Romney's hard up niece gets a sprinkler system

[liberal N proud]

But she now had to live on a much lower income. National Guard salaries aren't as high as they were in his law firm. Now she's in this home and the outside of her is a whole dirt yard. No grass or anything yet, just stones and dirt. And under the neighborhood association where they have this home, you got a year from the time you buy your home till the landscaping’s supposed to be in. Well, she's a little bit concerned cause that time period is coming up. She doesn't have the money to do the landscaping, to pay for it. She's got a little girl that is getting various tutoring classes and speaking therapy. She wonders what's going to happen. She's concerned. One morning, she comes outside and there are her neighbors all picking up the rocks out of her yard, raking the dirt. They put in a sprinkler system. They laid down sod. They even build a swing set for her daughter. This is the America that I love. [Here's where he got teary and paused for a second.]



http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/05/11/mitt-romney-displays-human-emotions


How many people who are living on ow income need a sprinkler system and sod? One more way Romney is out of touch with America.

[cali]

1. wow. talk about out of touch. Pity the poor families of lawyers.

the comments are great:

What his niece doesn't know is that her rich uncle paid for those people to come in and do her landscaping.

Hope she can keep up with the mortgage payments!
Posted by starsandgarters on May 11, 2012 at 12:52 PM
Backyard Bombardier 2
This is the best he can do?

"Oh I understand how people struggle. Why my poor niece had to get her neighbours to help her landscape her home and install her sprinkler system so the neighbourhood association wouldn't write her a stern letter!"

Next week he'll tell us how they all pitched in to throw her a good old fashioned backyard pool raising.
Posted by Backyard Bombardier on May 11, 2012 at 12:53 PM
3
It's all very Ayn Rand: We are great when we get together to do great things as a corporation or as a few friends or neighbors. We are evil when we get together on a larger scale, i.e. at the scale of government, unless it's for law enforcement or the military. No rationale is ever given for this.
Posted by Mr. J on May 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM
JonnoN 4
I wouldn't be so quick to assume it's a true story. Like how he and his dad watched MLK march...
Posted by JonnoN on May 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM
balderdash 5
"One time, my niece was poor, or at least was in danger of slipping from the upper middle class into the depraved depths of the merely middle class. I didn't help her, but it made me sad."

Good job, Mitt.
Posted by balderdash http://introverse.blogspot.com on May 11, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Unregistered Comment on May 11, 2012 at 12:57 PM 6
7
Well, all he had to do was send her a check with 20% of what he makes in any given day, and she would have had the nicest yard in town, and the bills paid for several months.

But hey, why not let the poorer folks pay for it, right Mitt?
Posted by Theodore Gorath on May 11, 2012 at 12:59 PM
8
@5 exactly!!
Posted by moonme on May 11, 2012 at 1:02 PM
9
And that one anecdote proves why we have to slash Social Security and privatize Medicare.

Don't worry, your neighbors will chip in to pay for your chemotherapy.
Posted by Proteus on May 11, 2012 at 1:02 PM
Unregistered Comment on May 11, 2012 at 1:06 PM 10
ScienceNerd 11
I grew up poor. Our neighborhood didn't have an association, let alone rules about landscaping. I have no pity for anyone in this story except for the guy in the NG who had to go to war.
Posted by ScienceNerd on May 11, 2012 at 1:06 PM
12
@5
Ditto. Where was his poor niece's uncle while this was happening?

And a sprinkler system? A SPRINKLER SYSTEM?!?

"She doesn't have the money to do the landscaping, to pay for it."

This is your idea of people who are suffering? People without adequate LANDSCAPING?
Posted by fairly.unbalanced on May 11, 2012 at 1:09 PM
Hernandez 13
A dirt yard? How did she ever survive? Granted, her husband is gainfully employed (although for the moment at lower pay), and she gets to live in an (ostensibly) nice house in a nice neighborhood, but a dirt yard? What a story of American hardship! What a trooper she must be, no wonder he teared up.
Posted by Hernandez http://hernandezlist.blogspot.com on May 11, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Allyn 14
Wait, isn't that what government and government programs are? A group of neighbors coming together to help those who are struggling?

