Horatio Alger Stories Energizes GOP

From my good friend and fine writer, Bob Dahl:

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Unfortunately, it seems many, many Americans live with the Horatio Alger stories as reality and truth.  This is the group that wants desperately to go with Romney and Ryan's view of life:  individualistic, pull yourself up by your bootstraps Ayn Rand capitalism.

Some of these, the most vulnerable, are the group described by John Steinbeck in a 1947 interview:  

“Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

This is a target group in this election for the Democrats and there are thousands upon thousands of these Americans who will vote against their best interest because they don't want to give up the illusion.

Sometimes reality is so hard to face, but facing it is the only way to reality. 

We don't get anywhere without each other.  It's the social contract with America.  

I sit penning this because of my ancestors, wife, father, mother, children, relatives, friends, teachers, church, pastors, physicians, dentists, private and public scholarships and grants, social security when my dad died, social security, medicare and medicaid for my mother when the funds ran out, state health insurance obtained by employees and teachers bargaining collectively and all the other benefits I have as a citizen of the USA.