This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Re "Romney: 47% of Americans 'believe they are victims,' 'dependant on government'" (Tribune, Sept. 18):
Recently, a video of Gov. Mitt Romney surfaced where he opines that the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay income taxes believe they are victims and don't take personal responsibility.
I'm one of the 47 percent. I spent half of last year battling non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I put in an eight-hour day the day before I started chemo, and I worked part time while going through chemo and radiation and raising my child as a single parent. I earned so little that I was given back all my withheld income taxes.
I work hard, rarely ask for help, and keep a positive outlook on my prognosis. Regardless, Romney made it clear that he doesn't care about people like me, that his "job is not to worry about those people" because they will never take "personal responsibility and care for their lives."
He's wrong about that. But he's right that I'm one "of the people who will vote for the president no matter what." When the only other major candidate is Romney, you can bet I'll vote for President Barack Obama.
Elizabeth Roland
Salt Lake City