It appears as though the 2012 presidential election has become all about what percentage one is. In the past year or so, it was all about whether or not you belong in the “99 percent” or the “1 percent”? And this week, after a speech Republican candidate Mitt Romney made earlier this year went viral, the question changed to whether you are in the “47 percent,” or the group nobody is really talking about, the “53 percent.”
When you combine the two clubs – for a lack of a better definition – things become much more complicated. Using myself as an example, I’m a journalist so I’m definitely not in the “1 percent,” putting me in the “99 percent” by default. If I wasn’t married, I’d definitely be in the “47 percent,” as I am a journalist after all. Fortunately I’m married, and fortunately my wife does alright when compared to me, so we are probably not in the “47 percent,” which Romney defines as people who receive government aid.
But wait. I drive, so therefore I use roads, which are provided by the government through taxpayers’ dollars. My garbage, another government service, also gets picked up every Tuesday. And the police who protect my neighborhood and the firefighters who are ready to protect or save my house should I ever need it are both provided through government services. I also watch PBS, which is a government-funded television station. And I also like going to parks and museums, which are both often supported by the government.
Now I’m confused. Do I or don’t I receive some sort of government assistance? Probably not, according to Romney, but President Barack Obama would probably argue otherwise.
Getting back to my original question then and sticking with Romney’s definition, I’m in the “53 percent.” But I don’t want that to include me in the “1 percent,” so I’m going to subtract that from the 53 percent, putting me in what I will call the “52 percent.”
This whole government assistance thing still bugs me a little, though. I receive a lot of benefits from the government, maybe not directly like some in the “47 percent” receive, but I’m pretty sure that I get more out of the government than what I put in. Yes, my taxes are high and I’d love them to be lower, but I’m not going to complain about the fact that I can drive, recreate, go to a public university at an affordable price, and do many things I couldn’t otherwise do without government assistance.
So I’m going to create a new category. Using a random figure, as it seems to me all these people coming up with these categories do, I’m in the “52 to 72 percent.” We are those who don’t receive direct government assistance, but we do enjoy government benefits, and we are not in the “1 percent.”
Confusing matters even further is the fact that the “47 percent” itself is confusing, because that appears to be closer to the “1 percent” than those in the “53 percent,” and yet everyone will tell you that’s definitely not the case. So, maybe I should change my “52 to 72” to “52 to 32.” That would include the “47 percent,” though, and that wouldn’t be right. That “1 percent” is really screwing things up.
Confused. I hope so, because I am, too. Being in the “52 to 72” or “52 to 32” is something that used to be called “middle class.” That word was lost several elections ago, though. I think I’m just going to stick with being in the “100 percent,” and try to include myself with everybody and hopefully work with all to make life better. I would think a good presidential candidate would do the same.
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Originally published in The Portage County Gazette on Sept. 21, 2012.
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