My mother-in-law was one of Romney’s freeloaders
My mother-in-law was born in 1915. In early 1966, her husband – my prospective father-in-law – died in an automobile accident. His death left her as the head of the family:
-- herself;
-- one daughter working at a local bank full time, attending college part-time;
-- a second daughter (my fiancée), a recent college graduate now teaching high school;
-- a son, a college junior working two jobs to pay for school;
-- two sons in high school, both working odd jobs to help support the family.
The three older children paid or were paying their own way through college with scholarships and work.
The family was not wealthy by any means; they barely were middle class. My father-in-law drove a delivery truck for an express company similar to today’s UPS or FedEx. His sole estate was a house built in 1941 that was paid for. My wife recalls many days that breakfast was corn meal gravy and biscuits and the lunch she took to school was a cold biscuit.
My mother-in-law worked much of her life, mainly as a cashier in various local mom-and-pop stores. After her husband’s death, she worked as a cashier, as an attendant in a nursing home, and similar jobs. In 1988, at age 73, she suffered a mild stroke and was no longer able to work.
Fortunately, she was eligible for a Social Security annuity, Medicare, and Medicaid. She lived from 1988 until late 2003 on a Social Security check of $670 per month. We paid for her medications not covered by Medicare or Medicaid. Her sons who lived nearby took care of her house. We all chipped in when she needed a new roof or stove or washer and her sons and I painted the house a couple of times.
She was stricken with Alzheimer’s in early 2000 and deteriorated until her death in late 2003, living at home with her middle son who worked and cared for her. When she died, her estate consisted of about $50 in a checking account, $200 in a passbook savings account, a house built in 1941 that needed a coat of paint, and a 1973 Chevrolet.
She did not pay federal income taxes for the last 35 or so years of her life – because you don’t pay federal income taxes when your income is $8,000 a year.
Of course, as Mitt Romney declared, she was a real freeloader, not paying income taxes, sucking up that generous Social Security check, and enjoying her Medicare and Medicaid.
Oh, but wait – Mitt says he is guilty only of “inelegant wording.”
Okay, Mitt, here are some inelegant words for you: KISS MY OLD REDNECK ASS YOU WORTHLESS PIECE OF HUMAN WASTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!