Health care

Mitt Romney will strike down Obamacare because it was forced on people who don’t share its principles. The Supreme Court didn’t even support the full bill, but a modified version that eliminated the health care mandate and restructured it as a tax, effectively passing into law a different bill from what Congress had passed. A recent Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans now want to repeal some part of the law. Health care reform is about as complex as it is necessary. Rather than being rushed through every branch of government, a reform bill should be digested slowly so that everyone can determine if its various facets are actually beneficial.

Immigration

Romney recognizes that ours “is a nation of immigrants” and that America needs these immigrants as much as they need America. Our antiquated immigration system, burdened by unnecessary red tape, needs to be overhauled so that legal entrance into the US is actually desirable. President Barack Obama is commendable for his great compassion in supporting the popular DREAM Act, which allows certain illegal immigrants to stay in the US, but he failed to even introduce immigration legislation during his four years, two of which included a Democratic super-majority in Congress. Rather than providing amnesty to a few, which incentivizes illegal entrance into the US, Romney will strengthen the border while making legal immigration more easy and efficient. That means more American citizens and less people oppressed by an illegal status.

Gay marriage

Romney does not want to force a specific lifestyle on anyone. Homosexuality is and always will be legal in America. What he does not support is the redefining of the word “marriage,” a word that has meant a specific thing since its conception; a word that means a specific thing to millions of married couples in America today. To change the definition of that word changes the nature of these marriages.

Abortion

Romney will end federal funding of abortions and appoint Supreme Court justices that will reconsider the extent of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in the US. We cannot agree on when exactly life begins. There is a specific moment where “ending a potential for life” becomes “killing a life,” and determining this moment is absolutely crucial. If we are wrong, then we may be killing over a million humans every year. Scientists cannot agree when life begins, and Roe v. Wade punted the issue. Even President Obama said that determining when life begins is “above my pay grade.” Rather than allow the federal funding of abortions that Obama admits could be murder, Romney will take a more cautious route, re-opening the discussion about the extent of abortion rights.

Economy

Romney will cut middle class taxes, cut spending and lessen the federal government’s role in the private sector. After spending $800 billion trying to prop up a grim economy, Obama’s grade report is in: we are in the midst of the second slowest economic recovery since WWII. The president’s policies have proved to be ineffective, their contribution to government debt aside. America was in a similar situation thirty years ago. Reagan championed lower taxes, less spending, smaller government – the antithesis of the Obama administration – and in so doing, he turned the worst economic recovery into an era of growth.

Education

Romney dismisses the top-down approach that has yet to noticeably impact inner-city public schools. His plan allows parents to choose which school to send their child. By having public education funds stay with the student, rather than stay with the school, schools would have to compete with each other to prove to parents that their children will receive a decent education. The result is a school system focused not on federal funding, but on the needs of individual students.

Foreign policy

Mitt Romney will protect the interests of America and freedom abroad with firmness and speed, unafraid to support Israel and to stop China’s currency manipulation. President Obama refused to meet with Israeli President Netanyahu as the Iranian nuclear issue escalated and responded to the murder of a US ambassador with neither swiftness nor conviction. Mitt Romney will have the diplomatic mettle to stand up for America and her allies.

Bottom Line

The fundamental difference between Romney and Obama is their beliefs about the role of government. Obama wants more government; his spending has created more American debt than any other president, and his “solution” is to tax the American economy further. He genuinely believes that America needs a federal government of unprecedented size to end a recession, an economic phenomenon that smaller governments of the past have more effectively reversed. Romney wants less government. He believes that taxes need to be cut and that government needs to step back and let the American machine perform as it has for the past 70 years.