not very much

those of you who know me know my political affiliation.

those closest to me know that i have grown increasingly apathetic as the two parties have become more polarizing over recent elections.  i hate what politics have become.  i hate how no one can relate to me.  i hate how no candidate is willing to take a position.  i hate how no one reaches across the aisle and promotes compromise.  i hate how the upper echelon of our society's socioeconomic background tends to be those in office.

so today as i read a new york times article about mitt romney i couldn't help but feel disconnected even more so than in recent years.

for those of you who haven't been paying attention, romney has refused to release his tax records.  bascially: he doesn't want people to know just how rich he is because he wants to seem approachable/similar to the "common" american.

after both republicans and democrats alike jumped all over romney to get him to admit his annual income, he decided (as any slick politician would do) to release a small part of his fiscal year 2011 tax return.

mr. romney was directly quoted as saying that a very small portion of his income came from public speaking fees.  (basically, for those who aren't familiar, famous politicians are frequently invited/asked to speak at certain events and are paid for their speeches/presence).

romney's exact quote was that "not very much" money was made from public speaking fees.

today it was revealed that from february 2010 to february 2011 he made over $347,000 in public speaking fees.

well mr. romney, it's nice to know that the same amount you consider to be "not very much" is the same amount i will never cumulatively make over the course of my lifetime.

i'm starting to think the $10,000 bet he proposed to rick perry a few weeks ago was a legitimate bet, not just a figure of speech.

sorry for the rant.  but i haven't posted an opinion piece in awhile.  adios, blogosphere.