Here are two related stories. See if you can piece together the possible connection between the two.
The first story: Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney's "tax plan." Let us assume that we can call what he has proposed a "tax plan" even though the numbers he has proposed can't possibly add up, which he (1) probably knows already and (2) probably doesn't particularly care if anyone else figures out.
How huge are the proposed Romney tax cuts for millionaires? About twice as big as the Bush tax cuts for millionaires that so badly broke the U.S. budget to begin with:
Like Bush's "temporary" plan, everything about the Romney plan is great for the rich—but for the super-rich, it's an absolute windfall. Eliminating the estate tax? Only the wealthiest people in America even have to worry about it. In exchange Romney proposes raising taxes on the middle class because, hell, gotta find the money to pay those rich people from somewhere, right?
Now see if you can spot the possible connection between that story, and this one. Mother Jones made a handy chart of the top 20 political donors in America and who they were putting their money behind. Go here for the charts, but we'll just focus in on the punchline:
17 out of 20 are giving to Republican or conservative groups and candidates. And half of the top 20 are major donors to the pro-Mitt Romney super-PAC Restore Our Future:
Why, that's odd. Of the top political donors in America, a who's-who of Wall Street tycoons, media moguls and several associates of some curious outfit called Bain Capital, all people ranging between ridiculously wealthy and buy-your-own-island wealthy, fully half of them are big Mitt Romney supporters. How very curious. How very puzzling!
I dare say, if we could somehow unravel the connection between these two stories, we might possibly be onto something. I have the sneaking suspicion it could tell us a great deal about the American political process, who controls it, and on whose behalf it functions. Are there any budding Sherlock Holmes types out there who could possibly tell us why all these multimillionaires and multibillionaires seem to be so keen to see the rather bland and apparently mathematics-challenged Mitt Romney in the White House?