Fancy that. Mitt just made the liberal argument.

Posted by Allyn on May 11, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Supreme Ruler Of The Universe 15

At least Romney isn't trying to make us buy exploding battery cars, like the other guy.
Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe http://yrihf.com on May 11, 2012 at 1:14 PM
bedipped 16
Mitt gets all choked up when anyone gets to avoid paying taxes and full value for work.
Posted by bedipped on May 11, 2012 at 1:20 PM
17
I had no idea how much the families of attorneys were suffering in this country. Thanks for that perspective, Mitt.

[StitchesforSnitches]

2. Wow what a coincidence the week Mitt is being pounded with bad news

His poor ‘niece’ suddenly gets all this help.
Someone needs to follow the money and I bet the trail leads to Romney or his LDS backers.

Anyone else notice that Mitt seems only interested in help his own, never others?

[cali]

4. how much help does a woman living in a new house who is married

to a lawyer need? this is his idea of someone who needs financial help? And why didn't Uncle Mitty just cut her a check for her birthday or something if she's in such tough circumstances? Not having a built in sprinkler system for your lawn, that's really tough!

[StitchesforSnitches]

7. I have a rich Uncle

and he NEVER offered lawn care services, wish he would, but he did give me 6 bottles of Petrus and 6 bottles of Yquem one year for my birthday. Which was a great gift but on days like today when I have to go do yard-work I would rather have received lawn service as a gift.

[cali]

8. yum.

Yquem.

[StitchesforSnitches]

10. better than sex

even better then sex while coked up....not that I do that sort of thing any more...those that have will get it.

[yardwork]

9. Yardwork is not such a bad thing. /nt

[StitchesforSnitches]

11. If I supply food and beer will you come and do it? N/t

[yardwork]

12. LOL! Everybody assumes I want beer. Must be the name.

[StitchesforSnitches]

13. You can have wine or Margarita’s if you prefer.

[glowing]

3. This doesn't sound like a real story even.... If she's living in a working class

neighborhood, then the neighbors wouldn't have the money to put in a sprinkler system and sod for themselves, let alone their neighbor. If she's living in a higher income neighborhood, then perhaps the neighbors did have the money, but if they had the money, they would be sending over their landscaping crews and hire out the work for the day for her.

This story sounds fake.

[liberal N proud]

5. It was my first thought when I saw the clip on the stupid box.

The way he tells it sounds like it is fake.

[cali]

6. the way he tells everything sounds fake.

[salin]

14. And if this was really a crisis point (hence his welling up) - why didn't the rich uncle

help out the niece?

[cali]

17. because the wife of a lawyer in a nice new house

doesn't actually need any help.

This story, true or false, is just one more demonstration of how out of touch the Liar is.

[Alenne]

15. This may be the dumbest story ever told.

Obviously someone helping with his campaign is voting for Obama. Someone wanted him to seem more out of touch than he already does.

[sufrommich]

16. If only she would have had some wealthy family

member who could have helped her out in her time of need.

[mr blur]

18. Yeah, because no-one anywhere else in the world,

would do anything to help other people.

America, fuck yeah!

[csziggy]

19. Any where else in the world the government wouldn't be in so many wars

Her husband would be making his usual lucrative living as a lawyer and her family would be well on their way to joining the 1%.

I wonder if student loans are why that family didn't have better savings to pay for extras such as lawn care?

[Brickbat]

20. People coming together to put in a sprinkler system -- yes, that's what America is all about.

[Itchinjim]

21. Why didn't she borrow $20K from her parents?

Why impose on the neighbors?

[liberal N proud]

22. That's what common people are supposed to do

Not the Romney class.