Not owing income tax has absolutely nothing to do with “depending on government”.
What Romney said was:
There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.
The 47% number is is often quoted as the percentage who do not pay federal income tax.
People getting military pensions and social security often have high enough incomes to owe federal income tax.
No, that isn’t what he meant, for one thing not owing taxes has nothing to do with collecting anything from the government. Absolutely nothing. Zero, nada.
What he said, and what he meant was *” 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it.”*.
That means government money, moola, health care, food stamps, social security, military retirement, medicare, medical, government pensions, unemployment.
The man is an idiot, and I bet you $10,000.00 dollars that he regrets being such a clueless, remote, out of touch idiot, when he is running a campaign.