In psychology, a "Freudian slip" is an unconscious mistake in speech or writing that reveals a person's TRUE motives, intentions, or attitudes. Newly minted GOP Presidential nominee Willard M. Romney gave us all a perfect -- and chilling -- example of this on Friday. Just before he and running mate Paul Ryan were about to board their campaign planes to leave Tampa Mr. Romney gave his standard stump speech about how President Obama "just doesn't understand our economy".
He ended his speech by launching into his "promises" about how he, Mr. Ryan, their administration, the Republican members of the House and Senate intend to "reach across the aisle and find good people who like us, want to make sure this COMPANY deals with its challenges". This was followed by "we'll get America on track again."
"America" is NOT a "company" however, it is a NATION made up of ALL or us its citizens. America is "We the people".
That however is not Mr. Romney's vision of America which he instead sees as just another company for him to turn around based on his "experience" as a "businessman". And let us not forget exactly HOW he Mr. Romney "turns around" companies.
1) Load the company with debt often by subjecting it to a leveraged buy out;
2) Strip the company of its assets by siphoning off large portions for himself and his "investors" in fees, "dividends", stock options, etc.
3) Fire or RIF the local workforce, cut benefits, absorb pension funds, etc, and send remaining jobs overseas to "reduce overhead".
4) Sell off and/or merge what is left with other companies if it's profitable for him to do so, or;
5) Walk away from the picked over shell by filing for bankruptcy leaving others holding the bag for all the debts he burdened it with.
That's has always been the "Romney model" as a businessman. But again, the United States of America isn't a corporation, company, or business which is meant to be operated for the exclusive benefit and profit of its small number of owners and managers. Instead we fund government through our taxes for the mutual benefit of ALL of us, and to be run to line the pockets of the "managers" we elected to run it and the "investors" (fat cat "special interests" and secret "donors" who fund their campaigns.
Governments and Corporations have completely different functions and thus one is not -- and has never been -- meant to be managed like the other one! Therefore I don't want the public sector to be managed by "private sector" businessmen -- instead I want it to be run for the benefit of ALL of us by those who truly see themselves as PUBLIC SERVANTS.
