Posted by Bob Lord
So, Mitt has doubled down on his disdain for the so-called forty-seven percenters –those Americans from households that don't pay income tax.
I wonder if Mitt knows how Peter and Molly Farnsworth, members of that group, feel about his disdain for them. Here's Peter and Molly's situation:
Peter and Molly earn $60,000 per year, which places them comfortably in the top half of American households. They work hard to provide for themselves and their five young boys, whom they of course claim on their income tax return as dependents. Molly and Peter are fiercely loyal to their church, and happily meet their $6,000 per year tithing obligation. They live in a modest home on which they pay $10,000 per year in mortgage interest and another $1,000 in property taxes. they incur $1,000 per year in state and local sales taxes and $200 in personal property taxes on their vehicles.
Molly and Peter live frugally and responsibly. They contribute $6,000 per year to their IRAs and another $1,000 per year to a Health Savings Account. Molly works from home to be able to provide most of the care for her boys, but occasionally requires help with childcare, which runs her $400 per month and qualifies for the childcare credit.
Molly and Peter pay no income tax. They are devastated to learn of the contempt with which Mitt views them. They voted for him in the Arizona primary and have proudly displayed a Romney Ryan yard sign in their front yard.
Note — I thought this was clear, but Molly and Peter are not real people.