Romney/Ryan plan will divide nation

The Romney/Ryan team insists that drastic reforms are needed in the Social Security and Medicare programs. To drive negative changes into any group, you must do three things. You must convince the group that we are in dire straits and you have their best interest at heart, and you must split the group so they will fight among themselves.

For “dire straits,” the Romney/Ryan team says; we are broke and cannot afford to continue. (Though I wonder if the ill-advised Bush era tax cuts and the placing of two wars on our credit card had anything to do with it.)

“Best interest at heart,” they say we are saving the programs for you and to do so, we must institute drastic cuts (reminds me of, we burned the village to save it). If burned to nothing, what are we really saving?

Splitting the group, is accomplished by: the 55-and-older crowd, no change; the younger crowd, well, you are screwed.

Therein lies the conflict, the 55 and older insist that they paid these taxes their entire lives, they need these benefits, and are entitled to them. The younger than 55 will ask, why must we pay taxes to provide you with benefits when there will be nothing at the end of this rainbow for us? Hence, thunderous blows will be struck by each side, tit for tat.

The adage, divided you fall, is still true.

Tim O'Brien

Fayette