Dependency vs. Opportunity

So you may have heard by now - cue the laugh line - that Mitt Romney was secretly taped at a fundraising event last May talking about the "47%" of the population in America who get significantly more from than they give to government, and that he expected it would be hard to get that group to vote for him based on an argument of reducing taxes and slowing the growth of government.  It never ceases to amaze how overboard the mainstream media can go with these things - but that's a topic for another day.

Now, I think it's clear - and I suspect Mitt would agree with this - that these comments in isolation are too simplistic to really describe the situation with the voters and the government.  I'm sure he would state things differently if he could go back.

But there remains a serious point and principle that I think most citizens, most voters in America would fully agree with.

And that is that government has for decades now been creeping amoeba-like into practically every aspect of our lives, and we have as a whole become more reliant on the government for many things than we used to be.  I think we would also agree that this process has affected our personal freedoms, but more, it's also "breaking the bank" as the government has gone so heavily into debt - over $16 trillion and counting.

Is this the America and the government that Americans prefer?  I don't believe that.  I think Americans overall are comfortable with government programs being available at key times of crisis to help out.  But I don't believe most Americans want that to be a permanent state.  If we need help, we want it limited and temporary - what we really want is to be able to work our own way forward as much as possible.  What we really want is the opportunity to do so.

Which brings me back to Mitt Romney and his plans.  Can anyone seriously doubt, when they look at Romney's record and life, that the man has been able to accomplish amazing things?  He's a doer...he's smart and finds a way to accomplish what he sets out to.  And most of what he has done is create business, jobs, and successful enterprises.

So what is the #1 thing - way beyond anything else - that Mitt Romney has set his mind and heart to do if elected in November?  CREATE JOBS...or as he says, "LOTS OF JOBS."  And jobs are the key way in which economic opportunity comes to the personal level - it's the way individuals and families gain the power to help determine their own path and to move through and past challenging circumstances.

So ask yourself - and ask your friends - is it Obama or Romney that we really believe will bring opportunity rather than more dependency?  What do we really want from our next president?

In my book, Romney wins on that question - in a landslide.

From National Review Online blog today:

Mitt Romney talked directly about the middle class today at a fundraiser, saying “The question of this campaign is not who cares about the poor and the middle class. I do. He does.”

“The question,” Romney continued, “is who can help the poor and the middle class? I can! He can’t!”

RIGHT ON.