Keeping his secrets, Mitt Romney tends to lift the veil on his finances and campaign only if the law says he must.
The Republican presidential candidate refuses to identify his biggest donors who "bundle" money for his campaign. He often declines to say who's meeting with him or what he's doing for hours at a time. He puts limits on media access to his fundraisers. And he resists releasing all of his tax returns, making just a single year public after facing pressure to do so.
"We've released all the information required by law and then some," Romney said last month about his tax returns.
He's indicated that part of the reason for his secrecy is to avoid political problems in his race against President Barack Obama.
He has said of his election foe: "He's going to try and make this campaign about the fact that I've been successful, that I've made a lot of money. So he wants to be able to get all the details on each year and how much money I made this year and that year. I'm not going to get into that."...
Political problems like the Koch Brothers? The Brothers that are purchasing the country? Those political problems?
Romney Campaign Memo: The Koch Brothers Are The ‘Financial Engine Of The Tea Party’ (click here)
By Lee Fang on Nov 3, 2011 at 3:10 pm
Tomorrow, billionaire David Koch and presidential candidate Mitt Romney are set to speak at the a Tea Party conference financed by the same Koch brother’s fortune. The Defending the Dream Summit, a conference funded by Koch and sponsored by his Americans for Prosperity group, is a yearly event where Republican politicians come to praise the Koch brothers and their political network. For instance, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), as he was seeking the Republican nomination, paid tribute to the Koch’s political network at the same event in 2007....
TUESDAY, JUN 12, 2012 08:26 AM EDT
Romney would fire teachers, too (click here)
BY ALEX SEITZ-WALD
Romney to fight firefighters with firings: The Romney campaign has refused to “provide any clarification on the record of what else Romney might have meant to say” when he criticized President Obama for wanting to hire more firefighters, other than that he wants to fire some, despite being “asked repeatedly for elaboration” by reporters.
When the campaign has spoken on the record, it has suggested that Romney would indeed seek to lower the number of firefighters, as top surrogate John Sununu did on MSNBC yesterday.
Teachers too: Rival-turned-surrogate Newt Gingrich said last night on CNN that Romney would go after teachers too. “Does that mean there will be fewer teachers? The honest answer is yes,” he said. Romney has previously suggested bigger class sizes would be an acceptable way to cut education spending....
By TRIP GABRIEL
Published: June 11, 2012
“Voucher” is a fighting word in education, (click here) so it may be understandable that when Mitt Romney speaks about improving the nation’s schools, he never uses that term.
Nonetheless, as president, Mr. Romney would seek to overhaul the federal government’s largest programs for kindergarten through 12th grade into a voucherlike system. Students would be free to use $25 billion in federal money to attend any school they choose — public, charter, online or private — a system, he said, that would introduce marketplace dynamics into education to drive academic gains.
His plans, presented in a recent speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, represent a broad overhaul of current policy, one that reverses a quarter-century trend, under Republican and Democratic presidents, of concentrating responsibility for school quality at the federal level....
This speech at the Chamber of Commerce is typical of his 'style' if you want to call it that. He removes all references to 'known' content and substitutes his own definition of understanding problems. He basically disorients the electorate to challenge them to understand their concerns 'his' way. It keeps the electorate guessing to understand him. He has control. I am sure that technique served him well in the private equity and fortune hunting venue when striking up deals, but, 'public beware.' Literally, Romney talks out of both sides of his mouth at the same time.
...I’d love to stand here today (click here) and join you in celebrating the end of our education crisis. Wouldn’t it be great if we could look back on the last four years with confidence that the crisis had been confronted and we’d turned the corner toward a brighter future?
But sadly, that hasn’t happened. (That statement starts the beginning of the 'Romney Mind Speak. I mean he is a crook through and through, beginning with robbing the electorate's dignity to hammer a different reality.) And the tragedy is not just a matter of test scores and international rankings. (He throws out STANDARD and measurable indications of success.) It’s the frustration of a sixth grader who wants to learn more, but is stuck in a class that’s moving too slowly. It’s the embarrassment of a 10th grader who knows he can’t read the books he’s assigned. It’s the shame of a 12th grader who’s supposed to be ready to graduate, but hasn’t mastered the skills he or she needs to succeed in life.... (And creates an individual measure that is different for every person. Individuality is the measure of the USA, so it is a rather interesting way of flag waving without the flag.)
