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Romney’s latest gaffe should make most Latinos uneasy

LatinaLista — Mitt Romney is fast getting the reputation for choking on that silver spoon in his mouth. His latest gaffe that makes him look all the more distant from everyday Americans is what he said on a morning CNN show. Even though a lot of media outlets have taken what he said out of context, even when it’s seen in context, it doesn’t sound good.

“I’m not concerned about the very poor,” the Republican presidential candidate said on CNN Wednesday morning. “There’s a safety net there, and 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 heart of America, the 95% of Americans who are right now struggling.”

Looking at Romney’s statement, it’s clear that the plight of the very poor really doesn’t concern him, otherwise he would know that the “heart of America” has been falling into the category of the “very poor” for sometime now. The safety nets are getting pulled tighter and tighter and with a Congress that would rather cut these safety nets than raise taxes on the very wealthy, it’s natural to assume that the safety nets put in place won’t be able to keep anyone from needless suffering.

Unfortunately, way too many Latinos are either living in poverty or from paycheck to paycheck or depend on Social Security and rely on these safety nets.

As a 2011 CNN money article revealed:

Medicaid enrollment for the first time ever exceeded 50 million in June 2010. That’s up from 42.3 million in June 2007.

The number of people in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as food stamps, hit a record 44.2 million in January 2011. That’s up 4.7 million from the prior year.

Given that Romney said one of his first acts as President would be to repeal “Obamacare,” it goes to show that he is giving little thought to the poor or the “heart of America” who are already benefiting from the changes in healthcare with the new law.

Not having insurance companies refuse coverage or drop coverage because of pre-existing conditions, insuring out-of-work children who still live at home with their parents are two elements that have already helped thousands of families.

Yet, true to his word, Romney isn’t really “concerned” about these people.

While it would be great if everyone was employed and had a livable wage and could afford to buy health insurance, the sad fact there are too many who, in these times, just can’t.

And that needs to be a concern for any President of the United States.

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Comment(1)

  • Norma Henry-Jones
    February 1, 2012 at 11:16 pm

    I do not understand the reasoning that Latino people will be more abjectly affected by anything that Romney will or will not do than other poor people. I myself, a gringo, was counted among the poor for a few years. I was eligible for food stamps and Medicaid, the best health insurance I have ever had. I was existing on less than $500 a month. I was also eligible for housing – not the best, but better than living under a bridge and begging on the street. I have learned from a young friend that the benefits are far more generous now. Has it occurred to anyone that the rolls for the poor have increased because the population continues to increase?

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