‘Are we willing to settle?’
With less than a month to election day, many of us are solidifying our presidential preference, and in doing so, I ask we all briefly cast aside party labels to look at what we, as Americans who want what’s best for our country, have to choose from.
President Obama was swept into the presidency on an inspirational message a “change,” and considering the economic woes of 2008, I don’t know many people who’d argue that the United States didn’t need a change from the path we were on. President Obama promised to fix his nation by being this changing force, even going as far as saying that if he didn’t fix the economy in three years, there would be a “one-term proposition.”
Where are we three years later? America’s AAA credit rating was downgraded for the first time in history, a 7.8 percent unemployment rate became 43 months of unemployment above 8 percent, which President Obama promised to be around 5.5 percent by now, and $6 trillion has been added to the national debt, even though candidate Obama said doing so was immoral.
Additionally, President Obama hiked taxes on the middle class via Obamacare (after promising he wouldn’t); our budget deficit has surpassed $1 trillion (after he promised to cut it in half); the price of gas has increased from $1.81 to $3.92; the cost of health care has skyrocketed; and the cost of a college education is at an all time high. I could continue, but these facts alone prove that President Obama has not changed anything for the better.
I’ve met several people, however, that justify their support for President Obama’s re-election because he’s “tried.” Has he tried? Yes. But are we, as a nation, so willing to settle for a president who has tried, regardless of the results? I hope not. We need a president who will not only try, but a president who will do – a president with a proven record of change.
As governor, Mitt Romney balanced Massachusetts’ budget without raising taxes or borrowing money; eliminated political gridlock by working with a Democrat-controlled state legislature; turned a $3 billion deficit into a $1 billion surplus with a $2 billion rainy day fund; and reduced unemployment from 5.6 percent to 4.7 percent, among many other achievements. This man knows what it takes to create jobs and fix an economy. You, I, and our economy need and deserve President Mitt Romney.
Max Halm
LaSalle