...But America’s public education establishment shows no sense of urgency. Instead, there is a fierce determination to keep things the way they are.... (That statement is a direct attack on unions. He is stating unions cause problems in education by remaining the same. I don't know any teacher in the USA that has lesson plans approved by the union. It is not the union here that would be to blame if that were the truth, which it is not, but the higher education system of the USA that educates teachers from ancient textbooks and methodologies. That is a lie. Teachers in the USA have incorporated all kinds of media and computerization to their classrooms, with some advanced classes being taught remotely. Romney is a liar and nearly every word he states is contrived without solid reference to reality. He only has his own rhetoric and reality to rely on. I have never been so annoyed with a speaker in my life. I can listen to anyone, Beck, Hannity and Liimbaugh; in my opinion some of the slickest rhetorical inventors in the world without being as annoyed as I am listening to Romney.)
See, indeed, Romney is going to be every parent's answer to any problem their child(ren) have in achieving their first million or more.
...Let’s not kid ourselves – we are in the midst of a National Education Emergency. The only reason we don’t hear more about it is because our economic troubles have taken our national attention away from the classroom. But if unemployment was where it should be and home values were going up, there is no question that the crisis in American education would be the great cause of this campaign....
My, my Willard Mitt is the only one alive worried about our educational system. God bless his sorry ass.
...Much as you have in your own business careers, I’ve found that you can’t expect dramatically different results unless you are open to dramatic change. As president, I will pursue bold policy changes that will restore the promise of our nation’s education system.
First, I will expand parental choice in an unprecedented way. Too many of our kids are trapped in schools that are failing or simply don’t meet their needs. And for too long, we’ve merely talked about the virtues of school choice....
How many Mr. America? How many children don't pass muster? How many is the USA educational system failing? I want numbers, Bubba, not simply pie in the sky dreamscapes. And how DRAMATIC are the changes you are proposing and where can you show EXACTLY how, once implemented, they are going to change the outcomes of our young people? Success of same in Massachusetts? Changes in the educational system there? Dramatic turn arounds and now Massachusetts kids are exceeding expectations on a global basis.
What are the EXACT particulars to the Romney promises and what are the exact outcomes, because, if he wants to promise all these wonderful things, he needs to back it up and not simply promise wide sweeping changes to a country at loss and in pain from the last two term President and his lack of ideas ,but, only godly extolling?
...As President, I will give the parents of every low-income and special needs student the chance to choose where their child goes to school. For the first time in history, federal education funds will be linked to a student, so that parents can send their child to any public or charter school, or to a private school, where permitted. And I will make that choice meaningful by ensuring there are sufficient options to exercise it.
To receive the full complement of federal education dollars, states must provide students with ample school choice. In addition, digital learning options must not be prohibited. And charter schools or similar education choices must be scaled up to meet student demand....
Small government, sir? Digital choices, like homeschooling and making remote learning the pinnacle to American education that will put every child's mind surpassing anyone on a global level? Is that the American Dream we are all hoping for? Electronically produced children where someone somewhere controls the content of learning so they all turn out to be 'screen dependent robots of the system?" Is that the future of our children?
DC Opportunity Funding for all? Is that it?
The DC Opportunity Funding, one program introduced by George W. Bush as written by the Heritage Foundation increased by $3,451,600 in seven years. TWENTY FIVE PERCENT in costs in seven years. I don't think so! Eventually, this program will be unsustainable and that is exactly why the GOP candidates from sea to shining sea promise to end the Department of Education. Romney wants to end it too, but, that isn't electable now is it?
Funding Status
2011
- Appropriation: $17,369,000
2010
- Appropriation: $13,200,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
2009
- Appropriations: $14,000,000
2008
- Appropriations: $14,800,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
- Average Continuation Award: $12,694,186
2007
- Appropriations: $13,860,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
- Average Continuation Award: $12,454,200
2006
- Appropriations: $13,860,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
- Average Continuation Award: $12,454,200
2005
- Appropriations: $13,888,000
2004
- Appropriations: $13,917,400
Of course, unions will not be needed as they are the sole responsibility of the entire US educational system.
