Ethics

What Happened to Pasta and Canned Tuna?

As you're probably aware if you paid any attention to the Republican convention, the Romneys were once burdened with the hardship of eating pasta and canned tuna on a dinner table that was supposedly an ironing board. Even if you did believe that (if you really did you're terribly gullible), Ann Romney walked-back the implication yesterday on Meet The Press.

“Mitt and I do recognize that we have not had a financial struggle in our lives,” Ann Romney said in an interview with Mitt Romney that aired on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday. “But I want people to believe in their hearts that we know what it is like to struggle. And our struggles have not been financial, but they’ve been with health and with difficulties in different things in life.”

Difficulties in different things in life?

Sure, everyone has difficulty with some aspect of their life, but financial struggle exacerbates all else.

People dealing with financial struggle have to worry about having enough money to go to the grocery without buying Ramen. Having the money to afford healthcare. Having the money to fix your car or afford new clothes. Having the money to afford education for your children. Having the money to avoid the life-shortening stress that comes with worrying about money nearly every day.

The Romneys have no clue what any of that means. Ann Romney has never had to worry about providing for her children. They have trust funds. And to them, eating canned tuna and pasta is a novelty. To millions of other Americans it's an essential staple.

Everyone has difficulty in their personal relationships and within their family structures, but not everyone has their difficulties compounded by financial struggle.