An Open Letter to Romney and His Ilk - by TPO

To: Mitt Romney, Aspiring Presidential Hopeful
From: The Patient Ox, a Middle Class Nobody
Date: February 4, 2012


Subject: Safety Nets and Soaring Balloons


Dear Mr. Romney:

I have been following your quadrennial political campaigns for quite some time now. They are indeed something of an insolvable puzzle to me. Why, sir, why are you running? Obviously, it is not for the money or the glamor. You definitely don't need the former, and you will still be the same awkward guy with the latter. Leaving these matters aside, however, my main concern is what you say, your utterances, and the vacuousness of your whole persona. In particular, I would like to examine, analyze, and question your stance on America's poor, America's wealthy, and America's middle class.

In your latest mindless statement you said, "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. 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 very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."

First of all, I'm not even sure you know the exact number or population percentage of either the poor or the middle class. You don't even know if you have a tight enough safety net to catch the poor or the middle class who are fast approaching poverty.

Secondly, you say the very rich are doing fine. Then why are you and the rest of your greedy ilk clamoring and calling for more and permanent tax breaks for the One Percent? And, incidentally, I suspect that your number may be even less than what we keep getting told. I wouldn't be surprised if you comprise 0.5% of the population. You are, however, right not to worry about the very rich. They are being swept higher and higher by a sturdy and soaring balloon. I sure would love to fly in their beautiful, their beautiful balloon! [Is that envy or just good old American greed, à la Gordon Gekko?]

Thirdly, just to be Newt-like (i.e. nihilistic), if you believe that you have an accurate picture of the State of Americans, then you should realize that there is hardly any remedy for our ills from your side of the camp. You only believe in making the rich richer. The poor have "safety nets" that you had no part in building. And the unlucky middle class will have to wait for crumbs from you (i.e the trickle-down baloney!)

Fourthly, and lastly, aren't you the guy who loves to "be able to fire" those who don't give you the goods or services you want. That is typical of what we expect a CEO of a corporation to say. Incidentally, Cargill corporation recently laid off 2000 employees because of two consecutive declines in quarterly profits after more than a year of steady earnings increases. Not enough bonus for the CEO, maybe? You probably will empathize with the corporation now, won't you? Not the 2000 middle class people that got laid off.

I am not amazed that the greedy old people [GOP] party has picked you for a standard bearer. They deserve you, not Ron Paul who is infinitely more disciplined, principled, thoughtful, caring and altogether worthy candidate.

But, Mr. Romney, I still wish you best of luck because at least you are a better [more decent?!] person than the Gingrich monster.

Sincerely,

The Patient Ox

"The Stonecutter" - by R' Abraham Tewerski, MD

The Stonecutter (*)
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by R' Abraham Twerski, MD

There was a stonecutter who earned his livelihood by hewing rocks from the mountain. This was back-breaking as well as spirit-breaking work, and he would often curse his fate. "Why was I destined to be so lowly and humble? Why are other people so wealthy and mighty while I break my bones every day from dawn to dusk to put food on my table?"

One day, as he was engaged in this reverie, he heard a loud tumult in the distance. He climbed to the top of the mountain and could see a parade far off. The king was passing by, and on either side of the road there were throngs of people shouting, "Bravo," and throwing flowers at the royal coach.

"How wonderful it is to be great and powerful," the stonecutter thought. "I wish that I could be king."

As he spoke, he did not know that this happened to be his moment of grace, during which his wishes would be granted, and he suddenly found himself transformed. He was no longer a stonecutter. He was the king, clad in ermine, sitting in the royal coach drawn by white horses and receiving the acclaim of the crowd. "How wonderful it is to be the mightiest in all the land!"

After a while, however, he began to feel uncomfortable. The bright sun was shining down on him, making him sweat and squirm in his royal robes. "What is this?" he thought. "If I am the mightiest in the land then nothing should be able to affect me. If the sun can humble me, then the sun is mightier than I. But I wish to be the mightiest of all! I wish to be the sun."

Immediately he was transformed into the sun. He felt its mighty, unparalleled force. He could give light and warmth to everything in the world. It was his energy that made vegetation grow. He could provide warmth when he so wished, or devastating fires when he was angry. "I am indeed the mightiest of all," he said to himself.

But suddenly he found himself very frustrated. He wished to direct his rays at a given point, but was unable to do so. A great cloud had moved beneath him and obstructed his rays. "Here, here!" he said. "If I am the mightiest, then nothing should be able to hinder me. If a cloud can frustrate the sun, then the cloud is mightier, yet I wish to be the mightiest. I wish to be a cloud!"

As a great, heavy cloud, he felt very powerful, dumping torrents of rain wherever he wished, and blocking the mighty sun. But his joy was short-lived, for suddenly he was swept away by a sharp gust of wind against which he felt himself helpless.

"Aha!" he cried. "The wind is even mightier than a cloud! Then I shall be the wind."

Transformed into the wind, he roared over oceans, churning immense waves. He blew over forests, toppling tall trees as if they were toothpicks. "Now I am truly the mightiest," he said.

But suddenly he felt himself stymied. He had come up against a tall mountain, and blow as he might, he could not get past. "So," he said, "a mountain is mightier than the wind! Then I wish to be a mountain."

As a tall mountain, he stood majestically, his peak reaching above the clouds. He was indeed formidable. Neither wind nor sun could affect him. Now he was indeed the mightiest.

All at once he felt a sharp pain. What was this? A stonecutter with a sharp pickax was tearing pieces out of him. "How can this be?" he asked. "If someone can dismember me then he must be even mightier than I. I wish to be that man." His wish was granted, and he was transformed into the mightiest of all: a stonecutter.

A while back a young man consulted me, seeking advice regarding a choice of medical specialties. He was a radiology resident, but was dissatisfied with that specialty. He was considering either psychiatry or anesthesiology. Prior to radiology he had served a year's residence in internal medicine, but did not like that specialty. Prior to medical school he had gone to engineering college, but had left there after one year. Now he wished to know what I recommended he do.

I told him a story. About a stonecutter.

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* Source: http://www.torah.org/features/secondlook/thestonecutter.html