...The teachers unions don’t fight for our children. That’s our job. And our job keeps getting harder because the unions wield outsized influence in elections and campaigns....
Wow, unions are taking over the minds of our children. Who knew?
...Here in America, every child deserves a chance. It shouldn’t be reserved for the fortunate few.
Who are the reserved few? Who are those few children in the USA that have reserved their place at the table of high achievement? What are the few children Mr. American has in mind to model an entire national school system after?
If America is going to continue to lead the world in how much we build, create, and invent, (The USA leads the world in all that? Where? Show me the statistics and the money. Show me the money it will take for every child in the USA to be number one globally? I want to see it!) then we must transform how we teach, train, and educate. We already have good teachers, engaged parents, and big ideas. What we need now is strong leadership and the political will.
A choice for every parent means a chance for every child. That can be more than our hope – it can be our future. It can begin this year, in the choice you make, so I ask for your help, your support, and your vote on the sixth of November.
Thank you all, and God bless America.
Well, I'll be darn, Mr. Fix It All has arrived on the scene. God Bless It.
His plans, presented in a recent speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, represent a broad overhaul of current policy, one that reverses a quarter-century trend, under Republican and Democratic presidents, of concentrating responsibility for school quality at the federal level....
This speech at the Chamber of Commerce is typical of his 'style' if you want to call it that. He removes all references to 'known' content and substitutes his own definition of understanding problems. He basically disorients the electorate to challenge them to understand their concerns 'his' way. It keeps the electorate guessing to understand him. He has control. I am sure that technique served him well in the private equity and fortune hunting venue when striking up deals, but, 'public beware.' Literally, Romney talks out of both sides of his mouth at the same time.
...I’d love to stand here today (click here) and join you in celebrating the end of our education crisis. Wouldn’t it be great if we could look back on the last four years with confidence that the crisis had been confronted and we’d turned the corner toward a brighter future?
But sadly, that hasn’t happened. (That statement starts the beginning of the 'Romney Mind Speak. I mean he is a crook through and through, beginning with robbing the electorate's dignity to hammer a different reality.) And the tragedy is not just a matter of test scores and international rankings. (He throws out STANDARD and measurable indications of success.) It’s the frustration of a sixth grader who wants to learn more, but is stuck in a class that’s moving too slowly. It’s the embarrassment of a 10th grader who knows he can’t read the books he’s assigned. It’s the shame of a 12th grader who’s supposed to be ready to graduate, but hasn’t mastered the skills he or she needs to succeed in life.... (And creates an individual measure that is different for every person. Individuality is the measure of the USA, so it is a rather interesting way of flag waving without the flag.)
...But America’s public education establishment shows no sense of urgency. Instead, there is a fierce determination to keep things the way they are.... (That statement is a direct attack on unions. He is stating unions cause problems in education by remaining the same. I don't know any teacher in the USA that has lesson plans approved by the union. It is not the union here that would be to blame if that were the truth, which it is not, but the higher education system of the USA that educates teachers from ancient textbooks and methodologies. That is a lie. Teachers in the USA have incorporated all kinds of media and computerization to their classrooms, with some advanced classes being taught remotely. Romney is a liar and nearly every word he states is contrived without solid reference to reality. He only has his own rhetoric and reality to rely on. I have never been so annoyed with a speaker in my life. I can listen to anyone, Beck, Hannity and Liimbaugh; in my opinion some of the slickest rhetorical inventors in the world without being as annoyed as I am listening to Romney.)
See, indeed, Romney is going to be every parent's answer to any problem their child(ren) have in achieving their first million or more.
...Let’s not kid ourselves – we are in the midst of a National Education Emergency. The only reason we don’t hear more about it is because our economic troubles have taken our national attention away from the classroom. But if unemployment was where it should be and home values were going up, there is no question that the crisis in American education would be the great cause of this campaign....
