Mitt Romney says he has the intelligence, character, experience and know-how to fix the U.S. economy and finally make the waters of American wealth lift all classes of boats. But if he has all of those qualifications, why doesn't he have sense enough to distinguish between is true and what he wishes were true.
The foundation of Romney's character is partly reflected in his leading, at the age of eighteen, a gang of friends in subduing a fellow student suspected of being gay and cutting his blond hair. Not approving of gay behavior for religious reasons might be understandable, especially at that time in American history. But to subdue the person as part of a gang and cut the long blonde hair, which the subdued student apparently liked, reflected something that likely still makes up part of who Mitt Romney really is. Romney and the gang took something more than hair from the subdued young man.
The problem with Romney is that the other members of the gang remembers the incident and felt bad about doing it. But the leader, Mitt Romney, doesn't even remember the assault, so he cannot feel badly--or express being remorseful--about the incident. It was either an event of such a trivial nature that it made absolutely no imprint on his conscious, or he does remember and knows that this aspect of his character still exist.
The other possibilities: his remembering, being sorry, and having changed his attitudes towards gay people and others with whom he may be different or differ in beliefs--and over whom he can exercise some degree of control--has been rendered all but very unlikely by his failing to either remember or acknowledge remembering.
Apparently if Romney does not remember the incident, then he also does not remember feeling sorry about other such actions, and would not remember expressing sorrow to the victims. Repression of the incident may erase the actions from Romney's memory but not from the character that dictated it. Romney's failure to acknowledge memory of such events is an indication that even he recognizes that it reflects a condition of his character that may be unsuited for the presidency.
Such selective memory puts Romney in the same camp as his former competitor for the Republican presidential nomination, Herman "999" Cain. "The truth is the light." And here are seldom good reasons to choose the darkness of dishonesty.
In many ways, Mitt Romney's actions--and defective memory--are not examples of behaviors that would bode well for the nation's future. Also, Romney claims that he believes President Obama is an American citizen; How, then, can heIn many ways, Mitt Romney's actions--and defective memory--are not examples of behaviors that would bode well for the nation's future.
Furthermore, Romney claims to believe that President Obama is an American citizen. How, then, can he consider Trump to be a compatible political advocate, and a sound, reliable source of economic and political wisdom?
This November's elections will be about jobs and the nation's economy. But it also will be about much more than that. This election will decide whether such value or virtues as truth, trust, integrity, transparency, honesty, justice, compassion, charity, and tolerance will have a place in American politics and in the American economy.
Not all smart people are choosing to make their money by starting up new businesses like Google, Facebook, Tweeter, Apple, Yahoo, and other produces of modern technology. And their ambitions are not the creation of more jobs. They are studying and discovering how to make money off and within government, in financial ventures and institutions, controlling big corporations and manipulating the nation's political system. Nowadays, there are fewer geniuses working for the good of America.
But there apparently are some.
I was searching the web to find out more about venture capitalists like Mitt Romney, and I came across another group of investors: angel investors. These investors invest for profit, but their goal is also to leave companies and workers in better shape than before they intervened. A successful, growing, more productive company keeps its workers and benefits, provide jobs for future community generations and economically stabilizes communities. But profits the "angel way" aren't big enough for Mitt Romney. Also, the "Romney way" can increase the number of jobs created by simply readjusting his memory to whatever the political climate requires. Republicans talk about the debt we are leaving for our children and grandchildren. Well, what we are leaving them with something much worse: a culture of greed and dishonesty.
When liars are supported--and lies are condoned--by parents, truth and integrity cannot permeate the culture of future generations. Our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are being groomed today to perpetuate the kind of society they will inherit from this generation, conditioned by the attitudes and ways of their parents and contemporary examples of religious and politician leaders.
But they can become enlightened and inspired to pursue a different way of life, a different vision for America and prospects for a different future for themselves, their children and grandchildren. I'm not sure about the nature and timeliness of enlightenment and inspiration, when or why they happen. But I am sure about what children learn from the attitudes and ways of their parents. And I am sure that they have an option.
Human beings seem to be the only animals with the ability to organize and adjust behavior toward fellow human beings, both good and evil. But I've never seen or heard of a gang of dogs attacking another dogs or cat groups attacking other another cat. I've seen a group of dogs attack or chase another species of animal but never it own kind. Human beings will attack members of their own race, color, religion, country. It doesn't matter. But there are others human beings who are compassionate and magnanimous. This quality is indicative of a potential for human beings to achieve unimaginably great things, but also the potential to effect species annihilation .
Young people must decide whether they prefer the kind of future being shaped for them or the more humane one they can shape for themselves.
