This:

“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what,” Romney said.

Romney added: “My job is is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives. What I have to do is convince the 5-10 percent of people who are independents, that are thoughtful, that look at voting one way or the other depending upon, in some cases, emotion, whether they like the guy or not.”

I am voting for President Obama. I used to be a die-hard Republican. Then I started thinking for myself. I can’t say that I identify with either of the two major parties, as I see defects in both. But I am also realistic enough to know that, at least at this time, I have to choose one of the other.

I’ve never been on welfare. Never had public assistance of any kind. I’ve worked my way through life, through university. I pay my taxes. I was fortunate enough to not have to take out student loans, but it’s not because I had parents who were able to pay my way nor because I got grants (which, by the way, I totally support). I got laid off one job, and one of their benefits was that they would pay for either a year of college studies or for me to work with a head-hunter. I chose to go to school, where I got good grades and joined an honour society. Later on, I finished up my bachelor’s degree while working full-time and dealing with a serious medical condition; since I worked at the university, I got a break on fees, and since I had good grades and was in honour societies, I managed to get scholarships. During the times in my adult life where I was not working a paying job, because my husband and I were able, for those brief times, to maintain a very modest living on his income, I did volunteer work for the LDS church, as I know you have all of your life.  I’m one of the fortunate people–even though I may never have the kind of money the 1% have. I’ve always had food to eat, clothes to wear, a roof over my head.

I used to work for Child Protective Services. During my too-brief tenure there, my clients were in that 47% you’re talking about. There were single parents doing their dead-level best to provide for their children while working minimum-wage jobs that did not provide enough of an income for them to not need public assistance. So tell me, really, who you expect them to vote for? Someone who understands there is a genuine need, or someone who dismisses them as feeling entitled. Trust me, Mr. Romney, they would have done anything to take care of their families. If they were making enough money to live on, they wouldn’t have taken one dime from the government or any other form of assistance. They did what they had to in order to survive.

I won’t deny that I also had some cases with families who absolutely felt entitled to whatever the government would give them. But they were by far the minority.

So please–before you dismiss that 47% as feeling entitled to whatever the government will hand out, please take some time to find out what their real concerns and issues are. Because I can guarantee you, a single mother making minimum wage is barely able to feed and shelter her child, and if supporting Obamacare will provide medical care for her small family, damn straight she’s going to vote for his reelection. If the Democrat party supports raising minimum wage, damn straight she’ll support that party.

I’ve been seeing various stories and emails about how you’re compassionate and thrifty. With all due respect, being thrifty at your income level is completely different from being thrifty when you’re way below the poverty line, and not for lack of effort or desire. If you want to win those people over, show them that you care about their plight. Show them that you realise that they are struggling, no matter how hard they’re working. Shouldn’t they have a right to have shelter, food, clothing, medical care?

Okay. Gotta stop. I’m getting a little overheated here.

For the record: Yes, I am supporting President Obama. I will vote for him in November. Mr. Romney may be a likeable enough person, but I don’t like his politics.