Last Tuesday, a video of presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaking at a private fundraiser leaked to the world, ruffling the feathers of many potential voters and causing his campaign team to work extra hard with damage control. 
For those of you who did not see it, I would like to share a quote from the fundraiser. This is from an official transcript on nbc.com, and Romney is talking about President Obama.
“Well, there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what.  There are 47% who are with him–who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they’re entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. It’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what.  These are people who pay no income tax. My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”
Before I continue with my opinion in this article, I’d like to ask a favor of you, dear readers. Go ahead and toss the phrases “wealth distribution” and “socialism” out of your mind for a few minutes. Get rid of your passionate hatred for Obama or your overwhelming disdain for Romney. I’d like to focus on humanity, not politics. 
Who exactly is the 47 percent to whom Romney is referring? According to the Tax Policy Center, 46.4 percent of Americans did not pay federal income tax in 2011. However, of the 46.4 percent, 28.3 percent paid payroll tax (employment tax), leaving 18.1 percent who did not pay income or payroll tax. Of the 18.1 percent, 10.3 percent are the elderly in our country, leaving 7.8 percent of Americans who are not elderly and did not pay income or payroll tax.
While I believe Romney was very irresponsible for throwing around percentages like that to assure his audience Obama is going to get half of the vote no matter what, I think the content of his message reflects a deeper issue. I’ve thought about this for several weeks, and I believe this deeper issue is the root of “what’s wrong with the world.”
Humans, by nature, are selfish. If you were to analyze each of the issues people believe are responsible for “the mess our country is in” or “why we’re going down”, or any other phrase you catch a glimpse of on Facebook from the semi-professional political analysts who run their mouths in spite of their ignorance, the root of the problem is selfish human nature. The biggest problem with our nation is greed.
Should it not be the government’s job to take care of its citizens? How about the disabled citizens who simply cannot make enough money to support themselves enough to file income taxes? What about the father of the family of four who lost his job and is doing the best he can? Are these people undeserving of “entitlements” like food, shelter and health care? I think a lot of people don’t understand there are people in the country who do try and do the best they can do, but still fall short of earning enough money to file income taxes and live comfortably.
The problem is greed, ignorance and/or a combination of both. I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard “these people need to get control of their lives” or “you can’t sit back and let the government take care of you.” I’ve personally witnessed people make these remarks specifically in response to Romney’s statements and I’m sure most of them see the 47 percent as lazy drug-addicts who live off the government. They are the catalysts who get people really fired up, and before you know it, they’re talking about guns and freedom and whatnot. 
I know most of these arguments are made toward people who truly take advantage of the government. I’m well aware of those who abuse government aid and I think it’s sickening, but I also know it’s not 47 percent of the country. 
I’d like to think if I ever achieve substantial wealth in my life, I won’t have a problem  with my tax money going to help others who need food, health care or shelter. The last time I checked, I’m a flesh-and-blood, breathing  soul just like the homeless man I see on the I-85 ramp every time I drive into Atlanta, or the man who sometimes asks for change outside of the CVS here in Starkville. Having money does not make you any more deserving of life than someone who has none.
If you have money, and you’re “not hurting” in the words of my father, it’s so much easier to hate people who disapprove of tax breaks for the wealthy or support government financial aid. 
Mr. Romney, I disagree with you. If you’re trying to become the president of our country, I think it is your job to worry about its people. It’s your job to care about the fathers, the mothers, the families and the beating hearts who work overtime and live paycheck to paycheck. And you know what? It’s also your job to care about those somewhere in the 7.8 percent who do live at the government’s expense and do need to take personal responsibility and care for their lives. They’re Americans, too.
Sadly, the realization I’ve come to during my quest of figuring out our nation’s biggest problem is it can’t be fixed. 
You can’t tell people not to be greedy and expect them to react. You can’t convince the wealthy to stop being greedy and pay the same percentage of taxes the middle class pays, and you can’t convince those who take advantage of the government to stop being selfish. 
However, I think an effort to try would be the first step in fixing this problem. Romney’s going to have to work extra hard at reaching the people who make in one year what he makes in one day (he made a little over $20 million last year). Care and try. That’s all I can ask.