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BY MICHAEL BUSLER

COMMENTARY

I am voting for Mitt Romney. And if you are concerned about a future with freedom, prosperity, security and fairness, so should you. Why?

The most important trait for a President to possess is leadership. The country today faces some very severe problems. The optimum solutions should benefit the majority of the people, without infringing on the basic rights of any citizen. Past Presidents have accomplished this by gathering as much information as possible from both sides of a debated issue. They would then digest the information and provide a strongly suggested solution to congress that was always consistent with the basic “what’s best for the majority” view. As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney found these types of solutions while working with a legislature that was 87 percent from the opposing party. These solutions eventually served as models for others.

So how would Romney solve the most severe problems?

The economy, along with the tax policy, the resulting deficit/ debt and the fiscal cliff, is the problem that needs to be solved quickly. Some say that the prior recession was so severe that it could, as the great depression did, take up to 10 years to fully recover. That’s a bunch of poppycock. The depression lasted so long because the government used very restrictive monetary and fiscals policies. Today we know how to use an expansive economic policy to end recessions of any severity, as was shown in 1981 and 1991 and again in 2001. The last four years mark the first time in history that vastly expansive monetary and fiscal policies have failed to lead to a robust economic recovery that should have generated 400,000 to 500,000 jobs per month.

Mitt Romney understands business. He will restructure the tax code so that not only is it more fair, but it will lead to large increases in economic growth. By adding up to 12 million jobs in the next four years, tax revenue will increase quickly. This reduces the pressure to aggressively cut spending. Romney will bring down the deficit as he tries to balance the budget as quickly as possible.

The second critical problem is defense of the country and our resulting foreign policy. Mitt Romney will follow the Dwight Eisenhower/John Kennedy/Ronald Reagan model. This was known as “peace through strength.” Fearful of atomic weapons in the 1950’s, nations became very reluctant to initiate any actions against the US. In the early 1960’s Kennedy’s forceful blockade of Cuba convinced the Russians to remove their missiles. In the 1980’s President Reagan rebuilt our armed forces, which were weakened during the prior administration. He even spoke of a “star wars” like defense system where the U.S. had weapons circling the earth. If any nation fired toward the US, we would zap the missile in the air and then retaliate. While Congress scrapped the idea, it put fear into our potential enemies.

Mitt Romney will use the same model. He will make our military stronger and, although war is always the last option, it is, nonetheless an option that Romney would use. He would make sure all of our adversaries knew that.

There are other problems. The health care issue has to be resolved. Any objective view should conclude that the newly implemented health care law, while it does have some good features, is simply not right. It was passed without review and not one member of the opposing party voted for it. Regardless of the solution to the fiscal cliff problem, the new health-care taxes put in place will likely push the economy back into recession. Mitt Romney has shown that he can come up with a plan that both political parties can live with, thus avoiding a possible recession.

As we know, this election is critical for the future direction of the country. Mitt Romney’s direction is one where we emphasize individual freedom and individual responsibility, while recognizing our moral obligation to every American. It is a future where the economy is growing and providing opportunity for all. It is a future where we set an example for our children about the importance of values and the importance of learning to live responsibly. It is the future I want for my children.

Michael Busler, a public policy analyst, is an Associate Professor at Richard Stockton College.

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