Re "Romney: 47% of Americans 'believe they are victims,' 'dependant on government'" (Tribune, Sept. 18):

Gov. Mitt Romney apparently believes that people who do not owe any federal income tax — 47 percent of the population according to him — are freeloaders whom he will never be able to convince "they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

Excuse me? My 83-year-old father-in-law, a World War II veteran, lives in an assisted living home using Social Security, disabled veterans benefits and a small pension to pay for it. These sources of income, all of which he earned by working and paying taxes for more than 40 years, do not add up to enough for him to owe any federal income tax, but he certainly doesn't need a lecture on personal responsibility from the likes of a condescending Mitt Romney.

These latest revelations on how Romney views the electorate demonstrate how utterly out of touch and removed he is from the America he so desperately wants to lead.

Cliff Randle

North Salt Lake