I saw this interesting calculator over at Slate.com a couple of days ago. It calculates how much time it would take Mitt Romney to earn your annual salary. Apparently, based on his 2010 income, it would take Mitt Romney about 21 hours to earn my current annual salary. It’s a fun parlor trick, but the question is:
Do I care?
Ultimately, for me, the answer is no. I don’t begrudge anyone who makes a large income or has a large net worth. I also don’t think that wealthy people are automatically out of touch with the world of working Americans. My personal political ideology is constantly evolving, but in general terms the personal financial standing of a particular candidate is not a deal-breaker for me when it comes to my voting behavior.
However, it is a deal breaker if a candidate doesn’t have a plan to promote increased economic equality, doesn’t address the needs of the middle class, and overlooks the importance of reforming the tax code in favor of the average American worker (as opposed to the very wealthy). For me, it’s less important who a candidate is than what a candidate plans to do with their term in office.*
Let’s talk about it: do politics and personal finance overlap in your mind?
*For the record, a colony on the moon is not important to me.
