As Mass Governor, Cartoon Plutocrat Mitt Romney Taxed People For Being Blind

Our good, decent, compassionate brethren on the right are always screaming and wailing about Paris Hilton's god-given right to never work a day in her life because some fringe Mad Men character made a lot of money once, and taxing her on her inheritance means taxing DEATH ITSELF. We all know that His Lord High Hairgel Mittens of Romney understands wealth's need to cascade from father to son, down through the centuries. He would never be so gauche as to tax the living for the money of the dead. But if you have to have "money" to run your state, and you don't want it to come from you, from whose pocket should it justly be yanked? We will go with "blind people."

 Esquire has a lovely find from a 2003 Telegram & Gazette piece:

It now costs to be blind in Massachusetts. The state's approximately 35,000 blind and legally blind residents must now pay $10 annually for a certificate of blindness and $15 every four years for a blind identification card. Without the formerly-free documents, blind people cannot take advantage of tax abatements, affordable housing programs, health care services, transportation discounts and other benefits. ... The fees originated in February, in Gov. Mitt Romney's budget proposal for fiscal 2004.

—Shaun Sutner, "Advocates Fight Fees For The Blind," Telegram & Gazette, 8/5/03

Why not just take their tin cups, and cut out the middleman? Come on, Mittens, get your head in the game!

[ Esquire ]