Romney Supporter: Billionaires Have Too Little Political Influence

Ken Griffin, a Chicago-based billionaire hedge fund manager, is a Mitt Romney supporter who thinks the super-rich have an "insufficient influence" over American politics, even though he thinks politicians should pay so much attention to CEOs.  He also believes the Obama Administration is at fault for the social unrest over income inequality and that China is pulling people out of poverty by embracing policies favoring the private sector.  He also believes that there is nothing wrong with billionaires, hedge fund managers, and other super-wealthy individuals spending unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.  It took a fraction of this campaign spending to get policies that benefit only the upper part of the top 1% and these lack of spending limits are designed to keep the system from changing.  Although he thinks companies should not directly harm others, he does not want government picking which businesses succeed and which ones fail.  But, he is out of touch by applying this way of thinking to this recent Chicago coal plant closings.  In response to the overwhelming neighborhood and community pressure to shut them down, he does not believe that "the company that injures people to be shut down and for the government to start a competing enterprise."  Which must means that he want business and government to work together, even if it means screwing over other people's health.

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/03/10/442067/billionaire-romney-backer-ultrawealthy-have-an-insufficient-influence-over-politics/; http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-0311-confidential-griffin-web-version-20120311,0,2604121,full.column

Romney: Private Sector Should Have Bailed Out Carmakers, But Bain Didn't Invest (for 2/21/12)

Mitt Romney thought that the private sector should have bailed out GM and Chrysler to save the American auto industry in 2009.  Romney thought those companies should have been liquidated, not reorganized in bankruptcy proceedings.  No private investors, not even Bain Capital, stepped up and provided the needed capital.  While Romney was not at Bain when this happened, the knowledge he gained there should have told him that investors would not step up and bail them out.  But, the Obama Administration went ahead and bailed out them out.  Romney surely wanted to break the unions and make the Detroit's auto workers take deep cuts in any bailout of the industry.  He would not care about the damage it does to Detroit's economy. This will make many voters, especially those in Detroit, reconsider Romney's private sector experience as a strength of his.  If the private sector does not step up and hire unemployed Americans, it makes the public suspicious of any candidate who touts his private sector experience.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/02/21/1066929/-Mitt-Romney-says-auto-bailout-should-have-come-from-the-private-sector-But-Bain-refused-to-invest-?via=siderecent

Long-Term Unemployment Boosting Jobless Rate (For 2/19/12)

Those who have been unemployed for a long time have actually boosted the unemployment rate due to the stigma associated with it and skill erosion. The lack of jobs has produced a huge number of long-term unemployed. Employers have engaged in discrimination against unemployed job candidates. The Obama Administration and Congrssional Democrats have sought to outlaw this practice. Congress adds to the poor image of the unemployed by including proposals allowing drug testing of the unemployed by those states that want to do this. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/17/unemployment-long-term-unemployment-cbo_n_1284202.html?ref=business