COMMENTARY | Mitt Romney, contender for the office of President of the United States, seems determined to prove repeatedly that he cares about as much for American citizens as he does for foot fungus. His recent comments about America needing fewer cops, firefighters and teachers just reinforce his stance that the average American is worthless -- just look at what Romney says in this FOX News video.
Saying we need fewer cops is saying Americans deserve less protection from criminals. It's not like the crime rate in the United States as dropped to zero. It's not like people stopped selling drugs, robbing people, or committing murder. All you need to do is watch any television news broadcast to know crime is a problem.
Saying we need fewer firefighters is saying it's just fine for Americans to burn to death. It's saying we don't need people to fight raging wildfires. It's saying we don't need as many rescue professionals. Who does Romney think is going to stop thousands of acres of Colorado from going up in flames -- schoolchildren with water pistols?
Speaking of schoolchildren, what does it mean to say we need fewer teachers? Sure, Romney may not care if public school classes have a thousand kids to one teacher. He has so much money he could buy an entire school for one student. The rest of America might want kids to get a little attention. Parents might want class sizes to be small enough that a teacher could recognize his students in a lineup.
If there is a "message from Wisconsin" at all, it's that right-wing interests with deep pockets can make elections go in their favor and against the best interests of the American public. That's one heck of a dangerous message.
I can't speak for the rest of America, but here's what I know: If my house is getting robbed I want enough cops around to save my family from the home invader. If my house is on fire I want enough firefighters around to put it out before it burns to ashes and takes all my possessions with it. If kids from my family are in school I want them to have plenty of well-qualified teachers on hand to educate them.
Maybe the rest of America thinks differently -- but I doubt it.
