a privilege not a political talking point. We are no different than the millions of Americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities – they don’t do it so others think more of them, they do it because there is no greater joy.” She also said – “I can tell you that Mitt Romney was not handed success, he built it” and the small company he started allows for them to give. Check out Romney’s 202 page 2010 tax return. I found out, just like Mother Jones, that they gave just under $3 million to charity or about 15% of their $21.6 million income. I’m sure this sounds good to people but when you look at the donations you only find the Mormon Church and Tyler Foundation (a nonprofit funded exclusively by the Romneys).

Mitt in his speech said “Today, more Americans wake up in poverty than ever before, nearly 1 out 6 Americans is living in poverty-look around you these are not strangers, these are our brothers and sisters, our fellow Americans”. Yet, his tax deductable donations do not support his statement that we ARE fellow Americans. Back in October it was said approximately 15% (more than 40 million Americans, that’s 1 in 7) is on food stamps and childhood poverty had increased in 38 states in the last decade. In 2009, per Feeding America, 1 in 5 children (14.7 million) lived in households (many with working parents that can’t get food stamps) that relied on emergency food services like food pantries, shelters, kitchens and free food markets that rescue food from restaurants and farms. Feeding America was saying 1 in 4 children (17 million) wake us food insecure, not knowing if they’ll have the food they need. According to AARP, 1 in 11 people over the age of 50 are at risk of hunger (up 79% since 2001). Some are making too much from unemployment or disability to get food stamps but not enough to pay their bills. 

The Tyler Foundation does disburse money to 27+ charities but they are mostly specific to the Romney’s interests – in the Massachusetts area, MS Cure, Bush Library, US Equestrian Team, and others that support their religious beliefs - nothing was given to the Red Cross, USO, Habitat for Humanity or any organization that helps the general public regardless of their race, religion or sexual preference. I guess there would be joy in our tax code allowing him tax fee support of bigotry.