My, my Willard Mitt is the only one alive worried about our educational system. God bless his sorry ass.
...Much as you have in your own business careers, I’ve found that you can’t expect dramatically different results unless you are open to dramatic change. As president, I will pursue bold policy changes that will restore the promise of our nation’s education system.
First, I will expand parental choice in an unprecedented way. Too many of our kids are trapped in schools that are failing or simply don’t meet their needs. And for too long, we’ve merely talked about the virtues of school choice....
How many Mr. America? How many children don't pass muster? How many is the USA educational system failing? I want numbers, Bubba, not simply pie in the sky dreamscapes. And how DRAMATIC are the changes you are proposing and where can you show EXACTLY how, once implemented, they are going to change the outcomes of our young people? Success of same in Massachusetts? Changes in the educational system there? Dramatic turn arounds and now Massachusetts kids are exceeding expectations on a global basis.
What are the EXACT particulars to the Romney promises and what are the exact outcomes, because, if he wants to promise all these wonderful things, he needs to back it up and not simply promise wide sweeping changes to a country at loss and in pain from the last two term President and his lack of ideas ,but, only godly extolling?
...As President, I will give the parents of every low-income and special needs student the chance to choose where their child goes to school. For the first time in history, federal education funds will be linked to a student, so that parents can send their child to any public or charter school, or to a private school, where permitted. And I will make that choice meaningful by ensuring there are sufficient options to exercise it.
To receive the full complement of federal education dollars, states must provide students with ample school choice. In addition, digital learning options must not be prohibited. And charter schools or similar education choices must be scaled up to meet student demand....
Small government, sir? Digital choices, like homeschooling and making remote learning the pinnacle to American education that will put every child's mind surpassing anyone on a global level? Is that the American Dream we are all hoping for? Electronically produced children where someone somewhere controls the content of learning so they all turn out to be 'screen dependent robots of the system?" Is that the future of our children?
DC Opportunity Funding for all? Is that it?
The DC Opportunity Funding, one program introduced by George W. Bush as written by the Heritage Foundation increased by $3,451,600 in seven years. TWENTY FIVE PERCENT in costs in seven years. I don't think so! Eventually, this program will be unsustainable and that is exactly why the GOP candidates from sea to shining sea promise to end the Department of Education. Romney wants to end it too, but, that isn't electable now is it?
Funding Status
2011
- Appropriation: $17,369,000
2010
- Appropriation: $13,200,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
2009
- Appropriations: $14,000,000
2008
- Appropriations: $14,800,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
- Average Continuation Award: $12,694,186
2007
- Appropriations: $13,860,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
- Average Continuation Award: $12,454,200
2006
- Appropriations: $13,860,000
- Number of New Awards Anticipated: 0
- Number of Continuation Awards: 1
- Average Continuation Award: $12,454,200
2005
- Appropriations: $13,888,000
2004
- Appropriations: $13,917,400
Of course, unions will not be needed as they are the sole responsibility of the entire US educational system.
...The teachers unions don’t fight for our children. That’s our job. And our job keeps getting harder because the unions wield outsized influence in elections and campaigns....
Wow, unions are taking over the minds of our children. Who knew?
Wow, unions are taking over the minds of our children. Who knew?
...Here in America, every child deserves a chance. It shouldn’t be reserved for the fortunate few.
Who are the reserved few? Who are those few children in the USA that have reserved their place at the table of high achievement? What are the few children Mr. American has in mind to model an entire national school system after?
If America is going to continue to lead the world in how much we build, create, and invent, (The USA leads the world in all that? Where? Show me the statistics and the money. Show me the money it will take for every child in the USA to be number one globally? I want to see it!) then we must transform how we teach, train, and educate. We already have good teachers, engaged parents, and big ideas. What we need now is strong leadership and the political will.
A choice for every parent means a chance for every child. That can be more than our hope – it can be our future. It can begin this year, in the choice you make, so I ask for your help, your support, and your vote on the sixth of November.
Thank you all, and God bless America.
Well, I'll be darn, Mr. Fix It All has arrived on the scene. God Bless It.
