CounterPunch
October 29, 2012

The Real Wealth Creators
The Romney Doctrine
by GENE GRABINER




The Real Wealth Creators
The Romney Doctrine
by GENE GRABINER

In May of 2012, Mitt Romney made his now famous 47% speech to a secret group of 
very wealthy donors. In this presentation, we see the “Romney Doctrine” in full 
relief. In fact, we rarely, (perhaps never), have seen a more open class 
analysis of our country made by a presidential candidate. In it, Romney has 
laid bare the fundamental contradictions in American economic life for the past 
35 years. His view of the broad masses of the American middle class, working 
class and poor people can only be seen as one of disdain and condescension. His 
analysis offers rare insight into the world of the so-called “job creators,” 
and begs an answer to the issue, “how is wealth actually produced?”

Take my father, for example. He was a small businessman, a jobber or factor in 
the New York City garment industry. In the 1950’s, he employed a number of 
women to create innumerable sample cards of buttons and ornamental pocketbook 
snaps which would then be offered to various coat houses and pocketbook 
manufacturers for their fall and spring lines. Deals were struck, contracts 
signed, and my dad would put these deals together with other large 
manufacturers for thousands of pieces at a time, which they would deliver to 
the coat and pocketbook firms.

He paid the women in his shop the 1955 75¢ per hour minimum wage. He paid them 
for control of their life’s activity for eight hours per day. But he didn’t pay 
them for eight hour’s work; he paid them for working eight hours. And that’s a 
big difference.

full: http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/10/29/the-romney-doctrine-2/
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